Bureau Chief, East Africa

Reuters is looking for an exceptional journalist and newsroom leader to drive our coverage of East Africa. Based in Nairobi, you will have the versatility, experience, reporting and editing skills to produce an agenda-setting file across formats aimed at investors, professionals and our worldwide media clients.

The job will involve managing a small team spread across 11 countries and leading by example with a steady output of exclusive news, compelling human-interest stories and deeply reported, revelatory features. Working closely with colleagues across Africa and around the world, you will write and oversee coverage on a broad range of topics, from continuing conflict in Ethiopia, food crises in the Horn of Africa, climate shocks and insurgencies, to debt negotiations, energy transition plans and the region’s thriving sports, culture and fintech sectors.

You will also oversee the safety and wellbeing of the newsroom, ensuring that more junior colleagues receive the support and opportunities they need to advance and thrive. A willingness to travel at short notice is essential.

As our Bureau Chief for East Africa, you will:

Generate great ideas; report, write and edit with authority across the file; and work closely with visuals colleagues to deliver stories in multiple formats

Be fast and ensure Reuters clients get the news first, even as you drive longer-form and investigative features

Have exceptional news judgment, a sound understanding of reader and client needs, and the ability to set priorities in a large region

Be able to coordinate complex and fast-moving cross-border stories with colleagues in Africa, China, Europe, the United States and beyond

Be a mentor who supports and inspires your team to sharpen their skills and achieve their career goals

To be our Bureau Chief for East Africa, you will likely:

Have a deep knowledge of East Africa, including an understanding of the key issues and players, and a knack for explaining them to a global audience

Have a proven ability to cultivate high-level sources, break news and deliver deeply reported, high-impact features

Be a self-starter with excellent people skills and an ability to manage a diverse team working across multiple countries, cultures and languages

Have strong diplomatic skills, including an ability to navigate challenging media environments

Be fluent in English with strong writing skills; Swahili and/or French would be an advantage

Have at least seven years of experience as a journalist, including working for international outlets in a real-time news environment

Have experience working in hostile environments, including conflicts or natural disasters

Please note, the deadline for applications is Sunday 1st October 2023.