Head of Production and Business Management, BBC News

Job Introduction

The Head of Production and Business Management will lead our production and business management teams across BBC News to produce creative and impactful programmes in an efficient and sustainable manner. Our portfolio of complex and diverse programming ranges from live bulletins to long-form documentaries in sites across the UK including London, Glasgow, Leeds, Salford and Birmingham. This new role brings together production management teams (typically working on complex documentary strands and live output) with business management (who provide business and admin support to our editorial and operational areas). These teams are vital in supporting our world-class journalism to deliver on time and on budget, managing finances and resources as well as challenging legal, safety, operational and reputational matters. The Head of Production and Business Management will drive a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across BBC News.

Main Responsibilities

The Head of Production and Business Management provides key leadership across News, bringing together skills and experience to maintain a first class team. You will drive and implement production strategies, demonstrating strong business skills and inspire continuous development across all areas. You will ensure the team meets objectives, maintaining high standards of training, embracing career development opportunities and performance management.

As a senior member of the News team, you will represent the department across the BBC and to external stakeholders. As well as supporting BBC News and the wider corporation to develop and align strategic priorities, the role will drive change to ensure the team continually adapts to evolving editorial, audience and market demands.

The post holder will need to create a climate of accountability ensuring requirements are fully understood and that viable proposals are developed in collaboration with editorial teams. Strict attention to resource management is essential to support fast-paced production requirements - often to tight deadlines and with changing demands and risk profiles.

Are you the right candidate?

We will be seeking evidence of the following essential skills and experience within your application:

• Considerable experience of leading business and production management at a senior level across a range of output or genres, including long-form documentaries and live output, and/or managing a significant portfolio of productions.
• Extensive knowledge of end-to-end multi-platform production with a level of technical understanding to ensure the most efficient content production.
• Able to think strategically, to develop and implement novel solutions in challenging circumstances.
• Able to build, influence and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience of leading, developing and motivating diverse teams across a range of output and during periods of change.
• Evidence of balancing numerous complex budgets and resolving competing financial demands.
• Thorough knowledge of commissioning and green light procedures, ensuring resources and editorial aspirations are aligned.
• Excellent organisation and planning skills and the ability to manage a busy workload, conflicting priorities and tight deadlines whilst remaining calm under pressure.
• Extensive knowledge of business management and admin support.

About the BBC

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours in the document attached below.

Diversity matters at the BBC. We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, enabling all of our employees to thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to be part of the BBC – whether that’s to contribute to our programming or our wide range of non-production roles. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We will consider flexible working requests for all roles, unless operational requirements prevent otherwise.

To find out more about Diversity and Inclusion at the BBC, please click here

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Package Description

Band: F
Contract type: 1 x continuing (permanent) contract
Location: Flexible (UK)

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

• Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits- We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (1 of which is a corporation day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.