Vacancy: China specialist at Carbon Brief

This vacancy is now closed.

This is an exciting opportunity to become Carbon Brief’s new writer/analyst specialising in China, helping us to explain and analyse how the world’s most populous country and largest emitter is responding to climate change.

• Do you have deep knowledge of China’s energy and climate policies?
• Are you a clear, crisp writer who is comfortable publishing in both English and Chinese?
• Do you want to contribute to accurate reporting of how China addresses climate change?

Job description

Carbon Brief’s award-winning journalism is respected by scientists, journalists and policymakers around the world. Working closely with the rest of Carbon Brief’s team, you’ll produce a diversity of new content about China. This could range from analysing the latest energy and emissions trends through to unpicking new policy developments or explaining how China is adapting to climate impacts.

You’ll be comfortable conveying the point of a story while representing the subtleties of a policy development in a clear and engaging way. With a strong grounding in journalistic best practice, you’ll be meticulous about accuracy and fact-checking.

Responsibilities

• Produce news features, analysis, interviews and explainers.
• Monitor and report on climate-related developments in China.
• Help plan Carbon Brief’s China coverage.
• Help build and maintain Carbon Brief’s network of China contacts.
• Identify and report from relevant conferences on behalf of Carbon Brief.
• Summarise China’s climate and energy news for Carbon Brief’s email newsletters.

Qualifications

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of writing about China’s climate and energy policies.
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to write to a deadline.
• Good understanding of the wider public and political context around climate change.
• Highly numerate with a strong background in data analysis.
• Ability to absorb new and complex information quickly.
• Enthusiasm for communicating about climate change.

Desirable

• Fluency in both English and Chinese.
• A degree or postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject (journalism, policy or similar).
• A network of relevant contacts within China.
• Familiarity with China’s media coverage of climate change and energy.
• Experience of producing multimedia content.

Location: Carbon Brief’s office is in central London. However, the expectation is that this role will be via remote working, depending on the successful candidate’s circumstances/location. You may be expected to undertake some travel as part of your work.

Reporting to: The director.

Hours/Duration: This is a full-time (non-sponsored) position for 12 months, with a strong possibility to extend.

Salary: Competitive; dependent on skills and experience.

How to apply

To apply, please send:

• Your CV. 
• A covering letter explaining why you would be a good fit for the role and the organisation.
• Your plan to develop our China coverage (500 words max).
• Two samples of your published work (print or online) on a relevant topic. If you don’t have published work, please write a short example piece in Carbon Brief style.

To: [email protected].

Please state “China specialist application – Carbon Brief” in the email subject header.

Applications must be submitted by 9am (GMT) on Monday, 26 October 2020. Interviews will be held on 2 and 3 November 2020.

We are committed to the principles of equal opportunity in our employment practices. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. We will seek to ensure that individuals are recruited, selected, trained and promoted on the basis of their aptitude, skills and abilities.

About Carbon Brief:

Carbon Brief is a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy. We specialise in clear, data-driven articles and graphics to help improve the understanding of climate change, both in terms of the science and the policy response. We publish a wide range of content, including science explainers, interviews, analysis and factchecks, as well as daily and weekly email summaries of newspaper and online coverage. Our audience is global and diverse, but particularly serves policymakers, journalists, NGOs and academics.