Job detail for Senior Politics Reporter

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time

DEPARTMENT: BBC Naidheachdan

LOCATION: Holyrood

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £42,000 - £45,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights. This role involves shift work, and you will be expected to work regularly from the Scottish Parliament and on location.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As a Senior Politics Reporter with the Gaelic News team, you’ll deliver authoritative, multimedia coverage of the decisions that affect Scottish communities, ensuring their voices, perspectives and priorities are represented. You will be reporting on Scottish Politics at all levels. Your journalism will help audiences make sense of the issues that shape their lives. Through innovative storytelling across digital, audio, video and social platforms, you’ll engage both established audiences and new digital users. You will play a vital role in the future of Gaelic journalism across Scotland.

WHY JOIN OUR TEAM?

Join a passionate news team with a unique public service mission: informing communities across Scotland about what is happening at all levels of Scottish and UK political life. You'll have the opportunity to drive coverage that makes a real difference, develop innovative digital and multimedia ways of political storytelling, and help grow the next generation of Gaelic news audiences. Working alongside talented journalists across BBC Naidheachdan, you'll develop your skills, expand your impact, and contribute to the future of Gaelic journalism.

YOUR KEY AND IMPACT

• Make complex political stories relevant, engaging and accessible to a wide range of audiences.
• Confident in multimedia storytelling, delivering live and commissioned political content across digital and linear formats and programmes, and adept at picking the best treatment for each story across outlets for the highest impact.
• Seek out diverse and compelling voices in order to make your stories engaging as well as being confident in holding politicians and public servants to account.
• Express yourself to the highest standard in Gaelic and English, writing and broadcasting with flair in both languages.
• Strong commitment to impartiality and ensuring that all of our political coverage is produced fairly, accurately and with the appropriate nuance.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Proven experience as a reporter in a fast-paced newsroom environment. Experience covering breaking news and working effectively under pressure to tight deadlines.
• Strong understanding of Scottish politics, including the work of the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament, local government and the wider UK political landscape.
• Strong interviewing skills, with the confidence to question politicians, officials and stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to create compelling content across multiple platforms, including text, video, audio and social media. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Gaelic.
• Willingness to travel and work flexibly as political events require. Ability to make complex political issues accessible and relevant to diverse audiences.

DESIRABLE:

• Demonstrable ability to identify, develop and deliver original political stories that have public impact.
• Proven ability to cultivate and maintain a network of political contacts and sources.
• Experience filming, recording and editing content for digital platforms.
• Understanding of analytics and audience data to inform editorial decision-making.