Features Writer - 12 Month FTC          

We are: News UK is a company full of talented, dedicated and creative people. We are an ambitious and ever-growing organisation with a passion for storytelling, capturing moments, meaning and magic to make sense of the world. Our newspapers reach more than 30 million people each week and include The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. News UK is also home to Wireless, a leading UK and Irish media company boasting independent local and national radio stations including talkSPORT, VirginRadio, talkRADIO and Times Radio.

Your team: The Sun is the biggest news brand in the UK, publishing hundreds of stories a day and reaching over 170m unique users digitally every month. Its exclusives set the news agenda and its campaigns have changed the lives of many. In recent years, The Sun has campaigned for victims of domestic abuse, NHS workers and veterans to name only a few.

The Sun has a mass-market audience and aims to appeal to a diverse audience in the UK and beyond.

The role requires a self-motivated, energetic individual who has extensive media experience and is used to operating within a fast-paced news environment. This is an opportunity to work for a famous brand and drive reputation by amplifying positive actions.

Purpose of role: To generate ideas and write quality features  

Key accountabilities:

• Generate a daily list of quality editorial ideas which will appeal to both our print audience and get strong, engaged traffic for thesun.co.uk and across our social platforms

• Have the necessary drive and journalistic skills to turn those, and additional ideas and into great copy which readers will enjoy

• Be able to write sparkling copy on a variety of subjects and in a range of styles/tones

• Be able to find unique case studies and identify trends using social media 

• Understanding of video and and eye for creating visually appealing content

• Build contacts with PRs and experts

• Have exceptional writing and interviewing skills, honed through previous experience

• Have a strong news sense and be able to write around the big stories of the day – adding context and colour beyond the basic lines 

• Have a thorough knowledge of the IPSO Code of Conduct, media law and ethical considerations

• Being a self-starter is key – and you will need to thrive under the pressure of a busy newsroom 

• Keep on top of digital trends and spot emerging trends to best enhance your contribution 

• Willingness to work flexible hours over a seven-day rota pattern

Key Skills and Experience:

• Deep understanding of The Sun brand, both print and digital

• Previous experience of using a digital CMS is desirable

• Unflappable under pressure and delivers work at a consistently high standard

• Proactive and displays a willingness to take on any task

• Always takes initiative in order to achieve desired results

• Self-starter, organised and a good problem-solver, able to eliminate obstacles through creative  and adaptive approaches

Life at News

At News UK some of us work flexibly, in many different ways. We encourage you to talk to us about the flexibility you need. We can’t promise to offer exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking.

We champion diversity and inclusion, we strive to maximise and encourage every individual’s potential and ensure everyone feels valued. We support this through our Diversity Board, D&I  strategy & training, creating more diverse content and our intern and apprenticeship programmes.  We also have 8 employee-led networks; Cultural Diversity, News is Out, GenZ, Sustainability Champions, News for Parents, Women in Tech, News UK Christian Fellowship and we are awaiting the launch of our Women’s Steering Group. 

We take pride in looking after our amazing talent at News UK supporting the Health and Wellbeing of our staff. We offer private medical insurance covering pre-existing conditions, discounted gym memberships, ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual HIIT, yoga and run club classes, and a ‘Bikes for Work’ scheme, as well as offering opportunities for physio/massage, counselling and legal support. 

In addition we also offer:

• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%;

• 25 days holiday and up to 4 volunteering days per year;

• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks;

• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access.

We want to ensure that everyone we meet has the opportunity to perform to their best when interviewing, so feel free to let us know, at any stage, whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, and we will do our best to accommodate.