Reuters seeks a France and Benelux bureau chief

Reuters is looking for a first class journalist and newsroom leader to run its coverage of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. This is a role for a proven correspondent and manager to take charge of a region encompassing the heart of European policy making and some of Europe’s biggest and most influential economies, companies and political leaders.

In France President Emmanuel Macron has won a second term in office and is arguably Western Europe’s most prominent political leader on the global stage. But at home he is yet to enact much of his ambitious reform program in the face of fierce resistance from trade unions, while France’s stuttering nuclear power plants are compounding its handling of the broader energy crisis.

In Brussels, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created a unity among European Union members that was unprecedented in recent years. Yet splits over energy policy and disputes over the rule of law are causing divisions to reopen, while a corruption scandal has raised questions about the very fabric of the bloc’s institutions.

The Netherlands and Luxembourg remain major intersection points for some of the region’s biggest stories, from war crime investigations sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to multinational companies managing changes to global tax rules.

The successful candidate will need to ensure Reuters delivers fast, accurate and in-depth coverage of these stories and many more. They will be tasked with making sure they have teams best placed to cover breaking news faster and better than our competitors whilst also producing distinctive stories be they scoops or must-read analysis and investigations.

The position needs someone adept at managing disparate teams and an understanding of how to serve the varying needs of Reuters clients.  They will need to work closely with visuals colleagues and oversee Reuters’ French language news service and its English coverage.

About the Role

As France and Benelux Bureau Chief you will:

• Possess first class leadership skills and the ability to set priorities in a large news gathering operation.
• Have exceptional news judgment. You will manage teams that can break news and be ultra-competitive on complex, fast-moving breaking news and drive insightful initiative journalism.
• Have oversight of our busy French language newsfile
• Be able to coordinate complex and fast-moving cross-border stories with colleagues across Reuters large global network.
• Be calm under pressure and able to take decisions fast when faced with breaking news

About You

To do this role you will likely have:

• A deep knowledge of and experience covering news in Europe and an understanding of the key stories in the region
• First class written and spoken French and English; additional languages are an advantage
• At least 5 years of experience with managing large teams and implementing change
• Experience of recruiting, motivating and managing diverse teams of journalists

Please note, the deadline for applications is Wednesday, 22nd February, 2023.

To apply, go here.