Senior Journalist (OSINT), Forensics, BBC Arabic

Job Requisition ID:  24543

Job Closing Date:  28 July 2025

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News
LOCATION: London
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE:  £41,200 – £51,200 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

We are looking for an innovative, Arabic-speaking Senior Journalist to join our forensics and verification team. Embedded within BBC Arabic, you will play a key role in strengthening our verification capabilities, responding swiftly to breaking news and contributing to in-depth investigations, using open-source (OSINT) tools and techniques. You will regularly present live output, deliver fast-turnaround fact-checks, and help drive greater transparency in our journalism—explaining what we know, what we don’t, and why editorial decisions are made.

Working closely with other BBC verification and investigative journalists at the BBC, including BBC Persian, BBC Verify and BBC World Service Longform, you will collaborate on daily output and contribute to wider programming that showcases investigative and forensic journalism across BBC News.
This role is central to evolving our editorial approach and building trust with audiences through open, evidence-based reporting.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

BBC World Service is transforming to deliver greater impact through a digital-first strategy. Our new World Service Languages Channels department brings together TV and streaming, with BBC Arabic at its core—reaching millions weekly. We’re focused on growing engagement across platforms while championing transparency and trust. This team plays a vital role in explaining how we report the news, helping audiences understand our editorial decisions and the values behind our journalism.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

•    Use open-source tools and BBC systems to verify videos, images, and social media content under tight deadlines.
•    Find and analyse data from a range of sources and accurately geo- and chrono-locate events with satellite imagery.
•    Fact-check claims and debunk misinformation, especially during breaking news.
•    Present verified content creatively across live TV, digital, and social platforms, promoting transparency in storytelling.
•    Reversion BBC forensics content for BBC Arabic and contribute to original investigative ideas.
•    Commission graphics and charts to aid audience understanding of complex information and data.
•    Collaborate across BBC teams to plan coverage, share resources, and engage audiences through participation tools.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Proven expertise in open-source and forensic journalism techniques, with a strong track record of producing impactful, data-driven investigations.
• Experience creating compelling digital and TV content from Arabic-language sources, with a flair for translating complex stories into engaging, multi-platform formats.
• Demonstrate potential to be a confident presenter with a deep understanding of BBC Editorial Policy, Legal, and High Risk frameworks.
• Skilled in reaching new audiences through social media, with a collaborative approach to remote teamwork and cross-platform storytelling.
• Highly organised, self-starting journalist with excellent Arabic and English, able to deliver under pressure and manage projects from pitch to publication.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

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