Newsquest Media Group

• Edit and produce high-quality video content using footage provided by the videography team • Interpret client briefs, scripts and concepts to deliver content aligned with brand objectives • Transform raw footage into engaging, audience-focused content across digital and marketing channels • Ensure all content is delivered on time and to a high standard, meeting agreed deadlines and budgets • Collaborate closely with videographers and the wider video team across multiple projects and regions • Contribute to creative discussions and support the development of video concepts • Manage multiple editing projects simultaneously, maintaining strong organisation and workflow management • Build positive working relationships internally and represent LOCALiQ professionally when working with clients

• Join Newsquest Digital Media, the digital division of one of the UK’s leading local media publishers, and play a key role in ensuring the quality and performance of the backend systems that power our extensive network of trusted local news brands, helping to shape the future of digital journalism at scale. • Working as part of an agile, cross-functional team, you’ll be involved throughout the full product lifecycle, from initial requirements through to release. • This role combines manual and automated testing, with a strong focus on improving quality standards and helping to evolve our automated testing capability. • You’ll collaborate closely with product, UX, development and editorial teams to deliver high-quality, user-focused digital experiences at scale.

- Design and produce front pages for a variety of print titles - Use InDesign and Photoshop to create visually impactful layouts - Apply a strong understanding of what makes a front page stand out on the newsstand - Work collaboratively within the hub to meet production deadlines - Support basic copy sub-editing where required

• Act as Technical Lead within a development squad, guiding the design and delivery of new features • Collaborate closely with Product Managers and UX Designers to refine requirements and shape solutions • Develop and maintain high-quality, scalable software using PHP and associated technologies • Support and mentor developers within the team, helping to improve coding standards and best practices • Contribute to architectural decisions and ensure alignment with wider platform strategy • Work across both front-end and back-end systems to deliver end-to-end solutions • Champion agile ways of working and contribute to continuous improvement within the team • Ensure code quality, performance and reliability across all outputs • Work with version control systems (Git/GitHub) to manage codebases effectively

Role Description Join Newsquest Digital Media, the digital division of one of the UK’s leading local media publishers, and play a key role in building and optimising the backend systems that power our extensive network of trusted local news brands—helping to shape the future of digital journalism at scale. We’re looking for a Lead Developer to take a central role in shaping the evolution of our digital products across a portfolio of over 200 high-traffic websites, serving millions of users each month. This is a hands-on leadership role where you’ll influence both the technical direction and day-to-day delivery within your squad. Working closely with Product and UX teams, you’ll be involved early in the lifecycle of new features, helping to define practical, well-architected solutions and seeing them through to delivery. You’ll lead from within a development squad, combining strong engineering capability with collaboration and support for others in the team. We operate in a flexible, fully remote (UK-based) environment, with a culture that values ownership, continuous improvement, and thoughtful, human-led development. Whether you’re already operating at Lead level or ready to take that next step, this is an opportunity to make a visible impact across a diverse and high-performing digital estate. Qualifications - Strong experience in PHP, with a solid understanding of design patterns - Proven experience in a full development environment (circa 3+ years) - Experience working with both SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g. MySQL, Elasticsearch, Redis) - Comfortable working in cross-functional teams alongside Product and UX - Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly - Experience using Git and GitHub for version control - Desirable but not essential: Experience working in an Agile environment - Desirable but not essential: Exposure to modern JavaScript frameworks (e.g. Vue.js) - Desirable but not essential: Understanding of web design principles and modern web technologies - Desirable but not essential: Degree in Computer Science or a related field Requirements - Act as Technical Lead within a development squad, guiding the design and delivery of new features - Collaborate closely with Product Managers and UX Designers to refine requirements and shape solutions - Develop and maintain high-quality, scalable software using PHP and associated technologies - Support and mentor developers within the team, helping to improve coding standards and best practices - Contribute to architectural decisions and ensure alignment with wider platform strategy - Work across both front-end and back-end systems to deliver end-to-end solutions - Champion agile ways of working and contribute to continuous improvement within the team - Ensure code quality, performance and reliability across all outputs - Work with version control systems (Git/GitHub) to manage codebases effectively Benefits - Remote Working - Competitive salary - Contributory pension - Perks and discounts with numerous retailers and organisations - Opportunities for team building and training days - 25 days’ paid holiday, plus statutory bank holidays - An extra day off on your birthday - Holiday purchase scheme - Structured career progression, ongoing training, and personal performance reviews - Discount vouchers - Discounted gym membership - Cycle to Work scheme - Mental health support via Lifeworks - Eye test vouchers, plus £50 towards the cost of new glasses - Annual volunteer or charity day - Staff referral scheme

