Food and Drink Writer (6-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Are you a real foodie? If you love writing about it, talking about it, Instagramming it and are obsessed by the stories behind the food and drink that graces your table, then we have the job for you. As part of The Courier's Features team, which is focused on developing a long-term relationship with our subscribers, readers and communities, an amazing opportunity has opened for a skilled food and drink writer. Based primarily in Dundee covering Tayside and Fife, this demanding and exciting role offers the opportunity to get your teeth into our region's incredible food scene.

The successful candidate will be expected to identify, source and deliver captivating multimedia content that will have readers salivating and ready to tuck into more juicy stories. Whether you are recommending the best places to drink coffee by the coast, unearthing new hidden dining gems across our patch, or going behind the scenes of our foodie institutions, you will write with passion and authority. A willingness to embrace innovative storytelling techniques across multiple platforms is a must for this role, as is a positive can-do attitude and a hunger to learn and develop. This is a job for an ambitious, talented and skilled journalist who wants to shine in a newsroom.

Requirements

• Creating digitally optimised and creative news and features content making use of a range of multimedia tools, with story choices being informed by data and insight.
• Building contacts and relationships with organisations and individuals to ensure the best coverage of the food and drink and hospitality industries.
• Understanding the audience you serve and looking for ways in which we can develop and extend our coverage.
• A focus on growing subscriptions by creating compelling content and servicing our already thriving subscriber base who are hungry for high quality journalism.
• Build a strong food and drink community for our readers online by producing high quality content for our websites and engage with them regularly via our social media platforms.
• Maintaining best practices for publishing across platforms, implementing editorial guidelines and ensuring accuracy while meeting deadlines.

The successful candidate must:

• Be a journalist with a track record of breaking stories online and generating ideas for exclusive and engaging content.
• Have a passion for working in a fast-paced environment for delivering content in this specific field.
• Have a willingness to embrace new skills and tools in the digital arena such as SEO, social media, video, audio etc.
• Have the ability to work in a team, collaborating on ideas and sharing responsibility for meeting newsroom targets and deadlines.
• Have highly developed communication skills.
• Have knowledge of the local area, ideally living within Tayside, Perthshire, Fife or Stirling.
• Driver's licence preferable.

To apply for this role, please follow our online application process and submit a CV and cover letter.

Benefits

This is a full-time, temporary position (6-month fixed-term contract), working 35 hours per week. This role offers a blend of home and office working from our Meadowside Office. Team members are expected to be onsite a minimum of 2 days per week. We offer a generous package including 34 days holiday, Health Cash Plan, Onsite Staff Gym, excellent Pension, a competitive salary, and many more staff discounts and benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage applications from everyone and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or any other protected characteristics.

If you have any issues with your application, please email recruitment@dcthomson.co.uk

Closing date for applications: Monday, 21st April 2025 at 16:00hrs. Please note that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early once we have received suitable applications. Therefore, please ensure you submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.