We are looking for a talented and passionate reporter to join Bureau Local. The successful applicant will work with the team, as well as our 1,000-strong network and media outlets across all parts of the UK, to produce agenda-setting investigations. This is a senior reporting role in the organisation and requires project management and ambitious work.

We’re looking for someone with an eye for under-reported stories or ideas for innovative investigations, but also someone with the drive to develop and realise these projects through collaborative reporting. We want someone who is not content just to publish a story and move onto the next, but who wants to proactively ensure our work has as much impact as possible.

We are keen to hear ideas on what specific issues or areas this role should focus on reporting, but we are particularly interested in ideas of how to investigate justice and legal rights.

The position would be home-based, but occasional in-person days in the office in London as well as meetings with the team across the UK are essential.

About the Bureau and Bureau Local

The Bureau Local is a people-powered network setting the news agenda and sparking change. We focus our journalism on shining a light on the power, decisions and policies that threaten the public interest of all people across the UK. Some of our recent investigations include exposing Deliveroo’s low wages, eviction courts taking just 10 minutes to remove people from their homes and disabled people waiting years for crucial home adaptations.

Over the past three years, we have worked together with a network of people across the country who recognise the role collaboration can play in building a bright future for news. During this time we have produced impactful investigations together on topics including homelessness and the local government funding crisis.

The Bureau Local is a team within the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a not-for-profit organisation that holds power to account through in-depth, fact-based reporting. You can read more about us here.

The Bureau is committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a diverse, inclusive and adaptable environment where people are encouraged and supported to do their best work. We welcome applications from those belonging to groups traditionally under-represented in the media. The Bureau recognises the importance of helping its employees balance their work and home life by offering flexible working arrangements.

Responsibilities

• Producing long-term, in-depth investigative journalism (in written form, but there are opportunities for this to be published in video and audio form as well)
• Developing diverse contacts and sources
• Finding and developing investigative strands with communities, sources and our network of collaborators, alongside our Community Organiser
• Working with our Data Lead to develop innovative approaches to story collection, story participation and storytelling
• Producing “reporting recipes”, which help explain your findings, the context of your work and the next steps collaborators might take
• Undertaking systematic and comprehensive evidence collection/recording to aid the fact-checking process undertaken before publication
• Explaining stories and developments in your area of expertise in an engaging, accessible and understandable way
• Helping to disseminate the story following publication to increase impact and reach
• Staying up-to-date with the latest developments in the areas of your expertise and having a finger on the pulse for issues arising at a grassroots level
• Taking on shared responsibilities that all Bureau Local members hold – developing the network, increasing visibility, reach and impact of our work and innovating to do so

You would be a good fit if you

• Are open to working as part of an evolving and agile project and as part of a team that thrives on experimentation, collaboration and partnership
• Don’t think your work is done when the latest story is out. You believe journalism organisations – and journalists – have to take a more active role in ensuring their work is heard and sparks change
• Have a commitment to open and accessible journalism, enabling people to take part in the process, making it more transparent, diverse, representative and accountable

To support your application you may wish to include in your cover letter, examples that show your experience and track record relevant to the list above. But do not be put off if you feel you do not meet every point.

To Apply:

Applications close 12 September 2022. Please mention Journo Resources when you apply, it really helps us out.

Email bureaulocaljob@tbij.com with the following:

• Your CV

• A short cover letter, with links to or cuttings of a few key stories you have worked on

• Answers to the following written exercise (below):
  • In a series of short bullet points, pitch a Bureau Local story (relating to an under-reported issue that could spark positive change) that you would want to investigate, by answering the following questions.
    • How would you describe the story in a sentence?
    • How is this different from stories covering this issue already?
    • What is the public interest argument for this story?
    • How would you bring affected communities into your reporting?
    • Who is the intended audience and why?
    • What are your initial ideas for storytelling? (ie format, method or approach)
  • Feel free to include as much detail as you think useful, but the total word count for this exercise shouldn’t be more than 500 words. We’re interested in getting a sense of your approach, rather than a complete story.

Please also fill out our equality monitoring form here, which is anonymous, so we can better track who we are reaching.