Data Projects Editor

Guardian News and Media Limited; City Of London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading media organization in the United Kingdom is seeking a skilled data journalism team leader to create impactful stories from complex data. The ideal candidate will have extensive newsroom experience, proven management abilities, and expertise in various data analysis tools. This role includes collaborating with reporters, ensuring legal compliance, and delivering compelling narratives that engage readers across multiple formats.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Volunteering days

Private healthcare

Enhanced parental leave policies

Qualifications

• Experience in a national/international newsroom with data-led stories.
• Skilled in sourcing, cleaning and analyzing complex data sets.
• Management experience is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of data journalists and apply data techniques for news.
• Collaborate with reporters on data journalism presentations.
• Ensure legal risks are addressed and the editorial code is followed.

Skills

Data journalism

Data analysis

Communication skills

Management experience

Familiarity with access to information laws

Tools

Google Sheets

Excel

R

Python

Job description

Join our team at the Guardian and be part of a diverse and inclusive global organisation that delivers fearless, investigative journalism, and holds power to account. Our team of award‑winning journalists, cutting‑edge commercial professionals, and industry‑leading digital experts are committed to making a difference and represent a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. We offer a challenging and exciting environment for career development, with a focus on training, growth and fostering an inclusive culture.

About the role:

Lead a team of specialist data journalists, identifying and applying how specialist data techniques can be used to break news and add impact to stories on key social, political and environmental issues. This will include bringing structure to previously unstructured data and merging datasets. Collaborate closely with reporters and correspondents across a range of beats, including National, International, Environment and Business, combining their subject knowledge with your team's technical expertise. Think creatively about how we can present our data journalism, collaborating closely with visual journalists on how it can be translated into other formats. You'll be creating stories that stand out for, and capture the imagination of, busy readers. Write and edit compelling copy to tell complex data stories that engage readers. Work with our lawyers to ensure that legal risks are appropriately addressed and the Guardian's editorial code is followed. Manage, guide and motivate a group of direct reports, overseeing, editing and promoting their work and upholding the high standards of accuracy and excellence.

About you:

Demonstrable experience in a national/international newsroom, pitching, developing and writing data‑led stories and investigations. Calm under pressure and able to work to ever‑shifting news deadlines, prioritising effectively and able to robustly plan and manage the team's workload. Highly skilled in sourcing, cleaning and analysing complex data sets. Substantial experience with access to information laws, including FOIA, in different jurisdictions. Proficient in a variety of specialist software and online tools for data analysis, including Google Sheets and Excel. Proficient in R, Python or other coding languages required to interrogate large data sets. Wide knowledge of current affairs, and a keen news understanding of how the public interest can be brought to light via data journalism. A strong understanding of how to give stories a visual impact. Excellent communication skills, including the ability to express complex ideas in ways that are concise and intelligible to an audience - including journalists and editors - without data expertise. Statistics and analysis experience: familiarity with quantitative methods in social science. Previous management experience is highly desirable. Ideally you will have a demonstrable ability to bring a diverse perspective to this role.

Benefits:

Leave per annum with the option to buy additional days through our holiday purchase scheme. Our pension scheme is generous; if you contribute 5% then we will contribute 8‑12% (depending on your age). We believe in giving back, which is why employees are given 2 volunteering days annually and the option of payroll giving. Season ticket loans are also available. You are entitled to life cover, income protection, private healthcare, sick pay and eye tests. You can also opt in to dental insurance. We have enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave policies in place. We also support our employees by offering an IVF, menopause, baby loss, and trans equality policy.

Culture & wellbeing

We want everyone to feel like they belong at the Guardian and we champion diversity of thought. Our various employee forums provide a platform for your voice to foster an inclusive workplace. We offer great tools to help you prioritise your wellbeing.