We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
Benefits - We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym. You can find out more about working at the BBC by selecting this link to our candidate pack.
If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process please contact the reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk. For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk.
Freelancers are eligible to apply for an internal role if they are on a Worker Contract and they have worked continuously for 6 months. If they have worked for less than 6 months continuously or have a break of 3 weeks or more between engagements, they must seek Divisional HR approval to apply for an internal role prior to submitting an application.
If they are unsure which contract they are on, they can speak to their booker or the HR BP, however if it helps - both a PAYE freelance or Modus Gross contract is considered a Worker contract and covered by the Worker terms found here.
Job Introduction
The Assistant Editor (AI) plays a central role in delivering and coordinating AI-related workstreams across BBC News. The role leads a team in Cardiff and focuses on operational delivery, supporting editorial teams as they experiment with AI tools and ensuring projects run smoothly, effectively, and in alignment with the BBC’s editorial values.
Main Responsibilities
We are looking for an experienced journalist and organiser to support the integration of generative AI and related technologies into the BBC News operation.
This is a hands-on, delivery-focused role, helping to run pilots and coordinate AI projects across editorial teams. The Assistant Editor will work closely with editors, product managers, R+D colleagues, and other BBC teams to support day-to-day progress on AI experiments and trials.
They will also help identify operational barriers, track milestones, and ensure learnings from pilots are shared across the organisation. The Assistant Editor will play a vital role in ensuring the responsible implementation of AI and ensuring usage within BBC News remains editorially sound, practically useful, and audience focused.
The successful candidate will:
• Manage a team of journalists accelerating AI pilots and experiments within BBC News, ensuring their output meets editorial standards and is focused on delivery
• Support the delivery of AI-related pilots and workflows within editorial teams
• Track progress against timelines, priorities and key results, as agreed with the Senior News Editor (AI), ensuring effective planning and execution
• Work closely with editorial and product colleagues to help shape and iterate tools in real time – both in the newsroom and for audiences
• Be responsible for managing documentation and insights from pilots to inform next steps
• Lead meetings and workshops across departments to maintain alignment and momentum
• Flag risks and recommend practical adjustments to keep projects on track
• Be confident operating in a fast-moving environment and engaging with emerging technology
• Understand editorial workflows and be able to map new technology into existing processes – starting in concrete needs
• Demonstrate skills and curiosity in using generative AI tools to boost personal productivity
Scope
• Conception, delivery and management of AI projects within BBC News
• Day-to-day management of workflows and outputs for assigned projects
• Maintains relationships with relevant internal stakeholders in editorial and cross-functional teams
Strategic impact/Influence
May represent the team in relevant forums or deputise for senior colleagues on specific project updates
Reporting structure
Reports to Senior News Editor (AI)
Are you the right candidate?
Essential:
Strong editorial judgment, backed by at least five years in a fast-paced news environment
Experience leading projects to drive digital transformation and workflow changes in a large news organization
Creative ideas for leveraging AI to enhance quality journalism, improve user experiences, and grow audiences
Ability to foster creativity and experimentation, shows openness to new ways of doing things.
Demonstrates a commitment to improving diversity in the BBC and understands how individual differences can benefit the BBC.
Able to prioritise and plan activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing, budgets and resource requirements.
Ability to communicate to differing audiences and across all forms of multimedia output.
Maintains personal effectiveness in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with demanding situations. Demonstrates an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and passion.
Awareness of BBC News priorities and their implications for this work