Executive Editor at BBC Media Action

Job Title: Executive Editor

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Special Requirements: Right to work in Tanzania

Reports to: Country Director, Tanzania

Contract:  Full-time, 24 months with possible extension

Salary: Highly competitive within Tanzania, NGO market rates

Please do not send certificates or other attachments. Applicants with no separate cover letter will not be considered. These are local posts applicable to people who have the legal right to live and work in Tanzania and national terms and conditions will apply. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

BBC Media Action

BBC Media Action, the BBC’s international development organisation, uses the power of media and communication to inform, connect and empower people around the world, helping them to shape their own lives. BBC Media Action is independent from the BBC, but shares the BBC’s fundamental values and has partnerships with the BBC World Service and national broadcasters that reach millions of people in developing countries.

Overview of the role

The Executive Editor will lead a dynamic team of media producers to create editorially-sound, high quality content for radio, online and potentially TV. S/he will take on editorial and technical responsibility for the delivery of all BBC Media Action content in Tanzania and will be expected to provide advice and support to producers across all projects on their content’s compliance with the BBC editorial guidelines, safeguarding policies and production standards.

The Executive Editor is a member of the Senior Management Team, reporting directly to the Country Director and will have strategic input into organisational development as well as the development of new projects and the expansion of the country office.

Main duties & responsibilities

Production

• Take overall responsibility for the delivery of all broadcast outputs of BBC Media Action Tanzania, ensuring the editorial integrity, quality, value-for-money and timeliness of all broadcast and digital outputs.
• Work with the Country Director and the global Editorial Development team to resolve any editorial issues and to ensure production teams fully understand and follow the BBC Editorial guidelines and values.
• With support from central teams, ensure that BBC health and safety guidelines and safeguarding policies are strictly observed on all productions and that relevant staff are trained and briefed to manage risk effectively during production.
• Work closely with the Senior Projects Manager to ensure that programmes meet project goals, the production team understands these goals, and outreach activities link with broadcasts.
• Work closely with the Research Manager to ensure programmes reflect research findings and are effectively monitored and evaluated.
• Work closely with the Partnerships Development Manager to develop and maintain positive external relationships with broadcast partners, other public and private broadcasters and relevant government institutions.
• Creatively shape the concept of all new productions, or changes in productions, using knowledge of the local context to ensure outputs reflect the reality of the context in Tanzania and are successful in reaching target audiences.
• Support the development of programme proposals for donors, and the recruitment of staff and freelances as required.

Staff management

• Line-manage Senior Producers and the Production Coordinator.
• Ensure systems are in place for the effective operation of the team, including role-specific work planning, regular 1:1s and annual appraisals, and regular editorial review meetings.
• Build the management capacity of Senior Producers to enable them to carry out their management responsibilities effectively.
• Build the capacity of all production staff to deliver outstanding content.

Organisational management

• Ensure systems are in place to manage production resources, including all production equipment, and edit and production facilities.
• Oversee production budgets for all relevant projects and ensure production complies with BBC Media Action’s finance and administration guidelines, as well as donor requirements – in particular that it provides excellent value-for-money and can be reported clearly and accurately.
• Maintain and develop a close and supportive relationship with the BBC Swahili Service and the production side of any other relevant elements of the BBC in Tanzania.
• Support the Country Director, and the Senior Projects Manager and their team, in writing production-related sections of reports for donors, colleagues, and the public.
• Participate actively in BBC Media Action Tanzania’s Senior Management Team including representing the needs of broadcast teams and ensuring office, project policies and procedures are relevant and workable to meet the needs of production.
• Support the Country Director in taking strategic decisions about current and future operations, based on a solid understanding of the risks and opportunities in the media-development sector.

Safeguarding

• Understand and comply with the Safeguarding policy and the staff Code of Conduct.
• Participate in relevant mandatory training on Safeguarding and Respect at Work.
• Report any Safeguarding concerns immediately, either to the Country Director, or using the Whistleblowing Policy.

Skills, knowledge and experience requirements:

Essential

• At least seven years’ experience in radio production and the production of other broadcast and digital media platforms, and experience across a range of formats including factual.
• At least three years’ experience in an editorial leadership position and demonstrable knowledge of BBC (or equivalent international standard) editorial values, aims and objectives.
• Demonstrable creative ability, with a proven track-record in designing, developing and making innovative programmes.
• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills, significant experience of leading and managing diverse talent and production teams, and demonstrable commitment to gender equality and safeguarding vulnerable people.
• Demonstrable experience of managing budgets of more than TZS 100 million (or the equivalent in another currency).
• Experience of project planning, with proven experience of successful project management against tight deadlines.
• Experience of setting up systems for managing production resources.
• Experience of developing written plans and reports for internal and external audiences.
• Excellent communication skills, fluent in English (verbal and written).
• Experience of building and influencing high-level external relationships including government.
• Experience of designing or commissioning training and learning for production teams.
• Fluency in Kiswahili is essential.

Desirable

• Understanding of the principles of behaviour change communication and the role of gender equality in international development.
• Experience of overseeing a multi-platform media production project.
• Understanding of BBC (or equivalent international standard) health and safety requirements and safeguarding policies and how these can be applied within developing country contexts.
• A proven ability to apply editorial standards to media-development and media-for-development projects.

Closing date: 22nd December 2019

Candidates should send their CV and a cover letter (PDF or Microsoft Word format) which outlines their experience and suitability for the role in English by email to: [email protected]– please include the title of the position applied for in the subject line and send by Sunday 22nd December 2019. Only applicants with separate cover letters will be considered.