Head of Commercial Partnerships

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time

LOCATION: London – Television Centre

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: Competitive salary (with eligibility for participation in the Company bonus scheme) depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience.

START DATE: ASAP. Interviews are expected to be held w/b 15th June 2026. 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.

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: BBC Studios Audio is an end-to-end podcast studio growing monetised networks of premium audio and audio-visual content aligned with the BBC’s values and reputation. We are recruiting a Head of Commercial Partnerships to the team. This new role will report directly to the Commercial & Content Partnerships Director and support the senior management team in delivering the department’s overall strategic commercial objectives. The successful applicant will lead the global advertising strategy for the business, growing revenue year-on-year, and identify and deliver new commercial partnerships which support our vision. With an entrepreneurial mindset, the role will research and develop partnership opportunities and manage critical relationships with advertisers and other content funders. Leading a small, specialist team who shape and execute our commercial and advertising partnership deals, and working more broadly with our content and production teams, the role will build new business partnership models to help drive commercial innovation, acquire new customers and deliver revenue growth for the business. The role will share advertiser insights in order to support the development of exploitable IP and will develop and implement initiatives to maximise its value with global advertising partners.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM: This is a key leadership role within BBC Studios Audio, working with production teams who deliver a uniquely wide range of outstanding content: ambitious new podcasts such as The History of the United States in 100 Objects, The Interface and Big Lives; impactful investigative serials such as The History Bureau, Stalked and Things Fell Apart; long-running prestige BBC Radio 4 series such as Desert Island Discs, You’re Dead To Me and In Our Time; and an extensive slate of award-winning comedy and fiction output.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Set the Advertising strategy for the business in collaboration with the Commercial Director, the Director of Audio and Regional Sales Directors, prioritising transformative and sustainable year-on-year growth.
• Communicate and execute that strategy and clearly-defined targets with in-house and external sales partners to ensure the operational sales plan for the business is implemented and maintained.
• Define our multi-platform product offering and design a go-to-market strategy by territory; oversee media placements, creative executions, ad operations and measurement tools to ensure smooth sales and delivery processes.
• Ensure product pricing is competitive, determining cost-of-sale and package pricing frameworks with sales partners.
• Continually review revenue yield potential across portfolio – including RSS, YouTube, social platforms, newsletters and other distribution routes to market.
• Collaborate with creative production teams to develop and produce content that aligns with advertiser need, working with podcast producers and presenters to execute campaigns.
• Ensure successful delivery of such projects against agreed KPIs, using campaign measurement tools, analytics and reporting to communicate campaign success metrics and case studies.
• Support sales team relationships with clients, helping to identify leads and turn one-off deals into returning business partnerships.
• Identify opportunities for new and innovative solutions to drive revenue from categories which meet market demand and align with the strengths of BBC brands and assets.
• Work within BBC Advertising and Sponsorship frameworks, ensuring editorial and advertising standards and compliance are continually maintained.
• Monitor advertising and podcast market trends – including responsible uses of AI – to provide essential business intelligence to the Advertising and Audio leadership teams, to help shape our future content and product portfolio.
• Lead trade marketing strategy and identify key forums to help raise the profile of our podcast business in key markets, demonstrating public-facing thought leadership on behalf of the organisation.
• Coach and develop a small team of direct line reports, tasking them with key objectives to contribute to the delivery of our overarching Commercial Partnerships strategy.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Extensive experience of strategic and commercial success gained at a senior level within the digital media or podcasting industry.
• Extensive advertiser relationships and sales/negotiating experience in UK or US.
• Ability to develop powerful partnership proposals, and pitch confidently and appropriately.
• Extensive experience of delivering integrated creative solutions for advertising clients, working with editorial teams to produce and execute campaigns.
• Experience managing critical and sometimes complex stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of client servicing, in a client service role or account handling remit.
• Good knowledge of contractual and copyright matters.
• A capable and empathetic leader with considerable line management experience, able to foster a collegiate and high-performing culture where staff can deliver their best work.

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

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.

Benefits: A flexible 35-hour working week with 26 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and the option to buy an extra five days. Defined pension (up to 10% employer contributions). Caring and parenting support, 24/7 remote GP access, life assurance and accident benefit. BBC Studios is a world leader in operating sustainably both on and off screen. Find out more about BBC Group’s science-based Net Zero targets here. Career development in a values-led purpose-driven culture. Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis.

Candidate pack: Find out more about life at the BBC and our values in our 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.

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: reasonable.adjustments@bbc.co.uk