Senior Journalist, BBC News, Wolof.

Job Description
• Job Requisition ID: 25400
• Job Closing Date: 20 July 2025
• JOB BAND: D
• Contract type: Fixed-term Contract, Full-time
• Department: BBC News
• Location: Dakar
Interviews will take place week commencing 21 July 2025.


Purpose of the role
The Senior Journalist will lead the production of bold, distinctive storytelling in Wolof, delivering content that reflects African and global narratives. You’ll manage a creative team, ensuring coverage is engaging, accurate, and relevant—especially for young and female audiences on social platforms. With strong editorial judgment and experience in breaking news and rolling coverage, you’ll help shape journalism that resonates with diverse audiences and upholds the BBC’s editorial standards.

Why join the team
Join a dynamic, multilingual newsroom at the heart of the BBC’s global mission to inform, educate and entertain. You’ll work with passionate journalists committed to high-impact storytelling that reflects diverse voices and perspectives. This is a unique opportunity to shape content that matters, grow your editorial skills, and reach audiences across Africa and beyond—especially on digital platforms. Be part of a team that values creativity, collaboration, and journalistic excellence.


Your key responsibilities and impact
• Lead the planning and production of compelling content for Wolof-speaking audiences, ensuring relevance, accuracy, and visual impact.
• Collaborate across teams to source and develop stories that reflect the lived experiences of African audiences.
• Mentor and support team members, fostering a high-performing, creative and inclusive newsroom culture.
• Uphold BBC editorial standards, reviewing scripts and digital output for accuracy, fairness, and impartiality.
• Drive digital strategy and audience engagement across social platforms, using insights to shape content.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and growth, exploring new formats and technologies to enhance storytelling.
• Represent the team in cross-departmental collaborations, acting up when required and championing diversity in output and staffing.


Your skills and experience
Essential criteria
• Proven track record of creating impactful, original content across digital, social, and streaming platforms, with strong editorial judgment and legal awareness.
• Extensive experience working in fast-paced news environments, with deep knowledge of African and global affairs, including sport, entertainment, and culture.
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to mentor teams, delegate effectively, and drive editorial excellence.
• Fluency in English and Wolof, with the ability to write and communicate complex ideas clearly and creatively for diverse audiences.
• Deep understanding of digital trends, audience engagement, and social media best practices, supported by strong research and analytical skills.
If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.


Disclaimer
This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.
Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Information at a Glance
This is your BBC
At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain.


Life at BBC
Here you will benefit from:
• Fair pay and flexible benefits specific to your location and contract type.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

You belong
We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual’s unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.
We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.
We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.
Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.