Staff Writer – West and Central Africa

Mongabay Africa seeks to hire a staff writer who will primarily be responsible for generating news and feature stories.

The staff writer will develop and produce articles working closely with colleagues in the Mongabay’s editorial team to discuss story ideas and coverage plans. The staff writer should have strong analytical skills and the ability to discern what stories are important and of interest to readers. Extensive knowledge and familiarity with environmental issues and/or forest conservation are strong positives.

Responsibilities

Writing, Reporting, Editing, Publishing (90% of the time)

• Work cooperatively with Mongabay editors to produce multiple news reports and/or features per week, consistently of high quality;
• Effectively research and generate story ideas;
• Conduct interviews, phone calls, and/or meetings, and perform other research as needed to gather background for the planning of stories and article series;
• Cultivate sources in the mold of a beat reporter;
• Occasional commissioning and editing of reporting materials or research from freelance journalists;
• Occasional travel for reporting assignments;
• Research, fact-check, and review articles prior to publication;
• Source and/or produce visual content, including photos, videos, charts, and maps;
• Occasional aggregation of news from third-party sources;
• Write, edit, and post stories via Mongabay’s content management system (WordPress);
• Provide other support as needed to ensure content meets Mongabay’s high professionalism, consistency, authenticity, and reliability standards.

Strategic Planning & Administration (10% of the time)

• Report regularly to the Program Director of Mongabay Africa on progress toward meeting reporting objectives;
• Support editorial planning to reach established goals in the set timeline;
• Collect data on the impacts of stories, including examples of republication for use in grant reports;
• The candidate must be able to work within tight deadlines and be responsive to Mongabay.com headquarters and other Mongabay staffers via email, Asana, Zoom, phone, and messaging platforms.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of experience working in journalism/editorial/writing required;
• Exceptional fluency in French and English is required for French and English writers, respectively.
• Proficiency in a second language is desired.Knowledge and familiarity with African conservation and environmental issues, particularly around the Congo Basin and the Sahel.
• Professional experience working in Central or West Africa in a journalism capacity is also preferred;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrated editorial ability to work with a variety of content, including formatting of feature articles, graphics, photo captions, and HTML;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office, WordPress (or similar), Google Drive, Social Media (Twitter / Facebook) and project management software;
• Reliable access to high-speed Internet is required;
• Must be willing to commit to a full-time role and be available during regular business hours;
• Must be based in any part of West or Central Africa.

How to apply

 Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until filled. To learn more and apply, please click here.