Would you like to become a journalist, work on issues that matter to Hackney’s communities and be part of a pioneering project?

If so, then our new role could be right up your street.

Social media giant Facebook is donating £4.5m to publishers across the UK to fund 80 new community journalists who will be trained up by the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) and sent into local and regional newsrooms.

One of these roles will be at the Hackney Gazette newspaper and website.

We’re looking for someone who knows and loves Hackney, who can lead the way in helping us build new relationships with different communities and help us bring a more diverse range of voices into our paper.

That person could be an apprentice with no previous experience of journalism, or someone more senior who has already completed some training.

The successful applicant will have access to a full training programme from the NCTJ while working. If they are coming in fresh, the aim will be for them to complete the NCTJ’s diploma in journalism – the “gold standard” industry qualification – during the two-year scheme.

If they already have the diploma, they will instead work towards a new National Qualification in Journalism for community journalists.

Archant, which publishes the Gazette, will focus on finding trainees from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, in recognition of the rich diversity of the local communities they’ll serve.

Gazette editor Ramzy Alwakeel said: “This is a really exciting initiative that will help improve the Gazette’s coverage of our local communities, and our mission to provide top-quality journalism.

“For someone looking to forge a career in media this is a fantastic opportunity to be embedded in a community and really make a difference to life there, telling people’s stories, highlighting their achievements and helping fight their battles.”

Whoever gets the job will also have access to a range of training from Facebook focused on digital newsgathering skills.

To find out more, including details of how to apply, see our vacancies page here.