Director of Programming - Comedy & Entertainment

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Director of Programming - Comedy & Entertainment

Department: Programming

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Director of Programming - Comedy & Entertainment to become a key member of the Programming leadership team.

This role will be responsible, working with the commissioning and acquisitions teams, for delivering the companies monetizable views and SOCI targets by designing and delivering audience-focused genre-led content strategies.

What we would like you to bring to the role....key experience, knowledge, skills & personal qualities

Experience

• Prior experience in a similar role managing VoD and linear, commissioned and acquired, content within a streaming service, broadcaster, the video on demand supply chain or large digital media organisation, preferably cross-genre in relevant areas such as drama, comedy, lifestyle, entertainment, music and factual.
• Significant experience and understanding of television - channel and VoD editorial management, commissioning and acquisition.
• Proven experience of working within high end TV in the relevant genres within the UK.
• Sufficient knowledge of scheduling systems in order to input into the strategic requirements of a system for VoD & linear.
• Successfully used data and insight to drive content decision-making devising longer-term content strategies.
• Experience of leading and inputting into marketing, digital and creative discussions in relation to both content and service /channel brands.
• Experience of managing and controlling budgets effectively.
• Experience of delivery content to screen that represents the diversity of people in the UK.
• Experience of leading and managing a team.

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of the video on demand marketplace, competitor linear offerings and video consumption in social media. Knowledge and practical experience of the shaping of content. scheduling, and windowing being adapted best for those platforms.
• Knowledge of the international TV market and its content.
• Knowledge of the wider television and media landscape and ability to translate this into identifiable threats and opportunities for UKTV.
• A deep understanding of research and data with the ability to put it at the heart of decision making.
• Knowledge and understanding of how pay and free to air platforms operate, their priorities and challenges.
• An appreciation of the importance of Rights issues, the broadcasting regulatory context and relevant UK and EU law, and of their legal aspects.
• An extensive understanding of the UK's Ofcom guidelines.

Skills & personal qualities

• Proven ability to develop, reach, engage and grow audiences and watch time through compelling content selection.
• Excellent written and visual communication skills, commitment to quality and attention to detail.
• Clear ability to demonstrate strategic thinking and leadership.
• Be able to demonstrate strong editorial judgment in relation to archive and as well a new, original content.
• Experience of working in an agile environment would be an advantage. Demonstrating an iterative, proactive and flexible approach to work and comfortable leading and working in a dynamic environment with constantly changing priorities. Able to deal with ambiguity, and still work at pace, with an entrepreneurial mindset. Clear ability to identify programming and scheduling opportunities and a pro-active approach to problem solving, providing solutions and giving a network as well as content genre perspective.
• A skilled influencer with excellent relationship and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across a number of departments, services and levels. Working in an inclusive manner, listening to and considering opinions from all colleagues. Comfortable with challenging or questioning decisions or plans to improve outcomes.
• A genuine passion for television and content that inspires our audiences.

Key Responsibilities

What you will get to work on....key outputs and responsibilities of the role

• Lead a high performing team, providing them with clear goals and direction. Work to inspire, empower, motivate, and develop them, fostering an inclusive environment where they can perform at their best.
• Support the Chief Programming Officer (CPO) to set the company's overarching network content strategy.
• Work from this network strategy and be responsible for generating the specific genre strategy with clear editorial and content objectives that meet the company's creative aspirations, the BBC's editorial standards and, when combined with the other genre strategies, delivers the overall network requirements.
• Work with the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) and the Digital Curation Team to deliver the content supply for VoD services in line with the service needs and Unified network content strategy and wider VoD investment plans.
• Accountable for the delivery of the relevant genre content performance across the network to ensure the delivery of:

1. genre targets on UKTV Play (including monetisable views, active users, profile and seasonality) across all relevant VoD platforms, and
2. linear targets (Share Of Commercial Impacts/Profile) for their relevant channels

