The Times and The Sunday Times represent a combined 400 years of covering news and providing comment and analysis on the UK and the world. We are authoritative, credible, responsible, trusted and a part of the nation’s cultural heritage.
Your Role: The Times and The Sunday Times are seeking a senior reporter to join the property department on a maternity cover contract.
Property is one of journalism's most varied beats - and also the subject of a national obsession. As such, the successful candidate will be comfortable writing on a wide range of subjects ranging from housing market trends to government policies and taxation, and from aspirational tales of eye-catching renovations to celebrity house sales and profiles of luxurious penthouses.
Applicants must be brimming with original ideas, be data literate, and have a deep understanding of the property market and, if possible, elements of interior design.
They must have reporting experience at a national newspaper, news organisation or trade publication, and must be familiar with, and committed to, a digital-first publishing operation.
Apply with your CV and a covering letter by November 3.
Responsibilities:
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Identify industry trends: Understand and demystify the latest developments in the residential and mortgage markets for our readers in the News, Business, Bricks & Mortar and Home sections.
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Break and analyse high-impact news: Find exclusives on policy and distinctive properties for sale, break stories and produce detailed, substantive analysis pieces.
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Create an unbeatable contacts network: Build trusted relationships with key industry stakeholders, including estate agency bosses, mortgage brokers, property analysts and lawyers.
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Tell real-life stories: Appreciate the value of people-first storytelling, bringing to life some of the most remarkable renovations, house-moves and the people and properties behind them.
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Write with speed: Be prepared to respond to the daily newsdesk's requests for swift story turnarounds.
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Be committed to multi-format journalism: Be familiar with writing for a seven-day digital audience, filing in advance to suit an early-publishing agenda that prioritises pushing our stories onto the website's front page. Think digital with every story, prioritising beautiful pictures, graphics and, where appropriate, video to bring our stories to life.
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Represent us on podcasts and the radio: Be prepared to represent The Times and The Sunday Times on our other multimedia platforms such as Times Radio, podcasts, and industry events as a trusted subject expert.
Skills:
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Experience reporting in a national newspaper or trade organisation newsroom.
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An ability to work under pressure, to tight deadlines and with rigorous accuracy.
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Ability to write for multiplatform digital products.
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Ability to use social media to engage existing and new audiences for The Times and The Sunday Times.
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Well-developed interpersonal skills, and the ability to problem-solve and negotiate positive outcomes
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Ability to communicate succinctly and effectively.
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Good time-keeping and focus.
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Experience working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.
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A strong understanding of editorial compliance and media law
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, Talk 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 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 in our workforce as well as the journalism and content we produce. We also currently have 13 employee led networks and groups that support our strategy and connect like minded employees socially.
Benefits
Some of our benefits include:
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Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks
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Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access
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Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
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Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
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‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
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Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
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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
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Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
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A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
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30 days holiday plus bank holidays, as well as an extra anniversary day off
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Up to 3 paid volunteering days per year to support causes you care about
We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or for us to do anything differently to support you apply for any of our roles please contact us on [email protected].