Commissioning Editor, Daytime & Language Strategy

Join BBC NI’s Commissioning team to shape vibrant, thought-provoking content that drives the development of Northern Ireland’s creative sector and reflects its cultural distinctiveness and diversity. As Commissioning Editor for Daytime & Languages, you’ll be central to enhancing the level of ambition, energy and impact of the BBC NI and BBC Daytime’s co-commissioned content from Northern Ireland. You will also provide strategic leadership and stakeholder management for BBC NI’s Gaeilge and Ulster-Scots output, responding to changing audience needs on a cross-platform basis and driving innovation and collaboration as features of our work in this area.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM:
BBC NI Commissioning is enhancing alignment and integration with BBC Network Commissioning, to create new impactful content from NI. The next phase of our work will create new opportunities to commission high-quality content from the local creative sector, which aligns with BBC Network Genre strategies and pan-UK audience needs across platforms.  You will also lead on strategy and the delivery of an ambitious and coherent slate of new Gaeilge & Ulster-Scots content, line managing and working with two Assistant Commissioners with language specialisms. 

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Develop and deliver high quality, cost-effective returnable series from Northern Ireland, aligning with the priorities of BBC Daytime & Early Peak Commissioning, and working to enhance the genre-specialist skill set the creative sector in Northern Ireland in the Network-facing Daytime & Early Peak space.  
• Lead on the development, articulation and delivery of impactful cross-platform Content Strategies for Ulster-Scots and Gaeilge. This will require the use of audience insights, and industry trends and involve stakeholder engagement – identifying priorities and reviewing progress against them. Line manage Assistant Commissioners for Gaeilge and Ulster-Scots, working with them to maximise the impact, benefits and visibility of BBC programming in this area.  Work collaboratively with internal and external partners to deliver creative excellence and maximise audience and wider cultural benefits.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Editorial Leadership: Proven experience and capacity to act as the primary or sole editorial lead on high quality, impactful content broadcast by BBC Network or equivalent.  Significant experience in the management of editorial with high levels of legal or reputational risk.
• Strategy: Demonstrable capacity and experience in leading on the design and presentation of coherent and effective strategies for content, responding to broadcasting trends, insights and audience needs, new technologies and creative opportunities.
• Daytime Genre: Proven experience in taking a lead in content creation/development in multi-genre Daytime-type high volume, cost-effective tariff programming.
• Gaeilge & Ulster-Scots: A developed understanding of Northern Ireland’s cultural distinctiveness and diversity, including the importance of/role played by Irish and Ulster-Scots and the wider policy context for IML generally and BBC programming in this area. Some level of proficiency in Gaeilge and/or Ulster-Scots (written and spoken) is desirable – though not essential.
• Partnership Models: Capacity to work effectively in partnership and collaboration models, articulating and asserting the interests of the BBC and its audiences in a collegiate, robust and effective manner.
• Evidence of editorial judgement, creative flair decisive interventions in enhancing content storytelling in pre- or post-production. Rigour and discipline in managing the timely delivery of content and associated additional deliverables (e.g., marketing and press materials, iPlayer images).

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.