Jakarta Correspondent

**The role**

The Financial Times is looking for an enterprising and energetic reporter to cover Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands with the world's fourth-largest population, along with several other important economies in south-east Asia.
Reopening an FT bureau in Jakarta, the correspondent will establish our coverage in the minds of editors and readers via sharp news judgement, insightful analysis and elegant writing on a country bursting with new stories to discover.
Indonesia had a good pandemic.
Buoyed by high commodity prices, it has made a quick return to 5 per cent growth.
President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, has an approval rating north of 70 per cent, but the country is a real democracy - campaigning is already heating up for next year's presidential election.
Important themes for coverage include religion, with tension between moderate and radical Islam; regional development beyond the main population centre of Java; and the fate of the "omnibus law", a labour market reform much sought after by the business community.
There are big business stories to cover as well.
Indonesia is a crucial source of commodities including bauxite, palm oil, coal and natural gas, as well as nickel, which is in hot demand for electric vehicle batteries.
The Jokowi government is determined to move up the value chain and has banned exports of some raw commodities; it is also reforming its many state-owned enterprises.
Indonesia is a large and growing consumer market and an important source of profits for Jardine Matheson, through its control of the Astra conglomerate.
Indonesia is the core of the job but the correspondent will also pick up coverage of Vietnam, where two decades of rapid growth have transformed the economy, and the Philippines, where Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos has restored the family dynasty as president.
Jakarta hosts the headquarters of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Asean is slowly deepening trade and diplomatic integration across a region caught uneasily between China and the US.
The job calls for a resourceful journalist who can spot the FT stories and themes in an often misunderstood region where securing access to sources requires patience and tenacity.
News is the heart of the job - and you will find strong demand from FT editors - but we want and expect the correspondent to write across a range of formats, from sharp analysis to magazine features.
There is scope for travel.
You may also be asked to represent the FT at events and in the media.
**Y**our skills**

Good communication skills are important.
You should regularly pitch ideas to editors in Hong Kong and deliver copy when promised.
You should also be collegiate: close collaboration with colleagues across Asia is a central part of the FT's culture and will be vital to your success.
The reporting and living environment in Southeast Asia requires a degree of resilience.
Governments in the region maintain a varying level of control and monitoring over the media.
Access to information may be difficult at times and the job calls for sound judgement about sources and stories.
Indonesian language skills are desirable but not essential.
**Benefits**

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career.
Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced maternity & paternity packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities.
Full details of our benefits can be found here.
**Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace**

The FT is committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all.
We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.
We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work and have the flexibility they need to meet their personal needs.
**About the Financial Times**

Across the FT Group, our people are united by a mission to deliver world-class information, news and services to our global audiences.
Our global, award-winning editorial team represents the gold standard in journalism, seeking depth, originality and balance that differentiates us from the pack and engages our subscribers.
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