JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE :MCI Newsroom Managing Editor
Reports to: Structurally to Head of Programs, Functionally to Head of Production
Responsible for:Direct Reports
Location:Kampala, Uganda
About Us: (Brief Background for MCI)
The Media Challenge Initiative is a youth-driven non-profit, building the next generation of journalists in Africa through training, mentorship and experiential peer-to-peer learning. MCI was founded in 2016 with a vision to train the next generation of journalists and story-tellers in Uganda and address the high rates of youth unemployment.
Job Summary:
The MCI Newsroom Editor-in-Chief is joining the MCI team for a 6-month editing and reporting fellowship in the new MCI Newsroom, a youth-run news and media content production center based at the MCI Media Hub. S/he will lead a team of young journalists to initiate, report and produce multimedia journalism stories on under-covered issues and solutions in Uganda. The Editor-in-Chief will work full-time Monday to Friday for 6 months at the MCI Media Hub in Kabalagala, Kampala, Uganda. The position includes an initial training period.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Provide strategic leadership and management to a team of young journalists (Reporting Fellows), leading them to produce journalistic content, at least three stories per reporter per month. Provide strategic leadership and guidance in the selection of shows, story series, content airing schedules, etc.
Lead weekly editorial meetings alongside an expert outside mentor and an MCI representative to determine the stories for the week.
Leads on creative development of new content ideas including pioneering the youth news solutions journalism bulletin.
Provide editorial guidance to reporters as they produce stories.
Conduct additional research and investigation for stories including data sourcing.
Edit and package stories for airing across multimedia platforms (text, video, audio, photographic, data visualizations, etc).
Hold weekly meetings with the social media manager to plan for content creation and promotion of stories across diverse platforms and networks.
Lead in developing a sustainability/business strategy for selling content. Pitch shows, story series, or other media projects to at least six potential sponsors/media houses throughout the 6 months.
Regularly share knowledge and train the MCI Newsroom team in journalistic production and editing skills.
Report regularly on progress of deliverables to the MCI Leadership Team
Qualifications: Undergraduate degree or diploma in Journalism, Mass Communication or other related field.
Experience: At least two years of experience in the newsroom, working in a variety of roles including reporting, editing and producing. Candidates who have completed the Media Challenge Fellowship Program in multimedia journalism will be given priority.
Competencies
Be a strong leader.
Be highly creative with hunger to interactive multimedia content
Systems thinker with a business oriented mind that sees money in content
Challenger of status quo and thirst to redefine the content
Have excellent journalistic editing skills.
Fit the description of a ‘one-wo/man army journalist.
Have the capacity to produce content for all platforms.
Be an articulate journalistic writer with a good command of language.
Possess expert multimedia production skills: video and audio production.
Be passionate about developing solutions for journalism content.
Have stellar communications and management skills.
Be passionate about working on stories geared towards changing the African narrative.
Holding any of the following specialized skills are an added advantage: data journalism and visualization, fact checking, investigative skills, animations, graphic design, social media management and influencing, producing in multiple languages, etc.
How to Apply
Candidates should send CV and cover letter to challengemediaug2014@gmail.com
Application Deadline: 1st October 2021
