Politics Investigations Correspondent

Position description

Job Introduction

BBC Politics is recruiting an Investigations Correspondent to boost its delivery of original political journalism and in particular, the impact of its investigations. Increasingly, competitive political coverage requires original and exclusive stories that influence events in Westminster and beyond. We are looking for journalists with specialist knowledge and good instincts who have the know-how and determination to set the agenda in SW1.

Main Responsibilities

The job requires journalists who can spot a good political story that isn’t necessarily in plain sight, but who are also able to react immediately to breaking stories that require investigative skills, for example recent complex stories such as the tax affairs of Cabinet ministers and the Partygate revelations, or sensitive issues around bullying and inappropriate behaviour at Westminster. Politics is an extremely busy news beat and the daily/weekly news cycle is a demanding one. Our investigations correspondents need to meet the challenge of staying with a good story once the initial headlines have faded, and who can pursue and land scoops and stories with real impact. In this election year, what are the stories that matter to voters and what can we reveal that might make them think again?

Are you the right candidate?

Candidates will have a proven track record of delivering investigations that have made a difference. We expect you to have highly developed research skills, doggedness and creativity in the pursuit of information – in most cases over the long term – whether that is via knowledge of the tax system or the labyrinth of Westminster or your extensive network of contacts.  The job will split between pursuing stories and being part of the Millbank correspondent rota so you will be an experienced and confident writer and broadcaster, familiar with the intense demands of daily political reporting and its associated reputational risks. We require knowledge, accuracy, clarity and impartiality at all times.  You need to be highly persuasive, especially with reluctant contributors, and able to handle and protect confidential sources and have excellent knowledge of UK media law and BBC editorial guidelines.  A culture of collaboration is encouraged at Millbank and you will be expected to respect, and hopefully enjoy, being part of a hard-working, dedicated team.

Key requirements of the role are:

• Proven track record of delivering high impact and exclusive investigative broadcast and digital journalism at a national level.
• In-depth and nuanced knowledge of politics, extensive network of contacts, thorough understanding of governance, the constitution and of devolved powers across the UK.
• Ability to develop investigative work of an exceptionally high quality without production or research support; work as a constructive and supportive team member as required; able to effectively collaborate with other teams to achieve results across BBC outlets.
• Dogged and determined – follow developments long term over the course of an investigation, and overcoming setbacks, legal challenge, bullying and intimidation from individuals and institutions under investigation. 
• Highly Persuasive – a track record of continued and sustained ability to convince sources to disclose information and reluctant contributors to go on the record. Experienced at handling and protecting confidential sources over the course of lengthy and complex investigations including proper understanding of data and cyber security.
• Good analytical skills; Highly effective at tracing and uncovering difficult to find individuals and information; experienced in open source and other investigative tools and techniques; demonstrates ability to question own assumptions and to avoid confirmation bias.

Package Description

Band E

Contract: Permanent – Full Time

Location: London (Millbank)

Salary up to £69,443 plus London Weighing, depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

• Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits – We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more

Application instructions

Please be sure to indicate you saw this position on tendersglobal.net