Journalist, BBC Swahili

Employer: BBC World Service
Department: BBC World Service
Job Requisition ID: 50548
Job Band: C
Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time
Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Application Deadline: 20 August 2026

The BBC states that local terms and conditions apply to this position. It is also willing to discuss flexible working. Applicants may indicate a flexible-working preference during the application process, although there is no obligation to do so at that stage. Flexible working can also be discussed at the offer stage.

Purpose of the Role

BBC Swahili is one of the BBC World Service's biggest and fastest-growing language services, reaching millions of Swahili speakers across East Africa and beyond.

Operating across radio, television and digital platforms, the service provides independent and impartial journalism to audiences whose access to free and trusted news can be restricted by political pressure, media restrictions and disinformation.

BBC Swahili is transforming into a story-led model organised around two complementary editorial streams:

• On the Day
• On Demand

Why Join the Team

The Journalist is the core production resource for both editorial streams.

Whether working a morning, afternoon or night shift within On the Day, or contributing to planned video and podcast production within On Demand, the Journalist is expected to move fluently between platforms, formats and roles.

This can include:

• Writing a web article
• Filming a video clip
• Voicing a radio package
• Publishing a social-media post

The journalist may perform several of these functions on the same story and within the same shift.

The BBC Swahili transformation requires journalists who do more than simply work across different platforms. Journalists are expected to think across platforms instinctively.

Before production begins, this means considering how a story can serve audiences on:

• The BBC website
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Radio
• Television

Journalists should then make deliberate editorial choices about the most appropriate format, length and angle for each platform.

Key Responsibilities and Impact

Digital Journalism

• Write clear, accurate and engaging articles for the BBC Swahili website on a daily basis.
• Produce content that is well structured.
• Ensure content is properly sourced.
• Produce content that is SEO-aware.
• Publish articles to deadline.

Short-Form Video and Social Media

• Produce and present short-form video content as a standard part of daily output.
• Produce news moments.
• Produce explainers.
• Produce interviews.
• Produce reaction pieces.
• Optimise video content for publication on:
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Instagram Reels
  • Facebook
  • YouTube Shorts

Self-Shooting and Video Editing

• Self-shoot short video content using mobile or camera equipment.
• Present short video content.
• Edit short video content.
• Apply strong visual judgement.
• Ensure clear audio.
• Use appropriate visual framing.
• Apply basic graphic or caption overlays.
• Produce material that meets BBC Swahili's production standards.

Radio and Streaming

• Contribute to BBC Swahili's visualised and linear radio output.
• Perform on screen as well as on air.
• Understand the particular requirements of presenting and reporting for an audience consuming simultaneous radio and YouTube streaming output.

Television Production

• Research TV packages.
• Script TV packages.
• Film TV packages.
• Edit TV packages.
• Produce packages independently or in collaboration with Video Journalists.
• Ensure television content is properly sourced.
• Ensure packages are clearly structured.
• Ensure content is appropriate for the intended broadcast slot.

Newsgathering and Contacts

• Develop and maintain a range of contacts across East Africa.
• Use those contacts to support original newsgathering.
• Develop sources for tip-offs.
• Support on-the-ground reporting.
• Use contacts to contribute stories and angles that go beyond wire-service and agency copy.

Breaking News

• Contribute to live coverage of breaking-news events across all platforms.
• Participate in livestreaming.
• Produce timely and accurate journalism at pace.
• Maintain BBC editorial standards while working under breaking-news pressure.

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

Applicants should demonstrate the following:

• Proven ability to produce content across multiple digital and broadcast platforms, including:
  • A news website
  • YouTube
  • TikTok
  • Instagram Reels
  • Facebook
  • Television
  • Radio
• An understanding of the different editorial and production requirements of each platform.
• Strong digital writing skills, including the ability to produce clear, accurate and well-structured articles in Swahili.
• Ability to produce online articles that engage digital readers and are appropriately optimised for search.
• Experience producing and presenting short-form video for social-media platforms.
• Experience working with vertical video formats for TikTok and Instagram Reels.
• A clear understanding of the qualities that enable short-form video to hold audience attention and encourage sharing.
• Practical experience self-shooting video using mobile or camera equipment.
• Ability to exercise sound visual judgement in environments including:
  • Studios
  • Locations
  • Interviews
  • News-gathering environments
• Confidence presenting to camera.
• Ability to deliver scripts clearly and naturally.
• Ability to conduct interviews clearly and naturally.
• Ability to conduct two-ways for broadcast and streaming audiences.
• Experience producing content for radio.
• Ability to write scripts for the ear.
• Experience voicing radio packages.
• Experience conducting interviews for broadcast.
• Solid experience sourcing, verifying and reporting news accurately and impartially under deadline pressure.
• Ability to apply verification techniques to social-media content and user-generated material.
• Fluency in written and spoken Swahili and English.
• Ability to write, sub-edit and present in both Swahili and English to a high professional standard.

Employment Terms

Job Band: C

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-time

Department: BBC World Service

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Terms: Local terms and conditions apply.

Flexible Working

The BBC is willing to discuss flexible working arrangements. Applicants may indicate their preference during the application process, but there is no obligation to do so at that stage. Flexible working may also be discussed during the offer stage.

Employment Screening

Any BBC offer of employment for this role is conditional upon satisfactory employment screening.

The BBC states that screening checks include:

• Reference checks
• Eligibility-to-work checks
• Safeguarding checks, where applicable to the role
• Adverse-media checks, where applicable
• Social-media checks, where applicable

Before the successful applicant's start date, they may also need to disclose unspent convictions or police charges in accordance with BBC recruitment policy.

The purpose of disclosure is to enable the BBC to discuss any support that may be required and assess relevant risks.

Failure to disclose information when required may result in withdrawal of an employment offer.

BBC Job Description Disclaimer

The BBC states that the job description sets out the essential characteristics of the position, its principal accountabilities, and the skills, knowledge and experience required for satisfactory performance.

It is not intended to constitute a complete and detailed account of every aspect of the duties involved.

Working at the BBC

The BBC states that employees have opportunities to create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to its mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Benefits and employment support highlighted on the vacancy page include:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits appropriate to the employee's location and contract type
• Career and professional development
• Support in working life
• Employment within a values-based organisation

The BBC also states that it aims to maintain a working environment where each person's contribution is valued and respected and where employees can belong, thrive and achieve their potential.

The organisation welcomes applications regardless of:

• Age
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Gender identity
• Socio-economic background
• Religion and/or belief

The BBC says a diverse workforce helps it respond to and reflect the diversity of its audiences.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted online through the official BBC Careers portal.

The BBC specifically states that it does not accept applications by CV outside the online application process. Only applications submitted online will be considered.

Apply Online

Application Portal:
https://careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Journalist%2C-BBC-Swahili/50548-en_GB Apply for the Journalist, BBC Swahili position

Application Deadline

20 August 2026

General Recruitment Queries

The BBC provides the following email address for general queries:

Email: mailto:bbchr@bbc.co.uk

This email is not stated as an application submission method. Applications must be made through the online BBC Careers portal.