Huffington Post seeks seasoned hacks for UK launch

Following its recent acquisition by AOL, the Huffington Post is readying expansion from the US to both the UK and Canada. Now the first job ads for the publication’s British operation have been posted online, revealing a little about what we can expect when it launches later this year.

Seven roles have been advertised on recruitment site Gorkana Jobs – a Managing Editor, a Political Editor, News Editor, Homepage Editor, Communities & Blogs Editor, plus Assistant Editors.

The job descriptions show that the new site plans to make original political reporting a priority. The Political Editor’s ad asks for someone “Bored with the status quo and looking for a new challenge, with a little black book packed with Westminster’s need-to-know numbers.” They’re not looking for any fly-by-night, either. Ideal candidates for the Political and News Editor roles will have “A high level of news experience under their belt” and have worked for both print and digital publications, either locals or nationals. Recent SEO training and experience with social media are also important factors.

Lower-level hires include Assistant Editors, requiring degree-level education and work experience at local or national level on a newspaper or news-led website.

Meanwhile, the Communities & Blogs Editor will be charged with luring in both high-profile and grassroots (i.e., unpaid) bloggers to write for the site, although the requirement for “A little black book to rival Arianna’s” is one that many applicants may struggle to meet, given how famously well-connected the site’s founder is.

These hires show that while it’s believed that the UK operation will be starting initially as a locally-focused homepage for the wider site, it’s looking generate its own content and scoops. Indeed, the Assistant Editors ad mentions the need for employees who are “Ready to take on the old guard and win!”

The London-based offshoot of HuffPo is expected to launch this summer. The vacancies reported here were spotted by the ever alert Joseph Stashko.