The Dispatch is looking for a Staff Writer to join our team in Birmingham. We’re looking for a fantastic writer who can capture what’s going on in the city and its wider region, and who can deliver really solid reporting that sets the agenda. 

Since launching as part of Mill Media, The Dispatch has established itself as one of the most successful local media outlets in the UK, publishing award-winning investigations alongside brilliant local features and great cultural writing. 

Role Details

• Location: Birmingham / West Midlands (we need someone who lives full-time in the region, or is willing to relocate).
• Salary: Dependent on experience (circa. £30k-35k) with an opportunity for pay to increase next year.
• Basis: Full-time (including some out-of-hours work).
• Office/remote: Four days per week in our Birmingham office.
• Start date: August/September 2026.
• Deadline: Friday 31st July. Scroll down for details on how to apply.

About Us

Since being founded in June 2020, Mill Media has become a new force in British journalism, publishing high-quality local journalism across the UK. The company has been described as “one of the most interesting and impressive media startups of the last decade,” by the FT’s John Burn-Murdoch, and as “very, very impressive” by the Wall Street Journal’s editor Emma Tucker.

Our financial backers include Sir Mark Thompson, the chief executive of CNN and former boss of the New York Times and BBC, who said he was investing because of the “exceptional quality” of our work. In the past year alone, Mill Media stories have led to political resignations, questions in parliament, and police investigations. The Observer wrote that we are “shaking up local news.”

There is no ‘one thing’ that makes a good Dispatch story, and the types of article we publish vary hugely, from the bizarre and funny (like this review of Walsall’s swinging clubs), to the historic (see this irreverent take on Birmingham’s past), to the newsy and investigative (like our exclusive investigation into Shabana Mahmood’s vote rigging scandal). Some of these took months to pull off; others a single day. What they have in common is originality, exceptional prose, and proper, in-depth insight into our city.

What We’re Looking For

This role requires at least three years of experience in journalism. It’s a job for a journalist who believes in our mission, loves the kind of reporting we do, and is passionate about applying our brand of journalism to Birmingham. We need someone who has a natural flair for writing — who will deliver the kind of stories our readers look forward to when they open our newsletters.

This role also requires the kind of person who relishes trying to get hold of people on the phone and enjoys chasing stories even if they seem like dead ends; who likes getting to grips with complex issues and can explain those issues clearly to readers. You will also be expected to pitch in with various non-writing tasks, like helping with our social media, managing community comments, and liaising with freelancers.

We need a writer who has a strong voice but who is also incredibly ambitious about their own development within Mill Media’s distinctive editorial environment, which is known for producing some of the country’s most exciting reporters and writers. We hire people who want to learn fast, will work extremely well with our senior editors and have the right mix of confidence in their own ability and openness to learn the Mill Media style of journalism and engagement with readers.

Crucially, this is a role for someone who likes working really hard. This job isn’t easy and doesn’t always fit into the normal working day. We give some of the most rigorous and intense training and development in British journalism, which means that you will grow very fast by working with us. But we need people who are incredibly committed and energised by the task.

Key Responsibilities

• Fantastic writing: Producing consistently high-quality writing for The Dispatch that informs and delights our readers and makes us stand out.
• Story generation: Generating lots of highly original story ideas every month, ranging from culture to crime, food to local politics. We need someone who loves following the talking points in the city, from mad theories spreading on Reddit to what’s happening in the hospitality scene.
• Contact building: Developing exceptional contacts within Birmingham’s political, cultural, and business worlds so that we can break big stories.
• Audience growth: Helping to grow The Dispatch by posting on social media, assisting with our marketing, and fostering strong bonds with our community of members.

Working pattern: This is a full-time role. You will work four days a week in our office in Birmingham, and remotely the rest of the time. 

Attributes Required

• Superb writing: Someone who can write stories that our readers don’t just like but love, whether it’s a colour piece, an interview, or a newsier feature. A key part of this is being able to write with clarity and distill complex issues for readers.
• Reporting flair: Someone with an unusual talent for unearthing information, including huge energy when pursuing a story, a knack for getting hold of people on the phone, and the ability to develop contacts over time.
• Independence: Someone capable of working independently without lots of supervision from editors—that means being exceptionally organised, very communicative with colleagues, and self-motivated when working on stories.
• Growth mindset: Someone with an entrepreneurial spirit who is motivated by growth as well as our journalism and will enjoy growing our social media accounts and spreading our brand.
• Our values: Someone who is committed to our key editorial values: accuracy, nuance, thoughtfulness, fairness to sources, and giving readers the context they need to understand what is going on.

How to Apply

To apply for this role, email hiring@millmediaco.uk by Friday 31st July 2026 at the latest, with an explanation (in the body of the email) about why you are interested in working with The Dispatch and why you think you might be a good fit for this role.

Please also include:

• A few links to some of your favourite work you’ve done.
• Your CV or a link to your LinkedIn profile.
• Three story ideas you would like to work on if you joined us, or that you think would do well on The Dispatch.

If we are considering you for the role, we will send you a writing test. If you have any questions, just get in touch via the same email.

Given the amazing diversity of Birmingham, we are keen to reach applicants from as many communities as possible, so we would be grateful if you could share this job ad with your networks.