The Independent, Special Correspondent

Special Correspondent
Reports to: Assistant Editor (Premium)

About us

The Independent is one of the world’s few profitable, digital-only news publishers, that was established in 1986 as a UK national newspaper free of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence. In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, closing print to pursue a sustainable, international, revenue-diverse business model, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent thrives through innovation and change. It is the first – and only – major UK title to successfully transform to fully digital platform, publishing globally in 6 languages (English, Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Urdu).

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over. Through social media amplification and Licensing & Syndication partnerships, the brand delivers total views in excess of 12 Billion on an annual basis.

The US is The Independent’s most strategic growth market, supported by a global network of journalists, and with more than 50 staff across America alone, clustered primarily in NYC, Washington, DC, and LA. The company operates a 24-hour, around-the-clock, around-the-globe operation.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

• We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.
• We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

Job purpose

The Independent is recruiting a Special Correspondent to land exclusive, agenda-setting content for our Premium subscribers.

The Special Correspondent will be responsible for sourcing and writing industry-leading news and features as well as commissioning and editing freelance contributors.

This is a senior role created to bolster the title’s exclusive premium coverage at a key point in its Premium growth strategy.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

The Special Correspondent will have a strong news background and track record of delivering regular exclusives and features.

The Special Correspondent will report to the Assistant Editor (Premium), but will have a close working relationship with the Deputy Editor, wider newsroom, and other executive editors. They will be expected to develop strong working relationships with colleagues on the news desk to agree on the best ways of tackling stories.

They will be confident in representing The Independent publicly and being a brand ambassador.
They will also be expected to work closely with teams such as Audience and Independent TV, to ensure we optimise news packages and maximise our audience.

They will be a self-starter with a strong ability to plan the work of their team, coming up with daily and weekly lists as well as advance planning for major events.

The post-holder will have a track record of developing relationships with contacts.

Skills and experience

• A prolific breaker of exclusives.
• A starter-finisher, able to identify and execute exclusive news from start to finish.
• Work on long term investigative news projects and long form colour reads
• Be able to confidently liaise with with and write up interviews / ghosts with high profile subjects from leading politicians to authors and other thought-leaders and opinion-makers
• Write punchy opinion pieces on everything from government policies which impact our readers lives to zeitgeist life-style / news led trends that an Independent audience will want an original take on
• Be a core member of the Premium team working with senior editors, data and laser focused journalistic insight to come up with deliver the best quality ideas and content that our subscribers have come to expect
• A strong understanding of digital publishing and the associated opportunities and challenges, both on- and off-platform.
• Able to cultivate first-class working relationships with colleagues and contacts.
• Five years plus experience as a writer, correspondent, and editor.
• Demonstrable organisational and planning skills.
• Skilled content creator alive to the possibilities of multimedia.
• Ability to communicate clearly.
• Expert knowledge of trends and social media
• Experience of working in a dynamic fast-paced media environment.

Our values – you will deliver across all our values

Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.
Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould. We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.
Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently. Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.

The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.