Journalist (Ethiopia/Eritrea languages) at BBC World Service

Job Introduction

BBC Monitoring is seeking to recruit a Journalist to join its Nairobi team with proficiency in at least two of these three languages: Amharic, Afaan Oromo and Tigrinya. Candidates also require excellent idiomatic English, especially written, as well as editing skills.

BBC Monitoring offers open source monitoring of TV, radio, print and digital media around the world. It is an important part of the BBC's newsgathering operation and provides content for BBC output and a range of other customers.

Role Responsibility

• As a Journalist, you’ll play a pivotal role in meeting the needs of BBC Monitoring’s users by identifying news and key insights based on the monitoring of vernacular sources - TV, radio, newspapers and social media - across Africa.  
• You will produce engaging content in English and cover many news stories, including breaking news.  
• You will work a shift pattern, feed into the global news agenda, acting as a point of reference on Sub-Saharan Africa. 
• You'll use a variety of tools and techniques to mine the media for story ideas, identify emerging trends and narratives and contribute to advance planning for coverage of key events.

The Ideal Candidate

• You'll have excellent skills in at least two of the following languages: Amharic, Tigrinya and/or Afaan Oromo.
• You’ll need to show some experience in journalism with the ability to structure a news story. Most of all, you’ll have exceptional writing skills in strong, idiomatic English. 
• You’ll be able to record accurately, to report impartially, to provide context as necessary and to ensure all output is consistent with the BBC’s editorial guidelines. 
• You’ll have a thorough understanding of Sub-Saharan Africa’s media environment and a good knowledge of the political, cultural, religious and economic factors significant in the region.  
• You’ll be able to track breaking news and emerging trends in social media.
• Please also mention any other languages of relevance to Africa’s media scene  
• You must be willing to continually develop yourself, to actively seek feedback and to be open to learning and improving.  You’ll have good inter-personal communication skills and can work collaboratively with team members and with other parts of the BBC.
• You will need complete fluency in two of these three languages; Amharic, Tigrinya and/or Afaan Oromo

Closing date 28 April 2022