YouTube News Editor

About us

The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change. It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.

We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York.

The role

As the YouTube news editor for The Independent you will be responsible for producing content for The Independent’s YouTube channels.

You will need to:

• Execute a comprehensive YouTube news content strategy, identifying trending topics, breaking news, and unique angles to resonate with a YouTube audience. This includes reviewing the YouTube News tab, popular articles on The Independent website and competitors’ YouTube channels, as well as the channel’s historic channel data to inform decision making.

• Oversee the creation of and generate highly clickable and informative video thumbnails and compelling headlines that accurately represent the news story while maximizing click-through rates and attracting a broad YouTube audience. This involves A/B testing and continuous refinement based on performance data.

• Lead the end-to-end YouTube video production process, from ideation to final edit review. Ensure that news videos are visually engaging, editorially sound, factually accurate, and optimized for YouTube\’s platform (e.g. strong hooks, optimized metadata, clear narratives).

• Continuously monitor YouTube trends, competitor strategies, and emerging video formats to identify opportunities for innovation and maintain a competitive edge. Experiment with new content types (such as talent-led, voiceover) and edit styles to keep the news offering fresh.

About you

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Sourcing and verifying videos with high-traffic potential
• Delivering engaging, high-quality social video content
• Presenting news stories that will engage viewers and drive traffic
• Producing work that reflects The Independent\’s legal, copyright and ethical requirements
• Working well with colleagues across the newsroom to optimise department performance
• Working to tight deadlines self-set
• Approaching issues with a problem-solving mentality and acting swiftly and vocally when problems arise

Essential skills and experience

• Have curated video content for YouTube in other roles
• Understand YouTube’s algorithm
• Be able to design artwork and assets for thumbnails on YouTube channels
• Have an instinct for global news, the ability to spot a great story and an appreciation for what type of content works well across The Independent’s digital platforms
• Be NCTJ or BJTC accredited
• Thrive in a fast paced, busy newsroom and can work under pressure
• Be able to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends
• Have strong organisational skills and time management
• Have a good understanding of media law and ethics, specifically surrounding copyright
• The successful candidate will be genuinely enthusiastic about all aspects of news — including breaking news, politics, culture and sport
• The right candidate will be a trained journalist with a strong news background, and have a firm grasp on all aspects of digital publishing
• The ability to source and verify information independently for publication, as well as understanding how best to use agency content
• You will be expected to be comfortable managing multiple priorities in a calm and methodical manner and possess the ability to thrive in breaking and changing news situations
• Be able to analyse data and refer to it when making decisions
• You will have at least three years of newsroom experience

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.

We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

Our values – you will deliver across all our values

Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.

Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.

Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.