SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER – WILTSHIRE in Swindon

CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed-term Contract, Full-time until 27 July 2027

DEPARTMENT: BBC Nations, BBC Radio Wiltshire

LOCATION: Swindon

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £41,200 - £50,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Do you live and breathe politics? Do you thrive on the big political stories that happen on your doorstep and how the decisions taken in Westminster affect us locally? Can you decipher a bundle of council papers and find that golden nugget of a story? With the spotlight on Swindon ahead of May’s local elections, we’re looking for a driven and ambitious new member of our team who would relish the opportunity to make an instant national impact in this exciting role. You’ll possess the ability to identify and tell the stories that matter most to our audiences across all platforms, bringing them to life in a compelling, engaging way on the BBC News website, on TV on Points West and Politics West, on BBC Radio Wiltshire and on our social channels. Your stories will make politics simple and easy to understand. You’ll be as comfortable explaining budgets in online articles as you are talking about potholes on TV and the radio. You’ll be able think on your feet and explain the good things politicians do as well as holding them to account if it goes wrong. This is a rare opportunity to stamp your name on a key position in our newsroom. If you have an in-depth knowledge of politics and strong experience of working in a multimedia environment then we want to hear from you.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

You will be building on the BBC’s strong connections with the communities we serve, where our storytelling is closest to the audience. You’ll be joining a creative and supportive team, with a strong internal culture. In this role, you’ll be looking to ensure the political stories you report on reach as many people as possible, through our digital and social media content and our TV and radio output. This role involves varied working hours and may include some evening and weekend working.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

You’ll work as part of a multi-skilled team, reporting on a range of political stories for digital, TV and radio. You’ll be able to draw on a wide range of sources for story ideas and you’ll deliver original stories which surprise and engage listeners and readers in creative ways. You’ll need a real passion for creating powerful video by understanding our local audiences and what matters to them. You’ll also have a flair for writing crisp, concise online copy. We’re looking for an individual who can think and work independently, with a high level of reporting experience across digital, TV and radio.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• A passion for politics, bursting with creative ideas and the ability to look at stories from diverse perspectives.
• Substantial experience of multimedia journalism and reporting, with strong editorial judgement, decision-making skills and the ability to work independently.
• Great people skills to collaborate with colleagues across our local platforms.
• An ability to demonstrate an understanding of the key issues in both local and national politics.
• Excellent knowledge of the BBC’s editorial guidelines, a thorough grasp of impartiality as it applies to our output, and good knowledge of broadcast law.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we would 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.

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

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 pension scheme 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.

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.

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: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk