Story Development Producer

Role overview

This position sits at the centre of the newsroom and focuses on identifying, shaping, and planning the stories New Zealand is engaging with. You will help drive daily coverage, build strong story ideas, and coordinate news output across multiple platforms so audiences stay informed and interested.

Key purpose of the role

Reporting to the Head of Story Development and Operations, you will prepare and organise stories for day-to-day news use. The role includes supporting the creation of news content across all platforms, setting up daily coverage plans, and developing story concepts that can be turned into compelling journalism.

You will work closely with reporters, managers, platform stakeholders, and Bureau Editors to maintain a news diary and coverage schedule that uses resources effectively and tracks editorial changes as they happen. A further part of the role is building relationships with PR contacts and agencies to source ideas and expand story opportunities.

What success looks like

The ideal person brings experience in story development and planning across more than one platform, along with strong editorial judgement and a commitment to high editorial standards. You should be comfortable making sound decisions about news content and have a strong sense of what makes storytelling effective.

This role also calls for experience managing budgets and keeping planned story costs within agreed limits, plus knowledge of the television, digital news, and current affairs environment, including relevant legal obligations and industry codes. Familiarity with newsroom operations, production workflows, and new technology is also important.

Additional qualities required

• A strong working knowledge of local, national, and international affairs, with a close eye on daily developments.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Very strong attention to detail.
• Confidence in making quick, decisive choices.
• An innovative mindset and the ability to look at problems from different perspectives.
• Ability to influence others while forming and maintaining productive working relationships.
• Strong time management skills and the ability to handle pressure in a fast-moving environment.
• Solid organisational ability and skill in prioritising competing tasks.

Application note

Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so early interest is encouraged. If you want to learn more about the opportunity, you may also contact the Head of Talent Acquisitions directly using the phone number provided in the source listing.