AddressAssociate Head of Travel - Maternity cover
We are looking for an experienced Travel editor to join The Times and The Sunday Times Travel team on a Maternity Cover contract.
You will be responsible for commissioning, editing and publishing live travel content across various digital and print platforms, managing the team of live editors, working with the wider Travel team and various departments across the newsrooms to create stories and features that inspire and intrigue our readers.
You will be an experienced editor and writer with a track record of exclusives and a demonstrable interest in travel journalism across all platforms.
Apply with a covering letter and your CV by March 31.
Responsibilities
Successfully manage productive relationships with the Head of Travel and deputy Head of Travel as well as the wider travel team.
Assist the Head of Travel and deputy Head of Travel with overseeing daily rollout of live content and maximum engagement across all platforms
Work with the deputy Head of Travel to create weekly print sections for The Times and The Sunday Times that combine digital first and smart commissioning to make content work hard on every platform
Work with editors, writers and reporters to conceive, commission and edit exclusive agenda-setting travel content for our digital audience
Use SEO, Inca, Parsley and Google Trends to help guide commissioning and construct headlines
Prioritise visual storytelling. Commission exclusive video, polls, interactive graphics and picture galleries to engage our digital audience and plan how these stories are shared and promoted online
Understand the relationship between live and evergreen content, and how each can benefit the other in a digital first publishing strategy
Constantly be on the lookout for new writers, videographers and broadcasters whose contribution will keep Times Travel at the forefront of digital travel publishing
Collaborate with production colleagues in design, pictures and sub-editing on digital elements that enhance our Travel content
Contribute to and edit the newsletter in deputy Head of Travel’s absence, showcasing the best of the week’s content from both travel sections, as well as curated travel offers and deals from commercial
Liaise with the Head of Travel and deputy Head of Travel to ensure successful rollout of client based projects across editorial including e-commerce affiliates, and print first supplements
Forward plan, working with journalists on long-range projects
Use social networking and other digital platforms for content generation and to promote The Times and The Sunday Times Travel content
Attend daily and weekly team meetings
Attend news conferences as required
Represent the travel department at press and PR events
Skills and experience
Experience working as an editor at a national newspaper or magazine
Experience in and a demonstrable passion for travel journalism with good contacts in the travel industry
Experience working on commercial and evergreen content
Strong level of expertise of publishing on multi-platform digital products
An ability to work calmly under pressure, to tight deadlines and with rigorous accuracy
An understanding of how audience data supports commissioning and how to promote a story on social media and through search engines
Persuasive presentation skills, well-developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to solve problems and negotiate positive outcomes
Able to communicate succinctly and effectively
Experience of working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams
A strong understanding of editorial compliance and regulatory issues
We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, TalkTV and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.
Life at News
Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.
To do this, we believe our employees must represent different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, which focuses on three main priorities - attracting talent from a wider, more representative pool, developing equity programmes to drive better representation in our leadership, and ensuring diversity and inclusivity in our workforce as well as the journalism and content we produce. We also currently have 12 employee led networks and groups that support our strategy and connect like minded employees socially.
Benefits
Some of our benefits include:
Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks
Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
30 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year
We want to ensure that everyone we meet has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. Please let us know, at any stage, whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and we will do our best to accommodate.
