We’re expanding how we tell stories across The Lead Local titles, and we need some talented people to join us.

Our award-winning local journalism at The Lead has been turning heads and gaining thousands of subscribers – as we drop into inboxes every Wednesday and Sunday.

We’re expanding our team to help build on the work undertaken since 2024 as we’ve launched local newsletters and publications across the North of England and ensure our journalism is making an even bigger impact and being more widely read than ever before.

This isn’t about writing more stories, we already dig deep and tell stories the communities and towns we serve need telling – it’s about ensuring these stories are getting their fair space in the timelines of how people now consume their news.

The Role:

The Lead is looking for someone to take our predominantly written output and help bring our award-winning, agenda-setting journalism to life in visual formats.

How people consume their media is changing rapidly, from podcasts, to reels, to swipe-through visual graphics, to watching YouTube clips.

We need someone to help upskill both our editors, correspondents and our stories to be fit for how people engage with news in 2026 and beyond.

This is a hybrid role, combining home working with time at Society1 co-working hub in Preston alongside other members of The Lead Local team and also working on location with our correspondents across The Lead Local network in the North of England (Southport, Blackpool, Lancashire, Teesside, Stoke-on-Trent and Calderdale and other North of England locations as ).

Key Info:

Salary: £28,000-£33,600 per annum dependant on experience

Location: Hybrid: Home-based (North West of England) and co-working in Society1 in Preston, as well as various locations in N.West England as the role demands

Contract: This is a fixed-term role until end of March 2027, this may be one full-time role of 37.5 hours per week or we may offer a number of casual-working freelance contracts depending on the needs of the role.

Note: You must possess a full, clean, driving licence and access to vehicle to apply for this role. Mileage and expenses will be paid if undertaking travel.

Key Responsibilities

Visual content and social media

• Turn The Lead’s original journalism into engaging visual content for platforms such as Instagram and TikTok and work with the team to identify opportunities for doing this consistently
• Create social media assets, including swipe-through posts, graphics, illustrations, data-driven graphics and other formats that help bring stories to life.
• Find new and creative ways to present local journalism to audiences who may not otherwise come across it.
• Keep up to date with emerging platforms, social media trends and new ways of reaching audiences, identifying which are relevant to The Lead.

About You

You’ll ideally have:

• Experience creating, distributing or promoting content across social media and other online platforms – especially video-based content and stories
• Able to demonstrate an ability to train individuals in social media storytelling techniques and strategies
• A good understanding of how online communities work and how to engage with them in an authentic and thoughtful way.
• The ability to spot opportunities to get stories in front of new audiences.
• Strong written and graphic skills and an eye for what makes a story engaging.
• A proactive approach, with the confidence to try new ideas and learn from what works and what doesn’t.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage your own workload.
• An interest in local journalism, community issues and the role independent media plays in society.
• A full-clean driving licence and access to a vehicle

What You’ll Bring

You’ll be someone with a creative mind, who is underpinned by a sound knowledge of how to tell a story and the fundamentals of what makes a great local news story. You’ll have the technical confidence and competence to create compelling stories for the audience of 2026 and beyond, and also inspire and encourage our team to also do so.

You’ll be comfortable working independently, bringing ideas to the table and working collaboratively with the editorial team to make sure The Lead’s journalism reaches as many relevant people as possible and not afraid to tell stories in new and different ways.

How To Apply

Send a copy of your CV and a covering letter of no more than 250 words to ed@thelead.uk by 5pm on Tue 27 October. We hope to shortlist and interview in late October/early November.

Please mention Journo Resources when you apply, it really helps us out.