Job Description:

Audience journalist training programme

The Times and The Sunday Times are looking for candidates to join our two-year training programme based in London.

Successful applicants will have experience in social media strategy, basic knowledge of search engine optimisation and be able to demonstrate a passion for news and digital journalism.

You will be trained in all aspects of audience development, including social media management, search engine optimisation, subscriber engagement and data analysis. You will work with a wide array of talented journalists across both titles, and will learn how to engage our readers on our own and third party platforms through data-led insights, visual storytelling and subscriber projects.

You will complete a part-time NCTJ course and receive on the job training, mentoring and guidance from our award-winning journalists.

If you are offered a traineeship, you will start work at the end of August 2024.

What we’re looking for from you:

• Experience of writing and editing copy (ideally for use on social media platforms or SEO purposes)
• Evidence of visual storytelling for social platforms. Experience in video editing is preferable but not required
• A basic understanding of SEO principles
• A good degree or equivalent qualification in journalism
• An ability to build strong relationships and work comfortably in a team on collaborative projects as well as working on solo projects delivered to tight deadlines
• An analytical mindset and a surface-level understanding of how to pull insights from data
• A positive, flexible attitude to your work
• Able to work on a seven-day rota with some weekend work required

How to apply:

Please upload:

• A cover letter that explains why you want to join The Times and The Sunday Times audience development team  (Max. 500 words)
• Your CV
• Links to three examples of visual storytelling on social platforms, SEO-led reporting or data-led journalism projects

To apply you must have the right to work in the UK.

Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday April 14.

We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland.  Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, TalkTV and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.

Life at News UK:

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

To do this, we believe our employees must represent different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, which focuses on three main priorities – attracting talent from a wider, more representative pool, developing equity programmes to drive better representation in our leadership, and ensuring diversity and inclusivity in our workforce as well as the journalism and content we produce. We also currently have 12 employee led networks and groups that support our strategy and connect like minded employees socially.

Benefits:

Some of our benefits include:

• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks
• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
• 30 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

We want to ensure that everyone we meet has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. Please let us know, at any stage, whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and we will do our best to accommodate.