Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Reports to: Executive Editor
Duration: 12 month full time contract (possibility for extension)
Application instructions:
Candidates should send their CV and a covering letter which outlines their experience and suitability for the role in English to:
headfactualnigeria@ng.bbcmediaaction.org with the title of the position applied for in the subject line.
Please do not send certificates or other attachments. Applicants with no separate cover letter will not be considered. Please only apply if you meet the basic criteria under the person specification.
This is a local post applicable to people who have the legal right to live and work in Nigeria. 'National terms and conditions will apply'. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Application deadline: Wednesday 3 June 2015, by midnight (UK time)
Job purpose:
At present, BBC Media Action in Nigeria addresses issues of health and governance through a number of different outputs, including factual programming on radio and TV and a limited social media presence. We are looking to expand our outputs onto digital and mobile platforms while strengthening our radio and TV productions.
We are looking for a dynamic and inspiring leader to play a key role as Head of Factual in our production department. This is a senior role within the Production Department and will require strong editorial expertise, extensive programme production experience, creativity and ability to build the skills and capacity of others to oversee our factual outputs.
The Head of Factual will help ensure that our factual outputs are as creative and impactful to ensure we remain a leader in a dynamic and evolving media market. Working with the Executive Editor, she/he will ensure systems are in place to support all aspects of the design and delivery of outputs, from inception to post-production. She/he will also ensure that deadlines, budgets, and project objectives are met and adhered to.
Building the editorial skills of our staff, to allow them to take on progressively greater roles in making editorial decisions, is a key responsibility of this job.
Main duties:
- Provide leadership for the factual production team in Nigeria, especially in the areas of editorial decision-making, creativity, technical quality, budgets, delivery deadlines and the overall production process.
- Actively and enthusiastically support professional development of all team members, especially in editorial judgement and decision-making, but also in creativity and technical skills and create conditions that allow staff to learn, practice and develop in these areas.
- Develop systems and organise regular editorial and team meetings to make sure that resources are being strategically allocated, scheduled and shared between different teams and programmes.
- Manage the factual team to coordinate and creatively influence concept development and planning for existing outputs and new productions.
- Working with the Executive Editor, help identify, recruit, and retain staff and freelancers.
- Ensure factual outputs fully comply with BBC Editorial guidelines and values. Work with the Executive Editor to manage any editorial issues that may arise.
- Keep fully across programme budgets and spending to ensure they comply with our project donor requirements.
- Working with senior members of the project management department, ensuring factual production staff understand the goals of each of our projects and produce all media outputs to align with project objectives.
- Explore collaborative opportunities with other parts of the BBC or other Nigerian media as appropriate.
- With the Executive Editor, ensure that BBC Health and Safety guidelines are observed on all factual productions, staff are trained and briefed to manage risk in a highly challenging environment and support is provided to others to take appropriate measures to minimize exposure to perceived risks. Advise and support the Executive Editor to manage risk related to production on all the projects.
Required skills, knowledge and experience:
- Strong editorial decision-making experience and ability to uphold good journalistic practice, gained through producing your own factual programs and, ideally, overseeing the outputs of others.
- Experience of managing and co-ordinating factual production teams to deliver several different outputs simultaneously.
- Demonstrated experience supporting the professional development of staff in editorial judgement and decision-making, creativity and technical skills.
- A proven track-record in designing, developing and making factual programmes for radio and/or TV.
- Proven experience using social media as a platform for delivering programs or other production output.
- Excellent interpersonal leadership and people management skills. Experience of leading and managing talent and production teams, as well as managing diverse teams.
- Production budget management experience.
- Knowledge of, or ability to learn, BBC editorial values, aims and objectives.
- Understanding of production-related technology and techniques for radio, TV or digital platforms.
- Excellent communication skills in English (verbal and written).
Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:
- Evidence of experience and skill in using radio, TV or other media platforms to address developmental issues – for example, governance and health.
- Understanding of the principles of behaviour /social change communication.
- Experience of overseeing a multi-media production project especially using mobile technology.
- Hausa language skills would be a strong advantage.
Key competencies:
The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies.
- Editorial judgement - Demonstrates balanced and objective judgement based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, programme and department objectives. Makes the right editorial decisions, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.
- Managing relationships – Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people. Works co-operatively with others to be part of a team. Values individual's differences and demonstrates a commitment to knowledge sharing and informal learning, for the benefit of the team.
- Creative leadership – Ability to lead a diverse production team, identify and nurture talent, and inspire others to realize an identified vision.
- Planning and organisation – Able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others; planning of activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
- Developing others - Able to recognise potential (managerial, professional, artistic or otherwise) and is willing to foster the development of that potential. Creates a climate in which potential can be realised.
- Decision-making – Ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
- Strategic thinking – Able to identify a vision and create plans for implementation of that vision to meet the end goal. Evaluates situations, decisions, and issues in the short, medium and long-term
- Change management – Able to understand and anticipate the need for change and to build frameworks for planning and managing the continuous process of change.
