Manchester Club Correspondent

Manchester Club Correspondent

Reporting to: Head of Content, London Bridge

Role Overview:

As a Club Correspondent, you will be the driving force behind our comprehensive coverage of one of our focus clubs: Manchester United, as well as being well connected at Manchester City and performing a variety of tasks in the Manchester area.

This senior role demands a seasoned journalist with unparalleled knowledge of United, a proven track record of editorial leadership and a passion for breaking exclusive stories that captivate fans and significantly boost audience engagement across all platforms.

Reporting to the Head of Content, you will "own" your club's narrative, leading all aspects of its coverage. From spearheading breaking news and intricate transfer reports to overseeing youth academy developments and securing exclusive interviews, you will direct and shape written, video, and audio content.

You will be responsible for defining the editorial strategy for your club, ensuring our reporting is consistently ahead of the curve and deeply resonates with the fanbase. A key focus will be commissioning and editing exclusive content for Sun Club, providing premium, unique insights into your club’s inner workings and driving key performance indicators (KPIs).

This position requires a highly proactive, multi-media professional who possesses and can leverage extensive relationships within the club. You'll lead a team of Club Reporters on the patch, fostering an environment that consistently produces original, impactful, and distinctive content across digital and print platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Club Leadership & Editorial Strategy:

• Maintain and champion expert knowledge of your assigned, Manchester United, serving as the primary editorial authority.
• Lead comprehensive coverage of all club activities, including match reports, press conferences, transfer news, youth academy updates, and behind-the-scenes insights.
• Define and execute the editorial strategy for your club, ensuring fans receive timely, accurate, and exclusive content tailored to their interests, including push alerts and email newsletters.

Leading Exclusive Reporting:

• Identify, commission, and drive the delivery of exclusive stories that differentiate our coverage from competitors.
• Cultivate and leverage high-level relationships with sources within the club to secure and break significant news and exclusives.
• Oversee the generation of scouting reports and insights into player development and club strategies.

Content Direction & Creation:

• Direct the creation of high-quality, engaging content across digital and print platforms, including breaking news, features, analysis, and match reports.
• Commission and edit exclusive content for Sun Club, ensuring it offers unique insights and premium value for subscribers.
• Oversee and guide the production of compelling video content, including pieces to camera (PTCs) and behind-the-scenes features.

Collaboration & Management:

• Collaborate closely with the Head of Content, Deputy Heads of Content, the newsdesk, and other senior reporters to align with broader editorial priorities.
• Lead and mentor Club Reporters and other team members, fostering a collaborative environment to ensure well-rounded coverage of the football landscape.
• Engage and interact directly with fans, fan groups, and podcasts to ensure SunSport is at the center of critical conversations around your club.

Performance & Audience Growth:

• Be accountable for exclusive content, audience engagement, and subscriber growth for your club's coverage.
• Ensure all content adheres to leading digital-first strategies, optimizing for visual appeal, shareability, and SEO performance.

Key Skills and Experience

Editorial Leadership:

• Extensive experience in sports journalism, with a significant background in a leadership or senior editorial role, ideally focused on a specific club.
• A proven track record of breaking major news and consistently delivering high-impact, exclusive content.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and storytelling abilities, with a strong understanding of how to shape a club's narrative.

Club Expertise:

• Deep, authoritative knowledge of Manchester United and Manchester City), including its history, current dynamics, and key figures.
• A robust network of contacts within the club and broader football industry.

Multi-Platform Production:

• Proven experience in directing and producing content for various platforms, including digital, print, video, and audio.
• Strong understanding of digital content strategies, including SEO, social media best practices, and audience engagement metrics.

Management & Communication:

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and manage a team of reporters and content creators.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for building relationships with sources, stakeholders, and team members.

If you believe you have the skills and passion to succeed, even if you don’t meet every requirement on the list, we encourage you to apply. We value potential just as much as experience and are eager to hear from individuals who are enthusiastic about learning and growing with us.

At News UK, we know the value of working together, which is why we operate a hybrid working policy with a minimum of three days a week in the office. Being in the office allows us to collaborate, innovate, and thrive as a team in our vibrant and dynamic workspace. Some roles may require more office-based days depending on the nature of the position, so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter to learn more about what’s required for your role.

We are News UK: One of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio, Talk and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local radio stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multiplatform brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. News UK is wholly owned by News Corp.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter most. To ensure these stories resonate with as broad an audience as possible, it is essential that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. Whether through age, gender, ethnicity, disability, social class or sexuality, we are committed to representing the rich variety of voices that make up our society. And we champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive as we continue to innovate and drive long term sustainable growth. This is done through our Diversity Strategy.

At News UK, we take pride in our exceptional employee-led networks that bring together individuals with shared interests and create a vibrant sense of community. We believe our networks play a vital role in fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture at News UK. Groups that we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, and LGBTQ+ group News Is Out, and the Apprentice Society.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

• 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
• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions
• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly virtual yoga classes
• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme
• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books
• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities
• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling
• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to perform to their best when applying for a role. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or for us to do anything differently to support you apply for any of our roles please contact us on [email protected].