Senior Data Journalist, BBC Verify

BBC Group and Public Services; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Competitive salary package

25 days annual leave

Job summary

BBC Verify in London is seeking a senior data journalist to join its team on a one-year fixed-term contract spanning the full news agenda from domestic to international coverage.

You will find and develop original data-driven news stories, supporting the daily and investigative output and collaborating with BBC newsroom teams across the organisation.

Qualifications

• ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: Demonstrable experience in a specialist data journalism role, including bylined projects and original stories
• ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: 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
• ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: 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
• ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: Demonstrable experience in advising non-specialists on how to understand and interpret data
• ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: Demonstrable experience of leading informal project teams, involving colleagues from design and development teams
• DESIRED: Strong story pitching skills
• DESIRED: Statistical knowledge
• DESIRED: Ability to spot the opportunities (and dangers) of using AI to help in the creation of data projects and improve workflows
• DESIRED: Knowledge of data viz best practice
• DESIRED: Ability to plan across many different projects and daily requests
• DESIRED: Willingness to train others and share skills

Responsibilities

• As part of 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

Skills

Data journalism

Story pitching

Data visualization

AI responsibly

APIs & data sources

Leading projects

Tools

R

Python

Flourish

GIS software

Job description

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 -

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.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• 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
• 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
• 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.

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

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.

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.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Life at BBC

Find out more about the BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pensionscheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

Candidate pack

You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy

Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we’d be happy to discuss: [e-mail]

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: 01420028, registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.