Executive News Editor – AI, Growth & Social

BBC News seeks to hire an Executive News Editor who will directly oversee their Growth, Delivery and Social teams and be the editorial lead on Product and Gen AI workstreams.

The Executive News Editor role is a rare opening at senior leadership level and forms part of the leadership team spearheading the digital transformation of BBC News under Naja Nielsen, Digital Director. The job includes development and execution of growth strategies, board level presentations and external partner engagement.

Responsibilities

• To deliver an audience/user, future-focused and authoritative service across the most high profile News programmes while retaining the highest editorial standards.
• To demonstrate the editorial agenda and range of treatments for the programme and a clear strategy for longer term development and a digital future.
• To provide creative leadership and editorial vision to enhance the strength, depth, range and quality of output and ensure this is done in line with strategic priorities.
• To provide editorial leadership and managerial direction with responsibility for the staff, output and finances for a particular programme or platform.
• To work collaboratively across News Group and wider BBC to ensure a consistent and coherent approach to all editorial development with shared knowledge, information and mutual support where appropriate.
• To guard the BBC’s journalistic and editorial standards, support the BBC brand and enhance reach, reputation and the impact of the BBC, responding to complaints and comments if required.
• To take managerial, editorial and financial responsibility for a team of journalists, production and support staff, including their training, development and wellbeing.
• To lead on team management activities including recruitment, development, training, employee relations activities and processes in accordance with agreed standards and practices.
• To be responsible for delivery to designated budget and for pro-actively identifying solutions to address budgetary pressures and potential overspends that may arise.
• To regularly review the performance of each team to establish current performance and set appropriate objectives.
• To ensure health and safety responsibilities and legal obligations are understood and met within the teams and areas under their responsibility.
• To seek out and nurture new diverse staff, on and off air.
• To represent the BBC at a senior level and take accountability for the implementation and delivery of wider BBC projects.

Qualifications

• An expert in their field, provide professional leadership and act as a role model to teams and colleagues.
• Adept at managing numerous and diverse senior and executive level stakeholders, often operating under tight timescales and managing competing priorities.
• Experience of operating at a senior level in the public sector or public service and/or dealing with external/governmental stakeholders.
• A convincing and persuasive communicator, required to influence teams, as well as senior stakeholders, able to establish effective and collaborative relations across BBC departments, and external agencies/stakeholders where required.
• Effective conduit to communication and influence through the management hierarchy.
• Awareness of current markets, trends and issues within the broadcasting industry and wider media sector, and deep knowledge of output across the whole of the BBC, as well as that of competitors.
• A strong, applied knowledge of generative AI tools and their use cases in the media industry.
• Internally and/or externally recognised source for creative thinking and innovation.
• Functional expert with broad and comprehensive understanding of theories, systems and practices relevant to own functional area.
• Thorough understanding of the way in which programmes are commissioned, financed and produced.
• Broad and comprehensive understanding of the BBC’s legal, contractual agreements and regulations as they apply to programme making, broadcasting and digital media.
• Experience in managing significant budgets and understanding key financial drivers.

How to apply

The deadline for applications is August 19, 2024. To learn more and apply, please click here.