Senior Editor, Citizen

Before #EndSARS, many young Nigerians were uninterested in politics and governance. Since the protests, youth interest in how the Nigerian government runs the country is at an all-time high. While this is great, a number of young people still won’t interact with the news in the way it exists now. The news today is a stiff boomer term that’s more focused on telling than being understood. Young people need to be equipped with the information they can process into action. This is where Citizen comes in.

Citizen is a Zikoko vertical birthed to do the following: educate people, drive action, and sustain the ginger. A vital part of the Citizen identity is that it is irreverent and non-partisan. It does not care about what the ruling or opposition party likes. Our north star is the citizen.

Citizen is set to become a standalone publication this year. The goal doesn’t stop at becoming its own publication but to become the first choice for irreverent political commentary and content in the country. So far, we have created content that has educated and entertained our audience. We have talked about political scandals but also given insights into certain government processes. We’ve done this through our weekly newsletter “Game of Votes” and our written flagship “Abroad Life” which explores the experience of citizens who are far from home.

We want to continue telling important stories and giving our audience the best political content in various formats - from videos to podcasts - and we want to do this on a larger scale. This is where you come in.

We are looking for a Senior Editor to own and drive high quality in the newsroom. The right candidate will have significant journalistic and newsroom experience. They will show a depth of understanding of Nigeria’s history, governance, and current affairs. They will also understand what it means to reach a young audience across multiple social media platforms. They will possess a strong understanding of journalistic and media practices and ethics. A physical presence in Lagos, Nigeria (our home base) is not required but a presence somewhere in the country is ideal.

Big Cabal Media (BCM) is on a mission to create the next generation of media brands, providing content for digital African audiences, both on and off the continent. Our brands, TechCabal and Zikoko have distinguished themselves for their ability to deliver smart and sophisticated content in relatable and easily digestible ways. Our culture deck speaks in detail about what matters to us as a company.

Responsibilities

• Write two big stories weekly.
• Review pitches and assign stories to writers.
• Edit regular Citizen stories, flagships, and multimedia scripts;
• Oversee and publish contributor stories, ensuring that they meet the required standard.
• Work with the Editorial Ops Manager/Managing Editor to execute terms of partnerships.
• Work with the EIC in religiously applying for grants, awards and other lucrative opportunities.
• Develop other formats and flagships capable of growing and attracting new audiences.
• Work with the Editorial Operations Manager to create schedules and calendars for publishing and distributing content.
• Work with the EIC to enhance the quality of content across Citizen’s website and SM pages.

You would be a great fit for this role if:

• You understand the Nigerian political space and can differentiate between APC and PDP propaganda on a whim;
• You have a solid background in Nigerian politics and policymaking, understand legislative processes, and can explain the stages of lawmaking to a child;
• You have a history of editing in the Nigerian civic, political, or historical place;
• You understand the nuance and language of reporting minority communities and know that they are not giving a voice to the voiceless, instead, amplifying existing voices;
• You know how to write, edit and create short video content
• You know how to use Canva and are familiar with Google Analytics and other work tools that help track and document performance
• You know how to engage with audiences
• You know how to manage people and projects
• You’re organized and have great attention to detail