Assistant Editor, BBC Swahili

Role overview

BBC Swahili is a major and rapidly expanding BBC World Service language service, serving millions of Swahili speakers across East Africa and beyond. Working across radio, television and digital channels, the service delivers impartial, independent journalism to audiences who may have limited access to trusted news because of political pressure, media constraints and misinformation.

The newsroom is moving to a story-led structure with two connected editorial tracks: On the Day and On Demand.

Position details

• Job band: E
• Contract: Permanent, full-time
• Department: BBC World Service
• Location: Nairobi, Kenya
• Local terms and conditions apply
• Flexible working can be discussed, and candidates may note their preference in the application if they wish. This will be reviewed at the offer stage.

Why this role matters

Reporting to the service editor, the Assistant Editor for the On the Day stream leads BBC Swahili’s daily news operation at senior editorial level. The role carries full editorial responsibility for all urgent and time-sensitive content across digital, visualised radio and television, with a focus on speed, accuracy and BBC editorial standards.

The post works closely with the Assistant Editor for the On Demand stream in Dar es Salaam to keep both editorial strands aligned. Along with the Senior News Editor and others, this role sits within the leadership group responsible for editorial quality, digital expansion and team development.

The job requires strong editorial leadership and a digital mindset. The successful candidate must make sound decisions quickly, guide a large team working across complex shift patterns, and help deliver the cross-platform integration central to BBC Swahili’s transformation. The role also supports audience growth among younger listeners and women through visualised radio, YouTube streaming and regular social media publishing.

Responsibilities

• Lead the On the Day editorial stream and promote high standards, agility across platforms, personal ownership and ongoing improvement.
• Direct breaking and daily news coverage across morning, afternoon and night shifts on a 24/7 basis, ensuring continuous digital publishing and reliable delivery for radio, TV and online channels.
• Embed a digital-first mindset so that stories are planned and produced with multi-platform use in mind from the start.
• Help grow BBC Swahili’s visualised audio output from the Nairobi studio, including live YouTube streaming and short social clips drawn from interviews.
• Work with the On Demand Assistant Editor to plan and promote shared stories and maintain a unified editorial approach.
• Support the Senior News Editor in delivering the service’s growth plan, especially around reaching audiences aged 16–24 and female audiences.
• Coach colleagues and build an inclusive, high-performing team culture with a strong focus on gender diversity.

Essential experience and skills

• Substantial editorial leadership experience in digital or broadcast news, with a strong record of managing fast-moving daily output across multiple platforms to a high standard.
• Proven ability to commission and deliver content for digital, social media, television and radio in a joined-up way.
• Calm, accurate editorial judgement under pressure, including the ability to manage compliance and risk in a challenging political and media environment.
• Strong working knowledge of audience analytics tools and the ability to use data to shape commissioning and editorial choices.
• Experience with visualised or streamed radio/TV output and an understanding of how to maximise its digital reach.
• Ability to collaborate across editorial teams, communicate clearly and balance competing priorities effectively.
• Commitment to improving diversity and an understanding of how inclusive leadership strengthens editorial output.
• Fluency in both written and spoken Swahili and English, with the confidence to represent the BBC well in internal settings.

Desirable experience

• Ability to shoot, write and edit video stories using tools such as Final Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, producing polished, engaging content tailored for digital platforms including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.

Additional information

This description summarises the core duties and main requirements of the job, but it is not a complete list of every task or responsibility.

If you receive an offer, the BBC will carry out employment screening checks. These include reference checks, proof of eligibility to work, and where relevant, safeguarding checks plus adverse media/social media checks. Any offer depends on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to declare any unspent convictions or police charges in line with recruitment policy. This helps the BBC discuss any support needs and assess any risks. Not disclosing required information may lead to the offer being withdrawn.

For general queries, contact bbchr@bbc.co.uk.

Applications cannot be made by CV alone. Only online applications will be considered.