East Africa Photographer, Reuters

Job Description

Reuters Pictures is looking for a Photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya, to join our East Africa team. The role is part of our One Newsroom approach, where text, pictures and video teams work closely together to deliver fast, accurate and impactful journalism for global audiences.

The successful candidate will be responsible for producing high-quality news, business and sports photography, while also working closely with colleagues across formats to support Reuters' visual and editorial coverage.

The ideal candidate will have a strong track record of covering major stories and producing compelling visual journalism. They should be able to spot news, work independently in the field, and contribute original visual story ideas that help Reuters stand out.

A good understanding of the political, economic and social landscape of Kenya and the wider East Africa region is essential. The successful candidate should also be well connected, have strong sourcing skills, and be able to identify opportunities for distinctive and original photography.

The role requires someone who can work confidently in difficult and fast-moving situations, including protests, elections, humanitarian crises and conflict environments. Experience working in hostile environments will be an advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Working closely with colleagues across text, video and pictures, the successful candidate will:

• Generate and develop visual story ideas.

• Plan and execute coverage of breaking news, enterprise, business, sports and other major events.

• Produce compelling, accurate and visually strong photography that meets Reuters' editorial and technical standards.

• Work closely with text and video colleagues to identify opportunities for integrated coverage and distinctive visual storytelling.

• Contribute to Reuters' One Newsroom ambitions through strong collaboration across formats.

• Produce content that works for Reuters' global clients and digital audiences.

• Identify opportunities for exclusive pictures, deeper visual storytelling and longer-term photographic projects.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with sources, photographers, editors and other stakeholders across Kenya and the wider region.

Required qualifications

Candidates must have strong technical photography skills, including:

• Professional digital photography and camera skills.

• Digital image editing and processing.

• Accurate captioning and metadata management.

• Fast and reliable picture filing and transmission from the field.

• The ability to work with professional photography equipment and modern image-management and transmission systems.

• A strong understanding of photographic ethics, accuracy and Reuters' editorial standards.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience covering major breaking news, political, business, sporting or humanitarian events in East Africa or other complex reporting environments, with a demonstrated ability to deliver exclusive and agenda-setting visual journalism

• Experience working in an integrated newsroom environment, collaborating closely with text, video and digital teams to deliver coordinated, multi-format coverage for global audiences and clients.

• Strong knowledge of Kenya and the wider East Africa region, with an established network of contacts and a track record of identifying distinctive visual stories and enterprise projects.

The successful candidate should have sound editorial judgement and be able to make quick decisions in the field about what to photograph, how to approach a story and which images best tell the story. They must be able to work independently while maintaining close communication with editors and colleagues.

The role is based in Nairobi but will involve travel across Kenya, East Africa and, at times, other parts of the world. The successful candidate must be ready to travel at short notice and work flexible hours, including early mornings, evenings, weekends and public holidays when required by the news.

From time to time, the candidate will also be expected to edit and manage pictures from photographers across the region. Strong picture-editing skills, attention to detail, sound editorial judgement, and excellent written and spoken English are therefore essential.

Experience covering major international news events, elections, conflict, business, sports or other high-impact stories will be an advantage. Experience working in hostile or challenging environments will also be an advantage.

What’s in it For You?

At Reuters, our people are our greatest assets. Here are some of the benefits we offer for your personal and professional growth:

• Global Career: As a global company, we can offer a truly international career and progression opportunities.

• Learning & Development: On the job learning and coaching. We also have a dedicated training team focused on the continuous development of our journalists.

• Industry Competitive Benefits:  We offer competitive salary packages and market leading benefits including paid volunteering days.

• Perks: Work alongside Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists and a team who provide unmatched, award-winning coverage of the world’s most important stories.

About Reuters

Reuters is the world’s largest multimedia news provider. Founded in 1851, it is committed to the Trust Principles of independence, integrity and freedom from bias. With unmatched coverage in over 16 languages, and reaching billions of people worldwide every day, Reuters provides trusted intelligence that powers humans and machines to make smart decisions. It supplies business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

We also make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. More information on requesting an accommodation here.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com