Senior Political Reporter

We’re looking for an ambitious new member of our team to report on the big political stories from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Job Requisition ID: 37761

Job Closing Date: 22/02/2026

Southampton, GBR, S014 7PW

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC South Today
LOCATION: Southampton (Hybrid)
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £41,200 – £50,000, depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We are happy to discuss flexible working. If you would like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there’s no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Do you live and breathe politics? Do you thrive on the big political stories that happen on your doorstep and how the decisions taken in Westminster affect us locally?
We’re looking for an ambitious new member of our team to report on the big political stories from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We’re proud to be a multi-platform newsroom, where you’ll be delivering stories on TV for BBC South Today, for our digital services and for our radio stations (BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Berkshire and BBC Radio Oxford).

WHY JOIN THE TEAM
You will be building on the BBC’s strong connections with the communities we serve, where our storytelling is closest to the audience, and you’ll be joining a creative and supportive team, with a strong internal culture. In this role, you’ll be looking to ensure the political stories you report on reach as many people as possible, through our television output, our digital and social media content and through our radio stations. This role involves varied working hours and may include some evening and weekend working.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

You’ll work as part of a multi-skilled team, reporting on a range of political stories for television, digital and radio.
You’ll be able to draw on a wide range of sources for story ideas, and you’ll deliver original stories which surprise and engage listeners and readers in creative ways.
You’ll need a real passion for creating powerful video by understanding our local audiences and what matters to them. You’ll also have a flair for writing great scripts.
We’re looking for individuals with a high level of reporting experience across both television and digital platforms.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

If you have a passion for politics and the ability to look at stories from diverse perspectives, and if you’re bursting with creative ideas, we want to hear from you.
You’ll have substantial experience of journalism and reporting, with strong editorial judgement.
You’ll have the great people skills needed to collaborate with colleagues across our local platforms.
You’ll be able to demonstrate an understanding of the key issues in the world of both local and national politics.
You’ll also have an excellent knowledge of the BBC’s editorial guidelines, a thorough grasp of impartiality as it applies to our output, and good knowledge of broadcast law.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we would love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

#LI-BD1

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: [email protected]

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.