Head of Service, BBC News Arabic

JOB BAND: F
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News
LOCATION: London

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £90,000 - £110,000 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

The Head of Journalism will provide editorial, operational and managerial leadership for BBC News Arabic, ensuring the highest standards of journalism across all platforms. The role oversees the strategic direction, commissioning, production, and delivery of impactful, audience focused content. The post holder will guide teams through complex editorial decisions, uphold BBC values, and drive innovation in digital and broadcast output.

Why Join the Team

Join BBC News Arabic at a pivotal moment and shape one of the world's most influential international news services. As Head of Journalism, you'll lead talented teams, drive editorial ambition, and steer multiplatform output that reaches millions. This is an opportunity to champion truth, impact global conversations, and innovate across digital and broadcast journalism. You'll play a key strategic role within BBC News, reporting to the Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Provide strong editorial and managerial leadership for BBC News Arabic, serving Arabic speaking audiences worldwide and contributing content across BBC News and the World Service.
• Work closely with the Head of Regional Journalism on commissioning, planning and news deployments.
• Lead strategies to deliver impactful, high quality journalism across all platforms, growing audiences and strengthening trust in line with BBC editorial standards.
• Set a clear editorial vision, guide teams through change, and ensure content reflects the highest standards of accuracy, ambition and creativity.
• Drive innovation by embedding new technologies, including AI, to enhance production workflows and audience experience.
• Build a collaborative, high performing culture by championing teamwork, sharing expertise, and fostering productive relationships inside and outside the BBC.
• Oversee day to day operations, including resource planning, cross BBC collaboration, efficient workflows, and continuous improvement of ways of working.
• Develop people and teams through coaching, recruitment, performance management and inclusive leadership, ensuring robust rota, budget and staff support processes are in place.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

• Exceptional Arabic language skills, with the ability to communicate accurately, fluently and with cultural sensitivity.
• Extensive experience leading journalists and production teams, with strong editorial judgement and proven capability in managing people, output and operational demands in a fast paced news environment.
• Demonstrates impartial, balanced decision making and consistently makes sound editorial calls in line with BBC standards.
• Proficient with broadcast and digital production technologies, staying up to date with new tools and innovations.
• Encourages creativity, experimentation and new approaches, fostering an environment open to innovation and continuous improvement.
• Strong strategic thinker who can articulate a clear vision, motivate teams, and translate long term goals into effective short and medium term plans.
• Committed to diversity, inclusion and exemplary workplace practices, with the ability to plan, prioritise and communicate effectively under pressure across all multimedia platforms.

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, 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.

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.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world's best loved content, and the BBC's mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pensionscheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

Candidate pack You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we'd be happy to discuss:

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: , registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.