Production Journalist in Birmingham

Part-time contract - Permanent

Location: Nottingham

Hiring range: £30,195 - £41,285 (full-time equivalent, to be pro-rated)

We are looking for a visionary, experienced journalist with a strong background in, and love of, planning to join our award-winning team at ITV News Central, holders of the Royal Television Society Midlands award for Best News Programme.

This is a vital behind-the-scenes role; it isn’t for someone who wants to be onscreen. Instead, we’re looking for a journalist who lives to uncover the stories that matter, has the creative vision to suggest how they should be covered, and possesses the organisational skills to brief busy crews and reporters clearly and accurately. Based in our East Midlands bureau in Nottingham, your primary role will be looking ahead, using your deep knowledge of the region to find, develop, and set up impactful, exclusive multi-platform stories for the next day and well into the future.

We want to tell the untold stories of the East Midlands. You will have a contacts list bursting with links to our richly diverse communities, and a proven track record of winning the trust of people whose voices are rarely heard. You will know how to turn those relationships into powerful, creative content that gets the entire region talking.

As a multi-platform operation, you will be just as passionate about digital storytelling on ITVX, our website, and social media as you are about traditional television production. While your main focus is forward-planning, you will also have the opportunity to produce bulletins and curate our digital platforms, ensuring our original journalism reaches the widest possible audience.

For the right candidate, this role also offers an opportunity to join the leadership team, with the scope to either bring your existing management experience or actively develop it.

You will have excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to demonstrate good working relationships with colleagues and external contacts. You will have qualified in media law and have a thorough understanding of the Ofcom Code.

To be considered for an interview, you will need to submit a CV and a covering letter.

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)

• Fully qualified NCTJ, BJTC or equivalent experience
• Working knowledge of Ofcom code, media law and compliance
• The ability to generate, research and develop original ideas and taking a creative approach to storytelling, treatments and production for both on-air and online
• Knowledge and understanding of digital platforms and how to tap into new audiences online
• Excellent organisational skills and demonstrate the ability to plan multiple stories while prioritising tasks
• Strong writing skills for TV and digital (accurate spelling and grammar essential).
• Excellent news judgement
• A strong knowledge of the East Midlands and an awareness of the types of stories that engage our audiences

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

• Excellent communication skills
• The ability to work well in a team environment
• The ability to be self‑motivated and quick‑thinking, demonstrating resilience in what is often a busy newsroom environment across day, early, late and weekend working
• The willingness and aptitude to learn other skills and to be happy to share skills with others
• The ability to work to deadlines
• Able to make decisive decisions under pressure
• A positive attitude to work
• Resilience and ability to thrive working in a constantly changing news agenda
• Excellent attention to detail
• Social Media/Digital awareness
• An enthusiasm and willingness to embrace further changes in technology and workflow.
• The aptitude to use the full range of digital newsroom technology
• Clear understanding of and commitment to DE&I and Health & Safety policies
• Able to bring in stories from underrepresented people from across our region as well as underrepresented parts of the Midlands

Please note, the rostered hours for this role will include weekend working, late shifts as well as early morning shifts and Bank Holidays. The working pattern will incorporate late shifts (typically 23:00 finish) as well as early morning (typically 04:45 start). You are expected to provide your own means of transportation to and from your main workplace.

Because of the nature of news production, there will be occasions when you are required to work long and unsociable hours at short notice. Some members of the Production Team may be required to travel to district offices or to work in other news operations as well as attending relevant forums, development sessions and meetings off site as part of their role.

ITV is for Everyone and we want to ensure that ITV Central reflects our audience both on screen and in our teams. We encourage applications from Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent people and People of Colour to help us achieve our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion goals.

Newsrooms are busy and pressurised environments, involving live news production, which often requires colleagues to make quick decisions under pressure. We also need people who are able to use their initiative and, particularly for editorial roles, know what information might be required and how to research it.

We need to test these abilities at the interview stage to understand how candidates will react when operating in a pressurised environment. This is a fundamental requirement of the role. We will always consider any request for reasonable adjustments as part of the interview process, for example sharing key themes when that is requested in connection with a neurodivergent condition, whilst still ensuring that we are able to test a candidate's ability to operate in the specific environment of a newsroom.

Interviews: Tuesday 14th July

Please note the notice period for this role is 2 months (this will include any new contracts/ secondments).

It will be subject to a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).