Political Correspondent in London

Reports to: Politics Editor

Location: Hybrid working based Finsbury Square and WFH , with some travel

About us

The Independent is an online news publisher that was established in 1986 as a national newspaper independent of party political affiliations or proprietorial influence.

In 2016, The Independent became a fully digital publisher, moving away from print in pursuit of sustainability, and to safeguard its values and journalism for the future.

The Independent has always thrived through innovation and change.

It was the first British newspaper to add a Saturday magazine; the first to give photography the same prestige as a news copy; the first to challenge the Westminster lobby system of closed briefings; the first broadsheet to move to the more compact ‘tabloid’ format; the first to launch a concise quality compact paper; and the first – and only – major newspaper to pull off a successful transformation to fully digital publishing.

Through The Independent, Independent TV, eCommerce, indy100, subscriptions and other ‘reader revenues’, The Independent plans to continue the work of many decades, bringing much-needed independent journalism to over 100 million unique global visitors a month, make its voice ever louder and more insistent the world over.

We have an international editorial team with our main offices in London and New York.

Job purpose

The Political Correspondent will be a key member of the political team whose role is to ensure first-class coverage of the main developments in UK politics, with a strong emphasis on exclusive content.

The successful candidate will be responsible for breaking news stories, in-depth analysis and original features.

About you

You demonstrate the following behaviours:

• Continuous improvement – you work in a smart, flexible and focused way, are curious, open to change and suggest ideas for improvements to the way things are done.
• Collaboration – you build and maintain positive and supportive working relationships with colleagues. You help to create an inclusive and professional work environment.
• Building capability – you keep your own knowledge and skill-set current up to date and look for ways to continue learning to support the achievement of business objectives.
• Responsive delivery – you work to agreed goals and objectives and deal with challenges in a constructive and responsive way. You take personal responsibility for the quality of your work.
• Care for others - you show awareness of diversity at all times, and respect others.
• Working safely - you show awareness of the importance of health and safety in the workplace.

You possess the following:

• The successful candidate should have extensive political reporting and editing experience and a wealth of ideas for stories The Independent should be covering. A deep knowledge of and interest in current affairs is expected.
• The successful candidate will be a team player with a deep understanding of online journalism.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Cover breaking politics stories.
• Proactively develop and expand upon your contacts to ensure a steady flow of exclusive stories to give our coverage a distinctive edge.
• Produce explainers, analysis and features.
• Close liaison with other members of the politics team, as well as with the news desk and other desk editors.
• Ensure that all content is legally sound and complies with The Independent’s Code of Conduct and Guiding Principles.

Skills

• At least two years’ experience in a politics/lobby role in a fast-paced newsroom.
• A strong news sense and a deep understanding of the UK political system.
• Proven ability to produce clean copy under tight deadline pressure.
• A proven understanding of digital journalism and SEO, and a desire to deepen your knowledge.
• A team player who can work collaboratively with colleagues across departments.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

• We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting. As a growing and global brand, we must have a workforce that’s more representative of our readers, viewers, clients and partners, and a workplace that creates a sense of belonging for everyone.
• We are committed to hiring and developing a diverse workforce regardless of background, and we support our people to thrive in their careers here.
• The Independent is an equal opportunities employer, if you require any reasonable adjustments to complete your application, please do not hesitate to advise us accordingly.

Our values – you will deliver across all our values

Inclusive: We champion diversity in our teams and in our reporting.

Working as a team, we put transparency and effective communication at the heart of everything we do.

Innovative: From the very beginning, The Independent has been breaking the mould.

We take risks and are always looking to try new ideas in pursuit of excellence.

Independent: Nobody tells us what to think; we make up our own minds and aren’t afraid to do things differently.

Like our readers, we value honesty and integrity above outside influences.