• Write and edit advertisement features, supplements and lifestyle content for print and digital • Create generic and bespoke feature content across newspapers, magazines and websites • Research topics, conduct interviews and generate feature ideas across a wide range of subjects • Edit copy accurately, write headlines and meet agreed deadlines • Source images, video and supporting multimedia where required • Write content suitable for the web, with an understanding of SEO • Ensure all content meets house style, legal requirements and the IPSO code of conduct • Work closely with the magazines and features team

• Work with an AI system to help write news articles, while also utilising your journalism skills to maintain the quality and authenticity of the content • Ensure that all content produced meets legal and ethical standards, including those related to media law, plagiarism, privacy, and accuracy • Efficiently upload and manage stories, using time-saving AI tools and techniques to ensure a seamless process without compromising the quality of the content • Meet page view targets • Contribute to the development of AI technology by monitoring the performance of AI-generated content and identifying areas for improvement • Work closely with our existing editorial teams to help integrate selected AI-generated content into a variety of newsrooms • Stay up to date with industry trends and best practices related to AI and journalism.

• Learn and master the AI technologies used to create agents. • Translate business ideas into practical AI agents. • Develop, test, and deploy AI agents that address business challenges. • Collaborate with stakeholders across the business to understand needs and requirements. • Plan and manage the end-to-end delivery of AI agent projects, including working closely with product teams. • Maintain organisational standards and ensure timely project completion. • Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of AI agents. • Provide regular performance reports to the Head of AI and the Editorial Director. • Stay abreast of the latest developments in AI agent technology and Microsoft Copilot. • Apply new insights and best practices to enhance the performance of AI agents. • Contribute to the strategic direction of AI initiatives within the organisation. • Work closely with editorial teams and other areas of the business. • Ensure that AI solutions are aligned with broader business objectives. • Communication with both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders.

• Outbound Calling – Proactively contact potential clients via phone to generate new business opportunities. • Qualifying Leads – Identify decision-makers, assess their needs, and determine their suitability for digital marketing services. • Lead Nurturing – Follow up with potential clients, providing relevant information and maintaining engagement until they are ready to proceed. • Appointment Setting – Arrange meetings or calls between qualified leads and the sales team. • CRM Management – Accurately update and maintain lead details, call notes, and follow-up schedules in the company’s CRM system. • Product Knowledge – Develop an understanding of the company’s digital marketing services, such as SEO, PPC, social media, and content marketing, to effectively communicate value to potential clients. • Objection Handling – Confidently address concerns or hesitations from prospects and highlight the benefits of digital marketing solutions. • Collaboration with Sales & Marketing – Work closely with the sales and marketing teams to align lead generation efforts with campaigns and company goals. • KPI & Target Achievement – Meet or exceed daily, weekly, and monthly call and appointment generation targets

• Using your SEO skills to reach the largest possible audience • Using search tools to research and understand the topics people are searching for • Identifying and exploring topics in which local brands can legitimately become an authority • Producing high-quality, accurate digital news stories, live blogs and features to deadlines as agreed by editors • Respond quickly to breaking news events and support newsrooms with accurate and valuable content • Work with the Head of Central Digital Content to understand what to research and write next • Building communities online and in real life to share stories once published, and become engaged with readers about those stories • Thinking creatively to come up with new, original story ideas and ways to deliver them to our audience that suit our digital platforms • Spotting and developing national and regional content that could resonate in your patch, and making it relevant and interesting to our readers • Helping devise and manage a carefully-plotted SEO forward plan calendar to ensure we don’t miss a beat • Ensuring every piece of content is thoroughly researched and balanced before publication • With guidance from editors, using analytics to identify what our readers like and what they want next from our coverage • Joining forces with Newsquest’s central team and your counterparts across the UK to share ideas, best practice, success stories and skills • Communicating with newsrooms around the country to ensure your coverage chimes with the local market