Big Cabal Media (BCM) is an African digital media publication creating high-quality media brands and original content with global reach and impact.
Our publications, TechCabal and Zikoko, produce smart and sophisticated content in relatable and easily digestible ways and currently serve hundreds of thousands of readers on and off the continent. Since launch, our young but immensely talented team has told cutting-edge stories across culture, tech, money, relationship, and lifestyle that have changed and are changing how Africans see themselves and the world sees Africa.
Zikoko creates and curates humorous and insightful content that draws heavily from Nigerian youth pop culture. From viral quizzes to insightful stories about the spending habits of Nigerians, the publication caters to a very diverse audience and has been the epicenter of many cultural conversations.
About the role
At Zikoko, we create amazing content every day. And we want that content to be error-free 100% of the time. That’s where your keen attention to detail and excellent English language skills come in. Grammarly does a good job of catching errors, but we believe that Grammarly is no match for you. You know when a sentence is off and can communicate that to the writer with kindness. Importantly, because you care about the reading experience of the audience, you always insist on high standards from writers.
To do this, you must be the custodian of Zikoko’s Style Guide. This means constantly implementing it while editing and ensuring that writers comply with it while writing. It also means that you always update it with the best practices for writing and editing. You will also constantly look for tools and resources to make the writing and editing process ridiculously easy and error-free for the writers and contributors you edit. Beyond copyediting, you know how to develop a writer’s work. This includes injecting humour where it needs to go and showing a good sense of editorial judgment.
This role is full-time and remote-friendly. While we would love to get a cup of coffee with you in the chaotic city of Lagos, we don’t mind if you want to join us over Google Meet from Makurdi.
What you’ll do:
- You’ll review and revise content - articles, social media copy, newsletters - for accuracy and quality, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax.
- You’ll create guides for writing and editing seamlessly. This might mean creating or updating the style guide, publication checklist, etc.
- You’ll collaborate with the team to come up with creative ideas, keeping the audience in mind
- You’ll work with the senior editors and the managing editor to ensure that all our stories are SEO-compliant.
- You’ll stay abreast of the latest media trends and content best practices.
- You’ll manage an editorial project with supervision from your manager.
- You’ll conduct storytelling experiments to find new ways to delight our audience.
- You’ll write content where necessary.
You’ll excel in this role if:
- You have some experience in publishing, media or tech, and working specifically in editorial or communications teams.
- You are a talented editor who can make good stories great.
- You care for the writers as much as you care about the work and the reader’s experience.
- You are passionate about creating engaging, helpful stories for young people navigating Nigeria and the world.
- You are not a fan of typos. One might say you hate them with the white-hot heat of a thousand suns.
- You love experiments because you know they lead to innovative solutions.
- You’re not afraid of difficult stories and will take charge of coming up with solutions for them.
- You have the ability to manage multiple editorial projects and consistently meet deadlines.
- You have some knowledge of SEO.
Working at Big Cabal Media
- You'll be joining a team of talented, hard-working and disciplined professionals who are passionate about telling stories that matter and solving complex problems for an African audience.
- We're a digital company that’s currently working almost full-remote (there are occasional in-person strategy sessions and meet-ups, but we work well with colleagues who are not in Lagos or Nigeria). We use Slack, Google Docs, Notion, and Airtable to keep on top of things.
- We typically try to arrange work between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. WAT, but we don’t have a stick up our butt about hours. We care about quality and results. Our people get things done fast and well, and we ask them to take care of themselves. Burnout isn’t fun or useful.
- While collaborative work will be the norm and is the requirement, team members who want to work at BCM must also demonstrate initiative and the ability to work independently.
- Applicants for this role may come from a range of backgrounds.
- We’re an equal-opportunity employer.
- While this is a fairly senior role, we would like to encourage candidates of all experience levels to apply.
If the above doesn't describe you perfectly, please get in touch and tell us why you want to work with us.