Jakarta News Assistant / Bureau Manager

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Job Purpose

The FT, one of the world’s leading news organisations, is seeking an Indonesian member of staff to become an integral part of its planned new bureau in Jakarta. Working for and with an FT foreign correspondent, you will form a close partnership to cover business, finance, economics and politics in Indonesia.

With certain legal requirements that can only be fulfilled by an Indonesian citizen, the core element of the job is to make sure these are taken care of so the FT can operate, as well as liaising with outsourced service providers and other administration. The other element of the role is to assist the FT correspondent with reporting: e.g. finding sources and interview subjects, especially when information is only available in Bahasa Indonesia.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

As the principal Indonesian employee of the FT, take on such roles as are required to meet legal and regulatory requirements, including assistance as needed with visa applications for FT foreign correspondents.
Conduct administrative work as needed, e.g. liaising with outsourced payroll, office and IT providers, and submitting expense reports to London.
Provide all necessary reporting assistance to the FT correspondent including translating, arranging interviews, conducting background research in Bahasa Indonesia etc.
Conduct reporting on business, economic and political stories in partnership with an FT foreign correspondent, seeking out interview subjects, gathering information and quotes, verifying facts and helping to dig for exclusives.

Requirements

Indonesian citizen and speaker of Bahasa Indonesia
Ability to communicate clearly in English and translate accurately from Bahasa
Trustworthy, diligent and responsible in handling any Indonesian regulatory and legal responsibilities required for the FT to operate
Efficient and reliable in handling any necessary office administration
Knowledge and respect for international standards of news reporting: accuracy, fairness, proper sourcing, the separation of news and opinion etc.
Past experience of working as a fixer or assistant for international media is highly desirable
Background knowledge of business, economics and finance in Indonesia plus an existing contact book of sources are desirable but not required
A good team player who is keen to work with and learn from an experienced foreign journalist