Journalist, BBC Russian Newsroom

JOB BAND: C
CONTRACT TYPE: 12 month Fixed-term Contract, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News

LOCATION:

London
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £28,000 - £38,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

This is a role in the BBC News Russian London newsroom. It will involve working shifts – including late nights and weekends, as part of a team producing, updating and translating news stories for the BBC News Russian website. You will be expected to write stories on a wide range of topics, and to contribute to our continuing live page on the Ukraine war.

The successful candidate will have a keen interest in international news, a thorough knowledge of Russia and neighbouring states, and strong writing skills. The ability to work quickly and calmly under pressure delivering to very tight deadlines when news stories break is essential for this role.

BBC News Russian is one of the BBC’s largest language services, delivering continuous multimedia content across global platforms and social media. Our journalism is guided by BBC values of accuracy, impartiality, and independence from commercial or political influence.

• Write, edit, translate and adapt news content for BBC News Russian across digital platforms, ensuring accuracy, quality and adherence to BBC editorial standards.
• Develop original story ideas, cultivate sources and identify compelling angles that engage audiences and strengthen coverage.
• Manage developing and breaking news stories, updating content quickly and accurately as events unfold.
• Contribute creative and innovative ideas for digital storytelling, including new formats, audience-focused content and multimedia approaches.
• Work collaboratively with reporters, contributors and editorial colleagues to plan, produce and deliver high-quality journalism.
• Use and adapt to a range of digital publishing, content management and news production systems, embracing new technologies and ways of working.
• Build effective working relationships across the BBC, particularly within Global News, to maximise the reach, impact and quality of BBC News Russian output.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Full professional fluency in written and spoken Russian, with outstanding writing, editing and translation skills and the ability to communicate complex information in a clear, engaging and accessible way.
• Strong command of English, with excellent comprehension of written and spoken content and the ability to work effectively in a bilingual news environment.
• Substantial experience in digital journalism, with a strong understanding of online news production, audience needs and multi-platform storytelling.
• In-depth knowledge of Russian, regional and international news, politics and current affairs, with the ability to identify and develop stories of relevance to BBC Russian audiences.
• Excellent understanding of social media platforms and their role in news gathering, audience engagement and content distribution, with experience creating effective digital-first journalism.
• Ability to work calmly and accurately under pressure, making sound editorial decisions and responding quickly to breaking news developments.
• Strong knowledge of media law, editorial standards and journalistic best practice, with the ability to produce content in a variety of formats and build relationships with contributors, sources and key news makers.

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note:

If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks;
Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being…