• Work with the acquisitions, commissioning teams and Head of Digital Curation to deliver the necessary quality and quantity of content required to serve the needs of VoD and the linear business in a timely fashion.
• Accountable for defining the content requirements for Linear & VoD and briefing the relevant Commissioning & Acquisitions teams and working with them to identify content targets.
• Work with CPO and Chief Content Officer (CCO), direct acquisitions and legal teams on rights requirements.
• Advise the CPO with genre budget requirements.
• Utilizing data and insight, work with commissioning team to consider and develop the genre pipeline.
• Recommend to the CCO and CPO High value / high volume content for sign off.
• Work with the Programming Lead, Head of Digital Curation and Schedule Managers to identify Programme Licence Agreement (BBC PLA content) requirements and selections.
• Responsible for the selection, and identification with acquisitions for all content required to manage all relevant FAST channels and audio services.
• Work with Programming Lead, Head of Digital Curation, be responsible for recommending release strategies and scheduling of genre content across the network.
• Work with data and insights to analyse performance and ensure data is at the heart of content decision making.
• Work with Insight and Data team to understand relevant targets audiences and their content requirements. Planning for content to appeal to current, lapsed and future audiences in line with the network content strategy.
• Work with Finance on genre spend, managing budget to ensure efficient and effective spend, delivering the services individual content requirements.
• Be aware of, and across any news events that will impact on our editorial output and where necessary make recommendations, in line with the BBC's editorial standards on any courses of action.
• Selecting and developing a content supply that delivers on UKTV's diversity and inclusion ambitions, representing our audiences and the UK more generally.
• Ensure our content pipeline delivers against our D&I strategy.
• Work with the other Directors of Programming, and the CPO, CCO and Network Planning and Process Manager on network prioritisation.
• Work with Marketing and comms teams to advise on long term content pipeline to support their planning, prioritising and budgeting processes.
• Deputise for the CPO when required at forums such as the Executive Leadership Team Meetings.
• Seek opportunities to take part in panels at external industry events.

How we lead: Our Leadership Qualities

As a leader for the business, we're looking for...

Strategic thinking and vision

• Translating strategic ambition into clear and measurable goals for your team/s.
• Using storytelling to create a vision and inspire your team to deliver their best work.
• Driving collaborative working across teams to deliver value for our audiences.
• Pro-actively contributing to areas of company-wide strategic focus.

A Digital-first mindset

• Identifying and integrating data and insights to better inform business decisions in your area.
• Encourage a test and learn approach, ensuring your teams can iterate and adapt their work based on results.
• Embrace new ways of working, tools and technologies to improve agility.

Leaders who embrace ambiguity and change.

• Challenging the status quo, championing a growth mindset and continuous change.
• Role-modelling resilience and a growth mindset that recognises the need for ongoing change.
• Having strategies for dealing positively with your own discomfort and emotions.

As a leader for your team, we're looking for....

Authenticity and empathy

• Creating and maintaining a psychologically safe environment, ensuring all perspectives are valued and exclusive behaviour is challenged.
• Being curious about yourself and others; know your own strengths and areas of development as a leader, actively listen and challenge your own thinking, seek feedback and adapt your approach.

Courage and conviction

• Being bold and decisive; adopt an entrepreneurial mindset and be prepared to take risks.
• Facing into challenging conversations, difficult decisions and messages.

Leaders who develop capabilities and people

• Pro-actively identifying and developing capabilities within your team.
• Creating a continuous improvement mindset in your team and a culture of constructive feedback.
• Coaching your team and supporting them to develop their skills; proactively manage talent in your team.
• Empowering your team to take responsibility for their own development, helping them grow and thrive.

Diversity and inclusion

• Purposefully putting diversity at the heart of your decision-making.
• Fostering a sense of belonging and proactively creating and maintaining an inclusive working environment.

High-performance culture

• Role modelling the desired behaviours and set the standards for those around you.
• Creating a high support/high challenge culture which delivers on strategy.
• Setting ambitious goals that stretch and empower your team/s and motivate them to deliver.
• Challenging where behaviours or standards are not being met.