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Available Opportunities

CBC – Ombudsman
Location: Anywhere in Canada. Please note that travel may be required for meetings or training.
Salary Range: Dependent on experience
Deadline: Jul 31, 2024

About this position

The Ombudsman acts as an appeal authority for complainants who are dissatisfied with responses from CBC program staff or management. Specifically, they independently evaluate complaints against CBC/Radio-Canada’s Journalistic Standards and Practices in all news and information programs on CBC radio, television and the internet, measuring program performance in respecting the mission and values on which are based the fundamental principles of CBC/Radio-Canada journalism: accuracy, balance, fairness, impartiality and integrity. The Ombudsman is completely independent of program staff and management, reporting directly to the President, and through the President, to the Corporation’s Board of Directors.

Responsibilities

  • Determines whether the journalistic process or the broadcast involved in a complaint, did, in fact violate the Corporation’s Journalistic Standards and Practices.
  • As necessary, identifies major policy concerns as gleaned from complaints received by his/her Office and advises CBC management and journalists accordingly. The Ombudsman may undertake periodic studies on overall coverage of specific issues when they feel that the number of public complaints indicates that there may be a problem.
  • Effectively communicates both verbally and in writing, the results of investigations responding to complaints from listeners, viewers, and web users.
  • Responds to consultations and referrals as appropriate.
  • Assists audience members in interpreting the Corporation’s Journalistic Standards and Practices and in clarifying issues.
  • If necessary, and while maintaining confidentiality, conducts appropriate informal fact-finding in order to better understand all issues arising from dossiers for which he/she is responsible.
  • Consults with all parties, including management representatives, to clarify and analyze issues, and facilitates the resolution of complaints.
  • Remains independent, neutral and impartial, and exercises good judgment.
  • Fully adheres and reflects CBC’s Corporate Policies, including its Journalistic Standards and Practices.
  • Travel may be required occasionally for meetings or training purposes.

Candidate skills

  • Decision-Making, Strategic Thinking and Problem-Solving
  • Communication and Interpersonal Skills
  • Professionalism and Presentation

Seeking candidates with the following

  • Recognized and extensive experience as a journalist.
  • Recognized credibility and integrity with the Corporation’s journalists, the wider journalistic community and the public.
  • A reputation for integrity and for dealing fairly, effectively and in a timely fashion.
  • Ability and demonstrated experience in researching and assessing journalistic issues and processes.
  • Ability to effectively communicate both orally and in writing the results of investigations responding to complaints, issues and events.
  • A familiarity and understanding of the Ombudsman role and function.
  • Experience as editorial manager and bilingualism are considered assets.
  • A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant field.

Please apply online at: https://careers.odgersberndtson.com/en-ca/job/29578/

Please note that the resumes of qualified candidates will be sent to:
Nick Ketley, Senior Consultant
Nick.ketley@odgersberndtson.com

Questions about positions should be directed to the potential employer as the CAJ team has no additional information about these postings other than what is found here.

Job Application Tips

  1. Read the job posting carefully and make sure you:
    1. Fit the requirements as closely as possible or point out ways you aim to do so.
    2. Add indicators in your cover letter and resume contents that match the job posting and description, which show employers that you’ve taken the time to read the posting thoroughly.
  2. Use a professional email address. When creating a professional email address, using a variant of your first and last name is ideal.
  3. Follow the instructions on the posting. Applications that do not follow the instructions provided by employers are often discarded.
  4. Make your cover letter unique. Even if some of the information is the same, the cover letter should make reference to some of the information from the job posting. Please triple-check that you’re spelling the name of your potential employer correctly.
  5. Use keywords in your cover letter and resume. Employers and automated resume readers will search for keywords in both the cover letter and resume as an easy way to make a shortlist. Including keywords is your best chance at staying on the shortlist.
  6. Proofread your cover letter and resume. Then proofread it again, and then have someone else proofread it as well. Nothing gets a resume put in the trash quicker than errors.
  7. Keep track of your applications. Develop a tracking system for the positions you’ve applied for, the names of those to whom you’ve applied, and the deadlines for applications or when you might hear back. This will help not only when potential employers call you for an interview, but also when you complete any follow-up on your applications.
  8. Clean up your online presence. Now is the right time to make sure the impression you make online is your “best foot forward.” Many employers now do searches of possible candidates to see what sort of information comes up in searches, both on websites and social media. Giving the wrong impression of yourself will hurt your chances for that dream job.
  9. Upload and name your resume appropriately. Though many job application sites ask for much of the information contained within your resume, and then ask for you to upload your resume as well, it is important to do both. Additionally, it is important to give your uploaded resume a file name that makes it stand out from the rest. Do not just name it “resume,” but include your first and last name in the file name to ensure that the employer looking for your resume in their downloads file can find yours quickly.
  10. Review before submitting. You’ve checked for errors, and you’ve had someone help you find errors, but it is still worth the extra few minutes to review the whole submission again one last time before hitting send. There is no better finder of errors than the “send” button.
  11. Select clippings that show you can do the job that is advertised. If a magazine is hiring a feature writer, show them your best long-form. If it’s a radio host job, send them audio clips of you doing whatever you’ve done that is most similar to the advertised role.