Senior Camera Operator

BBC Group and Public Services is hiring a Senior Camera Operator based in Cardiff, Wales, on a fixed-term contract running through 26 March 2027. This role sits within BBC Nations, Wales Operations and focuses on single-camera news gathering on location, with additional work across studio productions and outside broadcasts. It suits an experienced camera professional who is comfortable moving between a breaking news environment and more structured broadcast production setups.

About the Role

You will be embedded in the BBC Wales camera team, working primarily alongside journalists and producers to capture news content that goes directly to broadcast audiences. The day-to-day workload spans location shoots, lighting setups, and occasional multi-camera productions, with the expectation of evenings, weekends, and extended production days as the news cycle demands. This is a hybrid role based in Cardiff, with the bulk of your time in the field rather than behind a desk.

Key Responsibilities

• Operate single-camera shoots independently across news gathering and other broadcast production environments, delivering sequences with a high degree of technical and compositional control.
• Design and execute location lighting setups appropriate to the production context, from run-and-gun news to more considered outside broadcast work.
• Capture stills photography on location as part of the broader content output for BBC Wales.
• Support multi-camera productions when required, coordinating with the wider camera team to maintain visual consistency across setups.
• Mentor and provide on-the-job training to junior camera operators, contributing to their development within the team.
• Apply edit knowledge to assist with or review camera packages, ensuring footage is delivered to post-production workflow standards.

What You Bring

• Proven experience operating across multiple programme types, including news, studio, and outside broadcast production.
• Strong working knowledge of broadcast camera systems and location lighting equipment.
• Familiarity with edit workflows and the ability to assess footage against post-production requirements.
• The ability to work under editorial pressure while maintaining craft standards and clear communication with producers and directors.
• A track record of working in live or news broadcast television, where adaptability and quick decision-making are part of the job.

Why This Role

BBC Group and Public Services offers a team culture that supports creative input from camera operators and provides access to a varied production slate covering Welsh news and public service broadcasting. The proposed salary range for this Senior Camera Operator position is 35,500 to 45,000 pounds, depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. Flexible working arrangements are open for discussion at the offer stage, within the requirements of BBC Variable Exception Terms and Conditions.

Apply now for the Senior Camera Operator role with BBC Group and Public Services and bring your broadcast camera experience to one of the UK’s most established news production teams.