Executive News Editor – AI, Growth & Social – BBC (Wales)
Job Introduction
Welsh language skills are not required for this role.
BBC News is transforming with the mission of becoming the daily, essential, digital public service media the audiences want and deserve. We are deeply committed to BBC’s editorial values of impartiality, accuracy and transparency and know the audiences expect us to keep modernising to serve them better.
The Digital Department in BBC News is overseeing crucial plans for growth and innovation and is looking for an exceptional digital leader, who will supercharge our strategic growth on and off platform, in the UK and internationally. The role directly oversees our Growth, Delivery and Social teams and is the editorial lead on Product and Gen AI workstreams. The role is based in Cardiff in the BBC Wales HQ.
The role is a rare opening at senior leadership level and forms part of the leadership team spearheading the digital transformation of BBC News under Naja Nielsen, Digital Director. The job includes development and execution of growth strategies, board level presentations and external partner engagement.
Exceptional co-leadership skills are needed in a closely aligned collaboration with other senior leaders.
Demonstrable and exceptional knowledge of the global media development and market opportunities as well as change management and a record of results made through data-driven decision making will be an advantage.
Main Responsibilities
• To deliver an audience/user, future-focused and authoritative service across the most high profile News programmes while retaining the highest editorial standards.
• To demonstrate the editorial agenda and range of treatments for the programme and a clear strategy for longer term development and a digital future.
• To provide creative leadership and editorial vision to enhance the strength, depth, range and quality of output and ensure this is done in line with strategic priorities.
• To provide editorial leadership and managerial direction with responsibility for the staff, output and finances for a particular programme or platform.
• To work collaboratively across News Group and wider BBC to ensure a consistent and coherent approach to all editorial development with shared knowledge, information and mutual support where appropriate.
• To guard the BBC’s journalistic and editorial standards, support the BBC brand and enhance reach, reputation and the impact of the BBC, responding to complaints and comments if required.
• To take managerial, editorial and financial responsibility for a team of journalists, production and support staff, including their training, development and wellbeing.
• To lead on team management activities including recruitment, development, training, employee relations activities and processes in accordance with agreed standards and practices.
• To be responsible for delivery to designated budget and for pro-actively identifying solutions to address budgetary pressures and potential overspends that may arise.
• To regularly review the performance of each team to establish current performance and set appropriate objectives.
• To ensure health and safety responsibilities and legal obligations are understood and met within the teams and areas under their responsibility.
• To seek out and nurture new diverse staff, on and off air.
• To represent the BBC at a senior level and take accountability for the implementation and delivery of wider BBC projects.
Are You The Right Candidate
Essential
• An expert in their field, provide professional leadership and act as a role model to teams and colleagues.
• Adept at managing numerous and diverse senior and executive level stakeholders, often operating under tight timescales and managing competing priorities.
• Experience of operating at a senior level in the public sector or public service and/or dealing with external/governmental stakeholders.
• A convincing and persuasive communicator, required to influence teams, as well as senior stakeholders, able to establish effective and collaborative relations across BBC departments, and external agencies/stakeholders where required.
• Effective conduit to communication and influence through the management hierarchy.
• Awareness of current markets, trends and issues within the broadcasting industry and wider media sector, and deep knowledge of output across the whole of the BBC, as well as that of competitors.
• A strong, applied knowledge of generative AI tools and their use cases in the media industry.
• Internally and/or externally recognised source for creative thinking and innovation.
• Functional expert with broad and comprehensive understanding of theories, systems and practices relevant to own functional area.
• Thorough understanding of the way in which programmes are commissioned, financed and produced.
• Broad and comprehensive understanding of the BBC’s legal, contractual agreements and regulations as they apply to programme making, broadcasting and digital media.
• Experience in managing significant budgets and understanding key financial drivers.
Job Impact
Decision making
• Develops, adapts and executes programme plans in line with strategic plans and direction from Board and/or Controllers.
• Undertake a wide range of activities factoring in multiple, diverse considerations, requiring complex analytics and decision making, interpretative thinking and a solutions focused approach.
• Significant level of responsibility, exercises autonomy but may seek guidance where necessary.
Scope
• This role is accountable for flagship content and has the ability to apply external sector knowledge, contextualising challenges and changes in the sector, to understand the relative positioning and strength of the BBC’s services/practices.
• In-depth knowledge of how own programme integrates within the wider function/division, including how processes and resources interact to help achieve
functional/divisional targets and objectives.
Strategic impact/Influence
• Provides input into functional strategy.
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 below document:
https://performancemanager.successfactors.eu/S001190811T2/Our_BBC_Values.pdf
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 visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/diversity/
Applications may be submitted in Welsh and any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
