Assistant Editor, Commissioning : EXTEND
Journalism
Permanent - Full Time
Cardiff, GB, CF10 1FT
BBC PUBLIC SERVICE B'CAST
Job Closing Date: 25/04/2025
THE ROLE
EX2324
Band : E
Salary :£51,700 to £61,467 per annum dependent on relevant skills and experience
Location : Cardiff
This role is advertised as part of our BBC Extend programme for disabled people. To apply for this role you should identify as deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and must meet either: the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010), or the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) if applying in Northern Ireland.
We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the application process, or have any questions about our Extend programme, please contact the BBC Extend team via the shared mailbox.
The BBC are fully committed to providing workplace adjustments to help eliminate barriers in the workplace that disabled people face. If you are successful in applying for this role and require workplace adjustments, we will work with you to get your adjustments in place.
Welsh language skills aren't essential for this role / Nid yw sgiliau yr Iaith Gymraeg yn hanfodol ar gyfer y swydd hon.
Job Purpose
This role sits within the Commissioning and Investigations (C&I) team at BBC Cymru Wales News—a group tasked with shaping and delivering the most impactful journalism for audiences across Wales and beyond.
As Assistant Editor for Commissioning and Audiences, you’ll be at the heart of how we decide what stories we tell and why. You’ll lead a talented team responsible for commissioning original journalism, running our weekly Commissioning meetings, allocating and providing production resource, and tracking stories from pitch to publication.
This is a senior editorial leadership role with real creative and strategic scope. You’ll drive forward the newsroom’s commissioning culture, blending insight from audience data with sharp editorial judgment. You’ll help shape our response to audience needs—especially underserved communities such as working families and young people—across digital, radio, and TV platforms.
You’ll work closely with C&I colleagues across our Planning, News Impact, and Wales Investigates teams, as well as the wider newsroom, to ensure the best ideas are resourced and delivered with ambition, reach and clarity of purpose in the English and Welsh language.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
This is a role for a confident, collaborative leader who understands what makes great journalism tick—and how to help others deliver it.
* You’ll oversee our commissioning processes, using insight, experience and data to support ideas with impact.
* You’ll run the weekly Commissioning meeting and help develop newsroom strategy with a focus on creativity, inclusion, and growing digital audiences.
* You’ll manage and mentor a team of journalists and video journalists, ensuring strong editorial development and clear workflows.
* You’ll work closely with the Assistant Editor of Planning to assign resources and help to manage diary and big event content.
* You’ll collaborate with the Senior News Editor, Head of News and other senior leaders to align our journalism with strategic goals.
* You’ll champion stories that matter, challenge assumptions, and ensure our journalism lands where it counts in both languages.
* As a leader, you’ll also play a key role in fostering an environment of collaboration and co-operation.
Knowledge, Skills, Training & Experience
We’re looking for an editorial leader who brings energy, clarity and ambition to every aspect of their work. You’ll likely be a confident commissioner, editor, or newsroom leader with a flair for working across platforms and teams.
Here are the six key qualities we’re looking for:
* Editorial Leadership – Proven experience leading story development, with outstanding editorial judgment and an instinct for what will resonate with audiences in Wales.
* Audience Insight – A strong grasp of data and performance metrics, and how to use them to shape editorial strategy and measure success.
* Digital-First Thinking – A clear understanding of how to create and commission journalism that thrives in digital formats while supporting linear platforms.
* Team Leadership – Experience managing or mentoring teams, with a focus on collaboration, inclusivity and purpose.
* Organisational Clarity – Excellent planning and communication skills, able to manage multiple workflows and stakeholders with precision and empathy.
* Creativity and Curiosity – A track record of backing ambitious journalism with fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and tenacity.
This is a hybrid role, with some flexibility around working patterns.
DISCLAIMER
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.
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