Head of Production, Scripted

BBC; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 124,000 - 144,000; Full time

Job summary

The BBC is seeking a Head of Production for BBC Studios Scripted in London. You will provide strategic and operational leadership across a diverse slate of drama productions, overseeing development, production and post.

You will partner with editorial leadership and wholly owned labels to optimize production management, budgets and delivery while ensuring governance and risk controls. Reporting to the Director of Production, you will drive financial performance, lead senior teams, and champion

Qualifications

• Experience at Head of Production or Production Executive level within scripted television.
• Proven ability to manage multiple productions with complex budgets and schedules.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen with forecasting and cost control.
• Leadership of senior production management teams and governance.
• Ability to collaborate with editorial teams, corporate departments and partners.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of drama productions.
• Partner with editorial leadership to support creative vision and long-term planning.
• Deliver production management benefits across labelled portfolios and suppliers.
• Align resources, budgets and schedules ahead of greenlight with clear visibility.
• Lead financial performance, budgeting, forecasting and margin delivery.
• Create budgets, negotiate spend and ensure accountability for outcomes.
• Support Production Executives and share best practices across productions.
• Ensure development and delivery insight aligns with broadcaster expectations.

Skills

Head of Production

Production Executive

Leadership

Budgeting

Forecasting

P&L management

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Governance

Strategic planning

Job description

JOB DETAIL

JOB BAND: F

CONTRACT TYPE: Continuing

DEPARTMENT: Scripted

BASE: Television Centre, London W12

WORKING PATTERN: Hybrid

SALARY: Salary: £124-£144k pa + London weighting @£5441 + bonus

Salary is dependent on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights

WE ARE BBC STUDIOS

A globally renowned media company borne of the BBC. We make and distribute the world's most sought-after TV, audio and digital content.

Our ambition is to be the home of the most powerful, entertaining, and inspiring stories for people all around the world.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Reporting to the Director of Production, Scripted, the Head of Production is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of in house production labels within BBC Studios Scripted, overseeing a diverse portfolio of productions across development, production and post, as well as partnering with BBC Studios' wholly owned scripted labels to deliver production management benefits across the portfolio.

This role requires an experienced and strategic production leader, capable of working with multiple labels and a complex production portfolio, while delivering operational excellence, strong financial performance and supporting creative ambition across BBC Studios Scripted.

Your Key Responsibilities And Impact

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across a portfolio of drama productions, ensuring delivery across development, production and post is aligned with creative ambition, budget and schedule
• Work in close partnership with BBCS editorial leadership to support the creative vision of slates, contributing to long-term planning, prioritisation and sustainability of the production pipeline
• Work in close partnership with the wholly owned scripted labels to deliver production management benefits across the portfolio
• Ensure production resources, operational planning and editorial ambitions are aligned ahead of greenlight, providing clear visibility of production feasibility, financial implications and delivery requirements
• Lead financial performance, with responsibility for finance plans, budgeting, forecasting and cost control across multiple productions, ensuring effective management of spend and delivery of margin
• Create finance plans, negotiate and oversee budgets ensuring margins are built in and delivered, with clear accountability for financial outcomes
• Support Production Executives in the management of their productions, ensuring consistency of approach, strong governance and the sharing of best practice
• Ensure development teams are supported with up-to-date financial and operational insight, enabling proposals to be aligned with broadcaster expectations, budget parameters and delivery requirements
• Jointly accountable with editorial and senior stakeholders for compliance with BBC policies, legal and regulatory requirements, including Health & Safety, Risk Management, Editorial Policy, Duty of Care and Safeguarding, in order to minimise the risk to BBC Studios
• Drive effective risk management across productions, implementing robust planning and mitigation strategies across a varied and evolving slate
• Foster strong working relationships across BBC Studios, including Business Affairs, Finance, HR, Commercial and Talent teams
• Represent BBC Studios in relationships with broadcasters, streamers and distributors, while maintaining strong partnerships with key suppliers, facilities and external production partners
• Champion inclusive working practices and contribute to BBC Studios' Diversity & Inclusion strategy, ensuring it is embedded across all productions and teams
• Support and implement sustainable production practices, ensuring alignment with environmental targets and carbon reduction initiatives across the slate
• Work with the Director of Production to drive consistency and efficiency in production management processes, embedding best practice, innovation and continuous improvement across the portfolio

LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY

• Play a key role in shaping the strategic direction of BBC Studios Scripted production, contributing to slate planning, growth and long-term business objectives
• Lead and support senior production management teams, ensuring clear accountability and strong performance management
• Drive a culture of consistency and continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance operational efficiency, innovation and collaboration across productions
• Lead with a calm and pragmatic approach to problem-solving, ensuring solutions are proportionate, timely and delivered collaboratively across teams
• Foster a culture of ownership and professionalism, where individuals take accountability for outcomes, remain composed under pressure and prioritise solutions over problems
• Act as a senior operational voice within BBC Studios Scripted, contributing to wider production management discussions, sharing knowledge and best practice across productions
• Drive continuous improvement through the adoption of production systems, workflows and emerging technologies that enhance efficiency, consistency and production delivery

Essential Criteria

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience at Head of Production or Production Executive level within scripted television, with experience across development, production and post in different budget bands
• Proven track record of managing multiple productions or a slate, with responsibility for complex budgets, schedules and delivery across varying scales
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience of overseeing P&L performance, forecasting, cost control and delivering margin across a portfolio
• Demonstrable leadership experience managing senior production management teams
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with editorial teams, corporate departments and external partners
• In-depth understanding of production governance, compliance, Health & Safety and risk management
• Strong strategic capability, with the ability to balance creative ambition with operational delivery across a diverse and evolving slate
• Commitment to embedding BBC Studios' values and behaviours, including inclusive leadership, respectful team cultures and continuous development

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.