Lead Writer, Tifo (London)

About Us

The Athletic is a digital sports media company that brings true sports fans closer to the athletes, teams and leagues that captivate their attention. We serve a multi-faceted audience that craves a richer connection and understanding with immersive storytelling and a like-minded community of fans. Founded in 2016 and with major operational hubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, London and Melbourne, we empower a truly global team of more than 600 creators and cover more than 250 professional sports and collegiate teams across the United States, Canada and the UK. Our newsroom has produced thousands of in-depth reports along with more than 120 podcasts and other forms of premium content. Put simply, The Athletic is at the center of a sports fan’s universe.

About the Role

We are looking for a creative and organized sports writer & editor to work as part of the Tifo team at The Athletic. In this role you will serve as the Lead Writer for Tifo Football and Tifo Sports. Your main duty will be writing scripts for Tifo videos, including both longer scripts for horizontal YouTube videos, and shorter scripts for our social, vertical offering on TikTok, YouTube shorts and Instagram. Your secondary duties will include some commissioning of scripts from freelance writers, the editing of scripts written by others, and liaising with the newsrooms to ensure editorial alignment. You will work under the direction of the Deputy Head of Video to perform your duties, and alongside the other leaders in the video team as part of the video review process, to ensure all videos are accurate and meet editorial standards prior to publication.

This position is based in London, and offers a mixture of office and remote work.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for producing - through a combination of commissioning, editing and writing - seven to eight scripts for Tifo Illustrated per week, in a combination of long and short-form.
• Knowing what matters to audiences when; ensuring our content reflects the seasonality of the sports calendar.
• Provide data and editorial support to the designers to ensure our videos retain integrity and comprehension.
• Work with the Deputy Head of Video and the Video Growth Team to incorporate analytics and data into our editorial process, to maintain an understanding of our audience.
• Work with The Athletic’s newsroom and editors to ensure Tifo videos meet the high editorial standards of the organisation.
• Help to review all Tifo videos once they are created in order to ensure accuracy and standards prior to publication.
• Work as part of a team, assisting other team members with their projects and being available as an asset to your colleagues.

Requirements

• 6+ years experience in video or print journalism (will consider relevant, equivalent professional experience).
• Ability to ingest, consolidate, contextualise and communicate complicated information, and provide this information in accessible formats.
• Advanced understanding of social video platforms and the content that drives audiences.
• Excellent written and presentation skills.
• Commissioning experience and ability to work with freelancers.
• Ability to comfortably adapt to shifts in priorities.
• Excellent knowledge of sports industry, with a focus on US core sports and soccer.
• This position is based in London, and offers a mixture of office and remote work.