Rest of World is looking for an energetic, experienced, and enterprising reporter with a sophisticated understanding of the effects of technology across Africa to join our team. The ideal candidate is someone who is open to experimenting with story formats, and will jump at the opportunity to write about the rush among African startups to spend money on celebrity endorsements with the same enthusiasm as they do on investigating allegations of mismanagement and toxic culture in the region’s biggest tech companies.
The role can be based in one of the major African hubs, including Nairobi, Lagos, or Johannesburg. The role will report to the Africa editor.
Responsibilities
- Pitching, reporting, and writing stories about the tech ecosystem in Africa’s key cities
- Researching and reporting on African tech and business, including but not limited to general research briefs, chasing down story leads and tips, and writing your own stories for publication
- Providing material for the publication’s newsletters, events and special projects
Qualifications
- At least 5 years of experience in journalism or publishing
- First- or second-language skills beyond English and a major plus, with a preference for candidates with French or/and Portuguese
- Experience reporting on international issues, business or tech coverage
- You must be comfortable with data as well as basic economic and financial concepts
- An understanding of what audiences are looking for in digital and social media technology and business coverage
- A serious desire to bring new information into the world and an obsession with telling great stories in different formats
- Strong research skills, especially across different regions, cultures and languages
- A strong work ethic, comfort with startup conditions, and must be motivated self-starter
- Collaborative, enjoys working in teams with different disciplines and learning from others
To apply, please send a CV/resumé and a short cover letter to jobs@restofworld.org with “Africa reporter” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please share three stories you’ve reported, describe how you sourced each story and tell us what you’d do differently this time. Also, share an idea in 30-40 words you’d like to write for Rest of World.
The deadline for applications is January 13, 2023.
Chris RoushChris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.