Digital Journalist - BBC Hausa

Job Summary

The BBC World Service is expanding its editorial team in Abuja to adapt its journalism to changing media consumption trends across sub-Saharan Africa. BBC Hausa serves as a trusted international news source for West African audiences and the global Hausa-speaking diaspora. The service is evolving into a digital-first, video-centric operation aimed at engaging the new generation of news consumers primarily using smartphones and platforms like YouTube and social media.

As a Digital Journalist at BBC Hausa, you will be central to two editorial streams: On the Day, delivering timely coverage, and On Demand, focusing on planned video and podcast content. You will be expected to fluidly create and adapt content across multiple formats and platforms, including web articles, videos, radio packages, and social media posts within the same shift. The role demands a strategic approach to how stories are tailored for different platforms to maximize audience engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate and publish precise, captivating, and SEO-optimized news content for the BBC Hausa website with prompt updates and adherence to high editorial standards.
• Produce, present, shoot, and edit short-form video content suited for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, employing effective storytelling and visual production techniques.
• Create engaging social media content to boost audience interaction, expand reach, and facilitate content discovery across digital channels.
• React swiftly to breaking news events, ensuring continuous content flow on the website and social media throughout the day.
• Utilize audience analytics and performance data to guide content creation and enhance digital output.
• Contribute to BBC Hausa’s visual radio programming by confidently presenting live on-air and on-screen for broadcast and streaming platforms.
• Transform live radio and interview material into compelling digital clips to increase audience coverage across social platforms, YouTube, and the website.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Proven expertise in creating compelling content across various digital, social media, radio, and video platforms, with a thorough understanding of audience needs and platform-specific best practices.
• Excellent Hausa writing, editing, and storytelling abilities, capable of delivering accurate and engaging SEO-conscious content under tight deadlines.
• Strong skills in video production including presenting, self-shooting, and editing for platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook.
• Confidence in interpreting audience analytics, managing headlines, thumbnails, and metadata to optimize content performance and visibility.
• Capability to source, verify, and report news impartially and accurately, including managing breaking news and user-generated content.
• Robust broadcast experience, encompassing radio production, interviewing, and presenting for live, on-demand, and visualized program formats.
• Fluency in both Hausa and English and a solid understanding of the socio-political and cultural context of Nigeria and West Africa, attuned to the needs of Hausa-speaking audiences.

Additional Information

This role is part of BBC World Service's Job Band C. The position is permanent and full-time based in Abuja with discussions on flexible working options possible at the offer stage. Employment is conditional upon legal right to work in Nigeria and successful completion of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) or possession of a valid exemption certificate.

Employment screening will include reference and eligibility checks, with additional safeguarding and media background checks as applicable. Applicants must disclose any unspent convictions or police charges before starting, in accordance with recruitment policies.

Contact

For general inquiries about the role, contact bbchr@bbc.co.uk.