Job Introduction

BBC Sport online is developing its coverage of boxing and mixed martial arts to take our online coverage of combat sports to another level. We have large numbers visiting for both of these sports already across our app, website and social media but want to do more to better serve audiences.

We want BBC Sport’s output to reflect and understand the audiences we serve - for example, the different geographical regions of the UK and the experience of people from underrepresented groups (eg people from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds, people with lived experience of disability, individuals within the LGBTQ+ community and those from lower socio economic groups).  We are therefore actively seeking individuals with skills or experience that can help contribute towards ensuring we maximise the diversity of our coverage and content.

Role Responsibility

We are looking for freelance journalists to help write our popular live text commentaries on boxing and mixed martial arts, and freelancers to help with our news and feature coverage as well. Suitable candidates will have experience of either writing live text commentaries, news or features for websites. For our live texts, you’ll be at home being knowledgeable, passionate and conversational to bring an event to life for our audiences. You’ll also need to be fast, accurate and comfortable writing within BBC rules around impartiality and style.

The Ideal Candidate

As a freelancer you will work with our senior journalist for combat sports who commissions our digital coverage of both sports. We are looking to develop the breadth of our written boxing content away from the biggest fights, and in mixed martial arts, build more coverage to support our Bellator streaming and UFC radio rights.

BBC Sport is based in Salford but we’d welcome applications from across the UK.

This is not an entry level role, please review the criteria for the role before applying.

Package Description

Band: C
Contract type: Freelance Pool
Location: Office base Mediacity when required, home working to be discussed

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 â€“ the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities â€“ our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits- We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (1 of which is a corporation day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

The situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak is developing quickly and the BBC is keen to continue to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people across the BBC, while continuing to protect our services. To reduce the risk access to BBC buildings is limited to those essential to our broadcast output. From Wednesday 18th March until further notice all assessments and interviews will be conducted remotely. For more information go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/

Mae’r sefyllfa gyda’r coronafeirws yn datblygu’n gyflym, ac mae’r BBC yn awyddus i barhau i sicrhau diogelwch a lles pobl ar draws y BBC, gan barhau i warchod ein gwasanaethau hefyd. I leihau’r risg, dim ond y bobl sy’n hanfodol i’n hallbwn darlledu fydd yn cael mynediad i adeiladau’r BBC. O ddydd Mercher 18fed Mawrth ymlaen, bydd pob asesiad a chyfweliad yn cael ei gynnal o bell, nes rhoddir gwybod yn wahanol. I gael mwy o wybodaeth, ewch i https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers/

About the Company

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours in the document attached below.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity. 

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

Closing Date03 October, 2022