Purpose of The Role

BBC World Service is creating a new Horn of Africa Language Services Unit in Nairobi, bringing together BBC Somali, BBC Afaan Oromo, BBC Tigrinya and BBC Amharic under a single editorial leadership structure for the first time. BBC Somali is one of the most trusted international news services for Somali-speaking audiences in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and across a substantial and highly engaged diaspora. It is a service with strong editorial heritage and, under this new structure, significant opportunity for growth: the transformation to a digital-first, video-led operation that can reach a new generation of Somali audiences who consume news primarily through smartphones, YouTube and social media.

Why Join the Team

The Assistant Editor, BBC Somali, is the day-to-day editorial lead for the service. You hold full editorial responsibility for BBC Somali’s output; every story published, every video produced, every broadcast transmitted carries your editorial authority. You work within the Horn of Africa unit, reporting to the News Editor who sets the regional vision, while retaining the editorial autonomy and authority needed to serve BBC Somali’s distinct audience with relevance, rigour and ambition. This is a role for an editor who combines strong journalistic instincts with genuine digital ambition; someone who can lead a team through a significant transformation in how BBC Somali reaches and serves its audiences, while maintaining the editorial standards and audience trust that make the service matter.

Key Responsibilities and Impact:

• Lead BBC Somali’s transformation to a digital-first, video-led service, creating a culture of editorial ambition, personal accountability, mutual respect and continuous learning.
• Develop and implement a data-led video strategy designed to drive measurable digital growth, with a focus on expanding reach among younger and female audiences.
• Use audience insight, analytics and platform trends to inform commissioning, distribution and editorial decision-making, ensuring content remains competitive and relevant.
• Commission, edit and deliver high impact original journalism, including exclusives, investigations, explainers and digital-first content.
• Work actively with the other Horn of Africa Assistant Editors and the News Editor to identify shared stories, avoid duplication and coordinate coverage of regional and cross-border events that cut across all four services.
• Commission and collaborate with the Horn of Africa Production Hub, using its video, production and digital distribution expertise to enhance original journalism rather than duplicating capability within the service.
• Embed a culture of performance awareness within the team, supporting journalists to understand what drives engagement and identify gaps and opportunities in audience reach, proactively adjusting content mix, formats and editorial priorities to maximise impact.

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria:

• Proven ability to lead and develop teams, set direction, manage performance and foster a culture of creativity and collaboration.
• Strong track record of commissioning, shaping and delivering high-impact digital journalism, with a deep understanding of digital distribution (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and BBC platforms) and evidence of growing audiences.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful data-led video strategies, and experience delivering major production initiatives, such as launching formats, driving digital transformation or building operations from scratch.
• Experience of innovative solutions to storytelling challenges such as data journalism, and presenting analysis in ways that aid audience understanding.
• Advanced understanding of audience analytics, search optimisation and platform performance, with the ability to translate data into effective editorial decisions.
• Fluency in written and spoken Somali and English, both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the BBC effectively in senior internal forums.

Desirable:

• Proven ability to shoot, script and edit video stories using tools such as Final Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, with the ability to deliver polished, engaging, audience-focused content which is optimised for digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

• Lead BBC Somali’s transformation to a digital-first, video-led service, creating a culture of editorial ambition, personal accountability, mutual respect and continuous learning.
• Develop and implement a data-led video strategy designed to drive measurable digital growth, with a focus on expanding reach among younger and female audiences.
• Use audience insight, analytics and platform trends to inform commissioning, distribution and editorial decision-making, ensuring content remains competitive and relevant.
• Commission, edit and deliver high impact original journalism, including exclusives, investigations, explainers and digital-first content.
• Work actively with the other Horn of Africa Assistant Editors and the News Editor to identify shared stories, avoid duplication and coordinate coverage of regional and cross-border events that cut across all four services.
• Commission and collaborate with the Horn of Africa Production Hub, using its video, production and digital distribution expertise to enhance original journalism rather than duplicating capability within the service.
• Embed a culture of performance awareness within the team, supporting journalists to understand what drives engagement and identify gaps and opportunities in audience reach, proactively adjusting content mix, formats and editorial priorities to maximise impact.

• Proven ability to lead and develop teams, set direction, manage performance and foster a culture of creativity and collaboration.
• Strong track record of commissioning, shaping and delivering high-impact digital journalism, with a deep understanding of digital distribution (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and BBC platforms) and evidence of growing audiences.
• Proven track record of developing and implementing successful data-led video strategies, and experience delivering major production initiatives, such as launching formats, driving digital transformation or building operations from scratch.
• Experience of innovative solutions to storytelling challenges such as data journalism, and presenting analysis in ways that aid audience understanding.
• Advanced understanding of audience analytics, search optimisation and platform performance, with the ability to translate data into effective editorial decisions.
• Fluency in written and spoken Somali and English, both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the BBC effectively in senior internal forums.
• Proven ability to shoot, script and edit video stories using tools such as Final Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, with the ability to deliver polished, engaging, audience-focused content which is optimised for digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook

• Fluency in written and spoken Somali and English, both written and verbal, with the ability to represent the BBC effectively in senior internal forums.
• Proven ability to shoot, script and edit video stories using tools such as Final Cut Pro (FCPx) and QEdit, with the ability to deliver polished, engaging, audience-focused content which is optimised for digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook