The BBC has announced plans to hire more than 200 people to work on digital projects at BBC North.
New staff will work across BBC Sport, Children’s, Education, live events, as well as its Homepage and Content Discovery departments.
They are part of the BBC’s drive to reinvent itself for a new generation and deliver a more personalised service, announced by Director General Tony Hall earlier this week. He also earmarked an extra £34m for children’s services, including an enhanced online offering, with new forms of content and interactivity.
The move will cement the BBC’s position as one of the largest tech employers in the North and the jobs include engineers, product and project managers, and UX designers. The BBC has also announced it is doubling its Software Engineering graduate programme based in Salford for those starting out in the industry.
“The BBC has a huge history of innovation – from colour TV to Ceefax, from BBC iPlayer to delivering world class live events online,” said Matthew Postgate, BBC chief technology and product officer.
“Our team in Salford has already delivered audiences an award winning digital sport service, cutting edge innovation through our Research & Development teams and world-leading apps and digital services. We’re now going to reinvent the BBC for a new generation and we want the best team in Salford to help us get there.”
The BBC will also double its software engineering graduate programme at Salford University.
“We have enjoyed strong growth since we opened here six years ago and we now produce around 35,000 hours of BBC content from Salford per year. Our digital teams have been absolutely central to driving the advances needed to deliver the highest quality user experience to our audiences,” added Alice Webb, director of BBC Children’s and BBC North.
“Here in Salford we will continue to lead the market by developing and delivering the highest quality, personalised experience of BBC services to audiences, and we need the brightest and best digital professionals to drive this forward.”
