Senior Data Journalist, BBC Verify

BBC; Greater London; On-site; GBP 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

BBC Verify is seeking a senior data journalist to join its data team at Broadcasting House, London. This one-year fixed-term contract covers the full news agenda from domestic to international coverage. You will develop original data-driven stories and support daily investigations across BBC Verify and the wider BBC newsroom.

You will craft engaging visuals, work with data, APIs and datasets, and pitch ideas with compelling treatments to inform audiences across TV, online and radio.

Qualifications

• Specialist data journalism experience with bylined projects.
• Ability to combine data from multiple sources and APIs.
• Experience guiding non-specialists to interpret data.
• Experience leading informal project teams.

Responsibilities

• Work on short-term graphic or data requests, live page posts and longer projects.
• Explain and visualise the figures driving the headlines clearly.
• Pitch original data-based stories with compelling treatments.
• Collaborate with BBC Verify and other newsroom teams.

Skills

Data journalism

Story pitching

Team leadership

Original reporting

Tools

R

Python

Flourish

GIS

Spreadsheets

Job description

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D

CONTRACT TYPE: Full time, 12 Months FTC

DEPARTMENT: BBC News

LOCATION: London Broadcasting House

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £47,000 - £57,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd 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

BBC Verify is looking for a senior data journalist to join its team, based in Broadcasting House in London. This one-year fixed-term contract is for a role that covers the whole news agenda from domestic to international coverage.

The successful candidate will be expected to find and develop original news stories using their skills working with data. In addition they would support the daily and investigative output of the rest of the BBC Verify Team, as well as collaborating with a variety of teams across the whole of the BBC’s newsroom.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

This is an excellent opportunity to become an important member in a well-established and high-profile data journalism team. We comprise data journalists, data scientists, data designers and statisticians.

We are part of BBC Verify, this means our work is often a collaboration across teams who focus on mis‑and disinformation, fact‑checking and open source reporting.

As part of BBC News our work has a wide reach across online, TV and radio audiences.

These are some recent examples of our work -

Documents falsified to evade tax on Abramovich's wealth, BBC finds

Just how hot and dry was your summer? Use our postcode lookup to find out

‘We have nowhere to return to’: How Russia is seizing homes in occupied Ukraine

18 deaths from battery fires show hidden danger of UK's e‑bike boom

Track UK's latest migration numbers - net migration, visas, asylum and small boats

PURPOSE OF ROLE CONTD

Your Key Responsibilities And Impact

As a senior data journalist in BBC Verify’s data team you would be expected to work on both short-term graphic or data requests, live page posts and longer-term projects and investigations.

You would be expected to work swiftly with data, finding simple and striking ways to explain and visualise the figures that are driving the headlines.

A key part of your role would be to come up with original story ideas based on data and to work effectively to pitch those ideas with the most compelling treatments.

Essential Criteria

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrable experience in a specialist data journalism role, including bylined projects and original stories
• Proven ability to develop news stories and interactives using software, such as R or Python, spreadsheet software, Flourish and GIS software as well as familiarity with using AI responsibly
• Demonstrable ability to combine data from different sources, whether it is unstructured data captured from many sources, or structured data in APIs, databases or spreadsheets
• Demonstrable experience in advising non-specialists on how to understand and interpret data
• Demonstrable experience of leading informal project teams, involving colleagues from design and development teams

Desired

• Strong story pitching skills
• Writing skills
• Statistical knowledge
• Ability to spot the opportunities (and dangers) of using AI to help in the creation of data projects and improve workflows
• Knowledge of data viz best practice
• Broadcast experience
• Ability to plan across many different projects and daily requests
• Willingness to train others and share skills

As part of the application we are asking for 4-6 examples of your published work.

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.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

For any general queries, please contact: [e-mail]

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.