Do you want to craft investigative research and analysis that helps African democracies thrive?
Code for Africa (CfA) has an immediate vacancy for a full-time Data Journalist to join our iLAB and investigative and forensic analysis team. This hybrid role includes insights and report writing, story pitching and delivery, and website content management.
Are you passionate about journalism that drives accountability and empowers communities across Africa? Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative open data laboratories. With over 120 staff members in 26 countries, we are dedicated to building digital democracy solutions that provide citizens with unfettered access to actionable information, enabling them to make informed decisions and strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.
The successful candidate will join CfA’s transnational iLAB team. The iLAB supports the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), a CfA initiative that brings together the continent’s best muckraking newsrooms to investigate crooked politicians, organised crime and big business. The iLAB spearheads investigations that individual ANCIR newsrooms are unable to tackle on their own. This includes forensic analysis of suspected digital disinformation campaigns or toxic content aimed at misleading citizens or triggering social discord or polarisation using hate speech or radicalisation, or other techniques. The team is multinational and multilingual and uses digital collaboration tools and machine intelligence toolkits to create reports and datasets for a global audience and international institutional partners.
The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent investigative skills and have at least two years of experience in investigative journalism and OSINT investigations. They will exhibit an understanding of influence operations, including disinformation and misinformation tactics, digital amplification strategies, and viral media techniques. Effective written and verbal communication skills is essential and bilingual proficiency in French and English will be preferred.
Required: minimum requirements include:
- Candidates must have at least two years of investigative journalism experience and be able to analyse data sets and identify trends, patterns, and anomalies. This experience should demonstrate their ability to conduct thorough investigations into various topics, including crooked politicians, organised crime and mis/disinformation amplification.
- Candidates should understand influence operations, encompassing knowledge of disinformation and misinformation tactics, digital amplification strategies, and viral media techniques. This understanding is crucial for identifying and analysing manipulative tactics in the information landscape.
- Candidates should demonstrate excellent writing skills for creating clean and crisp content.
- to convey investigative findings and insights effectively. Clear and concise communication is essential for collaboration with ANCIR member newsrooms and internal teams within iLAB.
- Meticulous attention to detail, with the ability to work with congeniality in a deadline-driven environment. This includes being able to prioritise multiple simultaneous tasks while at the same time engaging diplomatically and collaborating effectively with colleagues under tight deadlines.
- Proficiency in collaborative work solutions such as Google Workplace, Slack and website management.
Preferred: candidates who are able to demonstrate the following will have an advantage:
- In-depth knowledge about ‘information disorder’ and the differences between misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, as well as conspiracist content and hate speech.
- Previous experience in online publishing, including social media platforms.
- Fluency in both French and English (spoken and written) is a plus within the diverse context of ANCIR’s operations across East, South, and West Africa.
Language and Location Requirements:
- Location: Anywhere in Africa
- Languages: English
- Preferred but not required: Arabic, French, Swahili, or other major African languages.
About the Role:
As a Data Journalist at CfA, you will be part of our mission to revolutionise journalism across the continent. Working within our dynamic team, you can contribute to impactful investigations and collaborative projects.
Your role will involve collaborating with our African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR) member newsrooms on investigations into crooked politicians, organised crime, and corporate malpractice. You will leverage investigative skills to contribute to major investigations, utilising open-source intelligence, due diligence, and asset-tracking techniques. Working alongside seasoned digital forensic experts in iLAB across East, South, and West Africa.
As part of a multinational team within a growing organisation, you must be agile and thrive in a multicultural environment. You will need to work easily with people from different backgrounds who may speak different languages.
Responsibilities: Your daily responsibilities will include:
- Conduct investigative reporting, including researching, fact-checking, and gathering evidence related to assigned topics ranging from information manipulation, organised crime, and misinformation campaigns.
- Analyse datasets to identify relevant trends, patterns, and anomalies. Use analytical skills to extract meaningful insights that contribute to ongoing investigations and project development.
- Generate story ideas based on investigative findings and emerging trends. Pitch story concepts to editorial investigation teams.
- Produce high-quality written content on a regular basis, including investigative reports, articles, and multimedia content. Ensure clarity, accuracy, and adherence to journalistic standards in all written materials.
- Collaborate with ANCIR member newsrooms, internal teams within iLAB, and external partners. Coordinate tasks, share insights, and contribute to collaborative projects that address information manipulation and promote transparency.
- Assist in managing the website content and publication schedules, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination of investigative reports and other relevant content.
What We Offer:
- A competitive salary, subject to experience, with opportunities for performance-based growth, both in terms of career path and public stature.
- Medical insurance cover, underwritten by a remote-first provider to ensure cover wherever you are
- A dynamic workplace, with a transnational team, occasional international travel, and generous vacation benefits.
- Ongoing opportunities to learn new cutting-edge skills and techniques/technologies to future-proof yourself in a rapidly evolving industry.
- A chance to shine on a global stage, writing for international audiences and interacting with colleagues around the world.
How to apply:
Please fill in this form by 10 June 2024
About Us:
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest network of indigenous African civic technology and investigative data journalism laboratories, with over 120 staff in 26 countries, who build digital democracy solutions that are intended to give citizens unfettered access to actionable information that empowers them to make informed decisions and that strengthen civic engagement for improved public governance and accountability.
This includes building infrastructure such as the continent’s largest open data portal, open.AFRICA, and largest open source civic software portal, commons.AFRICA, as well as the largest repository of investigative document-based evidence, source.AFRICA, as well as incubating initiatives as diverse as the africanDRONE network that gives citizens their own ‘eyes in the sky’, the PesaCheck fact-checking initiative in 12 African countries, and the sensors.AFRICA remote-sensing citizen science initiative to combat air/water pollution.
CfA also incubates the African Network of Centres for Investigative Reporting (ANCIR), as an association of the continent’s best investigative newsrooms, ranging from large traditional mainstream media to smaller specialist units. ANCIR member newsrooms investigate crooked politicians, organised crime and big business. The iLAB is ANCIR’s in-house digital forensic unit, with teams in east, south and west Africa. ANCIR uses its resources to strengthen newsrooms’ own internal capacity, by providing access to the world’s best whistleblower encryption and investigative semantic analysis technologies, as well as skills development, and seed grants for cross-border collaboration.
At CfA, we don’t just accept differences – we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products and our community. CfA is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
To all recruitment agencies: CfA does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our employment application line, CfA employees or any other CfA contact. CfA is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.