Real Life Features Writer

PA Media Group; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading national news agency in the United Kingdom is seeking a talented Real Life Features Writer to join their features team. The role involves producing engaging human-interest stories for national newspapers and magazines. Candidates should have experience in news reporting, strong interviewing skills, and a passion for journalism. The position offers excellent benefits, including 25 days of holiday, an onsite gym, and health cash plan.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus purchase scheme

Annual wellbeing day

Annual volunteering day

Eye care vouchers

BUPA health cash plan

Life assurance (4× salary)

Employee Assistance Programme

Onsite gym

Qualifications

• Experience as a news reporter or real-life features writer.
• Ability to find and develop exclusive human-interest stories.
• Expert knowledge of social media tools and techniques.

Responsibilities

• Produce exclusive content every week.
• Pitch stories to national outlets and build relationships with editors.

Skills

News reporting

Interviewing skills

Social media tools

Communication skills

Human interest journalism

Education

NCTJ media law qualification

Job description

Job Advert

About us

PA is the UK and Ireland’s trusted national news agency, delivering 24/7 multimedia journalism to every major newsroom in the country. With more than 150 years of newsgathering experience, our commitment to fast, fair and accurate reporting was recently recognised when PA Media was named National News Media Organisation of the Year at the Media Freedom Awards.

We sit at the heart of PA Media Group, a diverse portfolio of media and data businesses, including the picture agency Alamy and the video platform StreamAMG. Whether it’s breaking news, live video, expert analysis or high‑quality visuals, we provide essential content to publishers, broadcasters and brands.

We’re proud of our inclusive culture where individuality is celebrated and people are empowered to do their best work. If you need adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know — we’re here to help.

About the role

We’re looking for a talented Real Life Features Writer to join our features team and help grow PA’s Real Life feed, a service that delivers original, human‑interest stories to national newspapers, magazines and digital platforms across the UK and Ireland.

This is a role for someone who lives and breathes human stories. You’ll use your eye for a compelling angle, your ability to build trust quickly, and your instinct for what makes a standout read to uncover people whose experiences deserve a wider audience.

You’ll be producing exclusive content every week, working closely with colleagues across Editorial and the newsdesk to shape stories and ensure they are legally sound, accurate and engaging. You’ll also be involved in pitching stories to national outlets — both in print and digital — and building strong relationships with commissioning editors.

If you love finding the story behind the story and have the drive to produce exclusives that spark conversation, this could be the ideal next step in your features career.

What you’ll need

• Experience as a news reporter or real‑life features writer with a proven ability to find and develop exclusive human‑interest stories.
• Strong interviewing skills and the ability to produce fast, clean copy under pressure.
• Expert knowledge of social media tools and verification techniques.
• Outstanding communication skills and a genuine passion for human interest journalism.
• NCTJ media law qualification (or equivalent).
• A strong contacts book (and the determination to keep expanding it)

What we offer

• 25 days holiday plus a holiday purchase scheme
• Annual wellbeing day
• Annual volunteering day
• Eye care vouchers
• BUPA health cash plan
• Life assurance (4× salary)
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Onsite gym