Deputy Head of Digital, Channel 4 News

Overview

To assist the Head of Digital in leading the output of content on Digital platforms. To provide day-to-day operational oversight of the Digital team. To ensure quality, consistency, and audience impact across platforms, optimising stories from commission through to the output stage via format, framing, and editorial decisions. This role drives the newsroom’s digital response to breaking news, manages and iterates workflows, commissions content for strands, integrates output teams and supports newsroom digital outputs. To evolve digital formats, refine publishing structures, share audience insights with the newsroom, and mentor producers to build a high-performing, versatile team. To produce and oversee some original digital content projects. To work closely with digital managers to ensure a seamless transition between planning and output to deliver journalism that’s fast, creative, and aligned with our digital strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• To oversee the day-to-day and on-the-day operations of the digital team
• To assist in the management of an integrated production team producing content for our digital platforms
• Lead digital output response to breaking news situations, ensuring speed, accuracy, and resource coordination across teams
• Drive the visual and editorial evolution of our digital outputs, ensuring editorial standards, tone, and brand consistency are maintained across all digital outputs
• To ensure newsroom structures, processes and rosters work for digital output and operations
• Own and evolve the digital stylebook and training, ensuring best practices for content delivery are documented, updated, and rolled out across all teams
• Work with analytics to deploy strategies and systems to maximize reach and engagement of published content through headlines, thumbnails, metadata, and overall editorial framing
• Oversee / executive produce some digital projects
• Mentor and develop digital producers and output-focused staff to build a future-ready, versatile team
• Work closely with the Senior Producer – Digital to ensure a seamless handoff from gathering and planning through to output/publication, especially on set-piece events and rolling stories
• Lead on identifying and implementing output-focused tools, structures and systems
• Fully understand the needs of the 16-34 audience demographic
• Consider legal compliance at all times and refer to the overall authority of the Head of Digital and Editor where appropriate
• Set the highest standards in producing digital content
• Foster innovative use of technology across the output, integrating workflows and technology across the newsroom as much as possible
• Ensure stories are accurate and comply with the law and relevant regulations
• Work in accordance with ITN guidelines on health and safety in the office and in the field
• Undertake work in the field, at home and abroad, producing coverage and working on OBS

These are the main requirements of the role and is not an exhaustive list of duties. It is intended to reflect the nature, range, and context of the work, which will change over time.

Key Requirements

• Experience of leading digital production teams, commissioning content and strong people management
• Good understanding of the demands of online news production, including workflows and required skill-sets
• A background in creative journalism
• Very strong team-working skills
• Authoritative and dynamic leadership skills with mentorship and staff developing essential
• Good understanding of technology and ability to use it to find creative solutions
• Proven track record in project management and new platforms
• Strategic planning skills
• A journalist who works to the highest editorial standards
• Proven track record in producing content across a variety of media
• Play an authoritative role in team editorial meetings presenting ideas in a persuasive manner
• High quality news judgement, initiative and self-starting
• Understanding of Channel 4 News agenda
• Good interpersonal skills, team player with personal authority and the ability to manage a large group of people across multiple newsrooms
• Calm under pressure with the ability to adapt and be flexible in task and role
• Ability to work to a deadline, manage budgets and act with responsibility and common sense
• Good legal understanding and ability to work in accordance with ITN and regulatory compliance procedures

Our people are at the heart of everything we do at ITN. It’s vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of both our audience and the wider society in the UK, so we actively seek candidates from diverse backgrounds and communities. Reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process will be offered, if required, due to a disability or health condition. We also recognise the importance of a good work life balance, so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including part-time and job shares for all our roles. Please just let us know in your application, or at any stage throughout the process, if this is something you want to explore.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Writing/Editing

Industries

Broadcast Media Production and Distribution

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