VACANCY: Bureau Chief, West & Central Africa at Reuters

Thomson Reuters is looking for an experienced, self-starting journalist to be our bureau chief for West & Central Africa, based in Dakar-Senegal.

The successful candidate will write and oversee ground-breaking, insightful coverage on a wide range of topics, from Islamist violence in the Sahel and an Ebola epidemic in Congo, to the latest cocoa crop in Ivory Coast and mining ventures in Guinea.

They will become familiar with 23 incredibly varied countries and be just as comfortable covering military coups as commodities data. Thomson Reuters is also looking to boost our coverage of business and companies in the region, one of the world’s last frontier markets with a young population and a treasure trove of minerals, many of them essential for making modern gadgets.

A willingness to travel at short notice around the region and the temperance to deal with poor communications and obstructive officialdom are essential. The bureau chief leads a team that spends a good deal of time working with local reporters, many of them working in French, to generate crisp, compelling stories in English.

West Africa is one of the world’s most ethnically and culturally diverse, but also one of its most turbulent, with a history of rebellions and election disputes. It is also home to some of the fastest growing economies in Africa, vibrant art and music scenes, and an emerging tech sector.

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The ideal candidate will have a strong record both on fast breaking news and on producing more in-depth features. They will be a strong writer and editor, and they will be able to work closely with TV, pictures and graphics colleagues to produce original and compelling multimedia content.

Professional Skills & Competencies:

• At least five years experience with international news outlets
• Hostile environment and/or emerging markets experience
• Fluent French essential
• Knowledge of/experience in commodities markets a plus
• Strong record of nurturing sources, breaking news and producing in-depth features
• Clean, lively copy that sparkles – whether writing your own or editing someone else’s
• Multimedia expertise and familiarity with the needs of a digital audience
• Experience managing a bureau or multimedia team a plus

Thomson Reuters is passionate about work, inspired by the impact it has on our business and our customers. It also believes in winning as one – collaborating to reach shared goals, and developing through challenging and meaningful experiences.

With more than 25,000 employees in more than 100 countries, Thomson Reuters works flexibly across boundaries and realise innovations that help shape industries around the world. Making this happen is a dynamic, evolving process, and counts on each employee to be a catalyst in driving our performance – and their own.

As a global business, Thomson Reuters relies on diversity of culture and thought to deliver on goals. To do that, Thomson Reuters seeks talented, qualified employees in all operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

Thomson Reuters also makes reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law.

To learn more about this position, please visit thomsonreuters.com