Start-date: As soon as possible
Location: Remote with availability during standard CET business hours, M-F
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours/week
Deadline for application: Rolling – we will consider applications as they are received
About the role
Are you a visual journalist who loves guiding others to report and produce impactful video and multimedia as much as you love reporting and producing your own? Are you excited by the idea of helping an award-winning niche newsroom imagine (and deliver on) new possibilities for coverage of the world’s most pressing and under-reported stories? The New Humanitarian is adding a multimedia producer to our newsroom to do just that. This is a unique opportunity to work with one of the few non-profit media covering international affairs that has thrived at a time when so many are struggling. We are the only independent outfit dedicated to covering humanitarian crises and holding the aid sector to account. Our reporting tackles many of the key issues of our time, from migration to climate change, from the war in Syria to COVID-19, from a multi-billion-dollar aid industry in the midst of soul-searching to emerging forms of solidarity. You will work with editors and contributors around the globe to commission, produce, and publish cross-platform video and immersive multimedia. You will have the skills to turn around audiograms, video clips, and other visual and audio assets for same-day use, and the vision and experience to conceive of and produce complex long-term coverage. There is opportunity for field reporting, though this is primarily a hands-on, desk-based role.
Who we’re looking for
You will have several years of experience as a multimedia producer or reporter, ideally with a global, national, or niche newsroom. You will report and produce your own video and multimedia pieces; work with staff editors and contributors to refine their ideas; guide contributors to deliver production-ready content; and repackage material for cross-platform use. Your sense of narrative storytelling will be finely honed, and your impeccable news judgment and firm grasp on journalistic ethics will be put to daily use. You will be energised by diverse tasks, from editing an on-deadline video clip for social, to helping a reporter in the field craft a production-ready iPhone video, to conceiving of and managing long-term visual reporting projects. You will champion ambitious, creative work while taking pride in getting the details right. You love big ideas and you have the vision, diligence, and hands-on journalistic and technical expertise to turn those ideas into shareable, buzz-producing, action-prompting content that amplifies the voices of people at the heart of crises.
Like everyone on The New Humanitarian team, you’ll be flexible and open to meeting the evolving demands of this new role and eager to learn new skills quickly.
You must also be aligned with our organisational values:
- Commitment
- Humility
- Candour & Transparency
- Constructiveness
- Diversity
We especially welcome candidates who represent the diverse communities our journalism serves.
What you’ll do
- Produce production-ready video and other multimedia for cross-platform use, including short films; audio slideshows; video clips from new and archival content; animations; interactive visual packages and social content, and everything in between
- Commission and ensure delivery of video and interactive visual and audio packages from contributors, working with staff editors to hone ideas and assignments, and to ensure that the finished work is delivered on deadline, on budget, and meets editorial and technical standards
- Guide contributors in delivering production-ready material, providing guidance on narrative and storytelling; formats; reporting techniques; and technical and editorial standards
- Coordinate with production, audience engagement, Web development and other team members to ensure all material is accessible and engaging to a global audience; assist with social media and other promotion efforts as requested
- Identify potential contributors, focusing on individuals in the diverse communities our reporting serves and/or from the key regions where we report
- Push the boundaries of our visual storytelling and multimedia content by following the work of other media outlets and introducing innovations that can be absorbed by our small team
- Identify multimedia opportunities in ongoing and breaking coverage, and work with the editorial team to produce multimedia assets to deadline
Skills and competencies
- At least three years as a multimedia reporter or producer, preferably with a global or regional newsroom or a niche media outfit
- Confident in all phases of multimedia production and reporting, from research and conceptualisation to interviewing and shooting; hands-on production skills to project management and editing and post-production
- Hands-on technical competence: On your own you can create videos and video clips, animation, audio overlays, and other multimedia; you are proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud suite
- Impeccable news judgment and a commitment to fact-based journalism that represents diverse views from diverse contributors
- Excellent English-language verbal and written skills
- Pleasure in working to deadline and willingness to respond quickly as news events dictate
- Highly organised and communicative; comfortable managing multiple long-term projects while responding to last-minute daily production needs
- Ability to work collaboratively in-house and with contributors and sources; diplomacy to firmly take the initiative as needed
- A strong network of visual and other journalists to tap as contributors
- An eagerness for innovation balanced with a devotion to ensuring accuracy, clarity, and unbiased, 360-degree reporting
- Willingness to contribute your skills across our small team as needed and to take on new responsibilities as our newsroom evolves
Desirables
- Podcast or audio experience
- Visual design and UX experience
- HTML, CSS and Javascript knowledge
- Experience reporting on or working in humanitarian or conflict environments
- Proficiency in French, Arabic, Spanish or other languages
We have described the qualities we are seeking in this position, but we recognise that there will be strong candidates who do not meet all the requirements listed here but have other important qualities. So if you’re interested but not sure you fit the profile, please apply anyway. Our newsroom is growing and we’re always open to exploring what’s possible for the future.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV; links to recent work, and a brief explanation of your role in creating that work; a link to a piece of multimedia journalism you especially admire and hope can inspire a future project; and a cover letter of no more than 600 words. In the cover letter, please explain how your skills will benefit The New Humanitarian, what you hope to get from the role, and why now is the right time for you to join our newsroom.
Send your application to [email protected] with ‘Multimedia Producer’ in the subject line.
Please note: Due to the high number of applications, applicants who are not selected for interviews will not be notified.
About The New Humanitarian
The New Humanitarian puts independent journalism at the service of the millions of people affected by humanitarian crises. Our journalists report from the front lines of conflicts and disasters around the world to drive more effective prevention of and response to crises. Our on-the-ground reporting and expert analysis inform policy-makers and practitioners, amplify the voices of those at the heart of crises, and act as a watchdog to hold the aid sector accountable.
Some 300,000 government officials, UN and NGO representatives, journalists, academics and wider audiences interested in understanding crises visit our website every month; 58,000 subscribe to our email newsletter; thousands have downloaded our new podcast, and millions more access our work through social media and republication/citation in mainstream media (BBC, Associated Press, New York Times) and regional media in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our journalism has prompted investigations into misconduct, changes in UN policy, and new aid programmes; it has inspired public petitions, donations, and charity telethons; and it has been used as evidence before the International Criminal Court and the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee.
Over the past five years, since our spin-off from the United Nations in 2015, we have established ourselves as the only newsroom worldwide specialised in covering humanitarian crises; constituted a legal entity with an independent board of directors; raised millions of dollars in funding; rebranded from IRIN to The New Humanitarian; sharpened our editorial voice under the leadership of a new Executive Editor from the New York Times; launched an investigations unit and a podcast; begun a membership programme, which has attracted hundreds of paying readers; and put our work on the map in places like TEDx and the World Economic Forum.
Our $2.5 million USD budget is mostly funded by a mix of governments and foundations.
We are registered in the canton of Geneva as a non-profit association under Swiss law.
Find our latest annual report here.