Commissioning Executive

BBC Group and Public Services; Salford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

35-hour week

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme

Healthcare and gym discounts

Job summary

BBC Group and Public Services in Salford is seeking a Commissioning Executive to work with the Newsround team and deliver high-quality factual content for a young audience across linear and digital platforms. You will help commission programmes, support the editor, and oversee brands like Newsround, My Life and other BBC Children’s slate.

The role focuses on the 7+ audience, balancing editorial judgment with innovation, managing relationships with Indies and internal departments, and driving

Qualifications

• Experience in News or Journalism and digital content provision.
• Extensive production knowledge and a track record of successful programme making, plus a demonstrable understanding of the commissioning process and how the audience use linear and digital platforms.
• Sound editorial judgment and knowledge of editorial policy, compliance, fair-trading and safeguarding issues.
• Creative skills and proven editorial success in producing or commissioning original ideas, treatments, formats, and developing innovative programme making, as well as fostering creativity in others.
• Outstanding communication skills and ability to foster good relationships with a wide range of internal and external contacts.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills in a fast paced environment with the ability to meet deadlines and financial commitments.

Responsibilities

• Working with Indies to make sure that commissioned programmes are compliant, delivered on time, to specification and on budget and that productions demonstrate value for money, quality, originality and good working practice.
• Providing effective editorial and creative feedback to Indies to ensure the best possible programmes and digital content are commissioned for the 7+ audience.
• Collaborating effectively with the commissioning team and other BBC departments, as well as holding and being able to build strong relationships with external partners and developing talent.
• Providing strong executive support and guidance to the Editor of Newsround and the Newsround Team to help ensure its continued and building success both in linear and digital spaces
• Having responsibility for the My Life brand - guiding it into a modern format that is future proofed and secures a modern audience.

Skills

News/Journ

Production knowledge

Editorial judgement

Creative editorial

Communication skills

Planning & organisation

Job description

JOB BAND: E
CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed Term Contract / Attachment till 30 April 2027
DEPARTMENT: BBC Children's - Factual Entertainment
LOCATION: Salford - Hybrid
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £60,000 - £80,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application – though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Children’s and Education 7 to 12 Commissioning Team – with a focus on Newsround and Factual with an emphasis on Digital - as a Commissioning Executive.

In this role, you will be working with the Newsround team to deliver a first-class news service for the BBC’s youngest audience, as well as seeking out the very best factual stories that have real meaning for contemporary kids from a range of UK Indies.

You will be working across the entire Factual slate, which includes big titles and brands like Blue Peter, Operation Ouch and My Life, Stage Stars and Football Academy.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

Led by the Senior Head of Commissioning 7+, alongside fellow Commissioning Editors and Execs, you will be responsible for making sure that the quality and accuracy of Newsround is assured and its future on alternative platforms secured, as well as supporting both a diverse slate of Factual developments and the delivery of commissions and digital content in line with Departmental strategy.

The role will involve a thorough understanding of managing existing brands as well as encouraging excellence, innovation and balancing your editorial nous with nurturing relationships. With outstanding editorial judgement and compliance experience, your passion for the genre will be clearly visible along with the ability to enable creativity and innovation with those you work with.

You will play an influential role in ensuring that Factual Entertainment content delivers against departmental diversity commitments, both on screen and off screen, across the UK. You will be nimble and proactive in keeping up with emerging technology and rapidly changing audience behaviours, as they shift away from linear towards different kinds of content across multiple platforms.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Working with Indies to make sure that commissioned programmes are compliant, delivered on time, to specification and on budget and that productions demonstrate value for money, quality, originality and good working practice.
• Providing effective editorial and creative feedback to Indies to ensure the best possible programmes and digital content are commissioned for the 7+ audience.
• Collaborating effectively with the commissioning team and other BBC departments, as well as holding and being able to build strong relationships with external partners and developing talent.
• Providing strong executive support and guidance to the Editor of Newsround and the Newsround Team to help ensure its continued and building success both in linear and digital spaces
• Having responsibility for the My Life brand - guiding it into a modern format that is future proofed and secures a modern audience.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Experience in News or Journalism and digital content provision
• Extensive production knowledge and a track record of successful programme making, plus a demonstrable understanding of the commissioning process and how the audience use linear and digital platforms
• Sound editorial judgment and knowledge of editorial policy, compliance, fair-trading and safeguarding issues.
• Creative skills and proven editorial success in producing or commissioning original ideas, treatments, formats, and developing innovative programme making, as well as fostering creativity in others
• Outstanding communication skills and ability to foster good relationships with a wide range of internal and external contacts.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills in a fast paced environment with the ability to meet deadlines and financial commitments.

DESIRABLE

• You will have a developing range of talent contacts and relationships in the field of Factual production.
• Proven ability to work with presenters and contributors, both new and established, in the Factual professional environment.
• You will be able to help identify and develop diverse off-screen talent from around the UK – collaborating with fellow commissioners to help build career ladders for key production talent
• Demonstrable understanding of current trends and issues within the broadcasting industry.
• Audience focused in approach, aware of trends, topical issues and gaps in our output.

If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Recruitment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

Redeployment

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world’s best loved content, and the BBC’s mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Find out more about the BBC

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pensionscheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

Candidate pack

You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy

Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we’d be happy to discuss: [e-mail]

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: 01420028, registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.