Vacancy: Journalist at Carbon Brief

§ Job description

Working closely with the Editor and the rest of the team, you’ll report on the latest scientific and policy developments relevant to climate change.

Specifically, you will focus on the interactions between land use, nature, food systems and climate change.

This could range from disentangling claims in the media about deforestation and climate change, to summarising the latest study on biodiversity loss, or working with our multimedia journalists on an infographic about burning biomass for power.

Carbon Brief’s award-winning journalism, data visualisation and analysis is respected by scientists, journalists and policymakers around the world.

You’ll be comfortable conveying the point of a story while representing the subtleties of scientific, technical or policy-related information in a clear and engaging way. You’ll also be meticulous about accuracy and fact-checking.

§ Responsibilities

• Produce news features, analysis, factchecks, interviews and explainers.
• Monitor and report on new scientific research and policy developments.
• Help plan Carbon Brief’s coverage of issues relating to land use, nature, food systems and climate change.
• Help build and maintain Carbon Brief’s network of scientific and policy contacts.
• Identify and report from relevant conferences on behalf of Carbon Brief.
• Engage on social media, webinars and podcasts on behalf of the organisation.
• Summarise news for Carbon Brief’s email newsletters.

§ Qualifications

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of writing about science and/or policy.
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to write to a deadline.
• Good knowledge of the scientific literature on climate science, as well as the wider online, media and public discussion about climate change.
• Experience of writing for the web.
• Ability to absorb new and complex information quickly.
• Enthusiasm for communicating issues relating to climate change in depth.

Desirable

• A degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject.
• A network of contacts within the climate change research community.
• Excellent social media skills.
• Experience of producing multimedia content.
• Good knowledge of the issues/debates around land use, nature, food and climate change.

Location: Carbon Brief’s office is in central London. Ideally, this role will be office based, but flexible/remote working is a possible option, depending on the successful candidate’s circumstances/location. You may be expected to undertake some travel as part of your work.

Reporting to: The director.

Hours/Duration: This is a full-time contract for 18 months, subject to a six-month review, with a strong possibility to extend.

Salary: £36,000 plus benefits; dependent on skills, experience and location.

§ How to apply

To apply, please send:

• Your CV.
• A covering letter explaining why you would be a good fit for the role and the organisation.
• Your plan to develop our coverage relating to the intersection between climate change, land use, food and nature (500 words max).
• Two samples of your published work (print or online) on a relevant topic. If you don’t have published work, please write a short example piece in Carbon Brief style.

To: [email protected]. Please state “Journalist application – Carbon Brief” in the email subject header.

Applications must be submitted by 9am on Monday, 28 June 2021. Interviews will be held on Monday, 5 July and Tuesday, 6 July.

Typically, Carbon Brief only considers candidates who have the right to work permanently in the United Kingdom. However, for a truly exceptional candidate, we will consider an alternative (non-sponsored) remote-working arrangement.

We are committed to the principles of equal opportunity in our employment practices and particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. We will seek to ensure that individuals are recruited, selected, trained and promoted on the basis of their aptitude, skills and abilities.

§ About Carbon Brief:

Carbon Brief is an award-winning, UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy. We specialise in clear, data-driven articles and graphics to help improve the understanding of climate change, both in terms of the science and the policy response. We publish a wide range of content, including science explainers, interviews, analysis and factchecks, as well as daily and weekly email summaries of newspaper and online coverage.