Production Manager – Audio and Podcasts in Merthyr Mawr

Help run Overcoat Media’s award-winning audio production slate. Applications close at 12 noon on Friday 31 July 2026. Salary £40,000–£45,000 full time equivalent, pro rata, depending on experience. Hours: Three days per week / 0.6 FTE. Contract: Six months fixed term initially, with possible extension subject to funding and business need. At three days per week, the salary equates to £24,000–£27,000 per year pro rata, with £12,000–£13,500 gross payable over the initial six-month contract. Location: Overcoat Media HQ, Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend, South Wales CF32 0LS. Regular office attendance is expected, with flexibility around productions and external meetings. Start: September-October 2026, depending on notice period.

Overcoat Media is looking for an experienced Production Manager to sit at the heart of our award-winning radio and podcast slate. You will join at an exciting time: one of your first major responsibilities will be helping to oversee a major new BBC Sounds true crime series, alongside a varied slate of speech documentary, music and podcast work. Based in South Wales, Overcoat Media is one of the UK’s leading audio production companies, making ambitious factual, music and narrative audio. We have been named AudioUK Production Company of the Year (2023), and our work includes the British Podcast Award-winning A Positive Life, presented by Sam Smith; The Crossbow Killer; The Anglesey Vampire Killer; The Mindful Mix; and a wide range of programmes for BBC Radio 3 & 4, BBC Sounds, CBC (Canada) and others.

Because we are a small company, this is a role with genuine ownership and visible impact. You will see the whole production picture, keep projects moving, manage budgets and schedules, spot risks early, support producers and give clear priorities to our Production Coordinator. You will work close to the programmes and the people making them, and your judgement will matter from the start. We’re looking for someone who has already carried significant production-management responsibility and is ready to take ownership quickly. Coming from TV or film? We’d be very keen to hear from experienced Production Managers in television or film who would like to bring their skills into audio.

Much of the job will already be familiar: keeping budgets and schedules on track, working with talent and contributors, managing contracts and suppliers, anticipating risk and getting complex productions delivered. You would not be expected to arrive knowing every BBC audio or podcast process. We will support you in learning the parts that are specific to the sector. What matters is that you bring sound production judgement, calm organisation and the confidence to effectively oversee a busy slate. This is a three-day role with real responsibility, but also a more regular and predictable working pattern than many television jobs.

What you will do:

• Keep a reliable overview of active and forthcoming productions, deadlines, budgets, contracts, staffing, risks and delivery.
• Build and manage production schedules and project budgets, identifying pressure before it becomes a problem.
• Coordinate resources, contributors, talent, freelancers, rights, compliance, logistics and final delivery.
• Work closely with producers and executive producers and act as a production-management contact for commissioners, agents, suppliers and partners.
• Give day-to-day direction and support to our Production Coordinator.
• Maintain practical records of talent and agent contacts, follow up agreed actions and make sure creative conversations reach the right senior colleague.
• Track relevant commissioning rounds and organise the practical side of submissions.
• Represent Overcoat in operational meetings with platforms and distributors, bringing back clear information on performance, costs, issues and opportunities.
• Schedule and publish agreed social media content, monitor engagement and provide straightforward performance reporting.
• Help us improve the systems, trackers and workflows that allow a small company to work well.

What we are looking for:

• Strong production management experience in audio, television, film or a comparable environment.
• A record of delivering complex work to deadline and budget.
• Confidence with schedules, forecasts, contracts, resources and production risk.
• Excellent organisation and the ability to hold the whole picture while staying on top of detail.
• Good judgement with commissioners, clients, talent, agents, contributors, freelancers and suppliers.
• Experience managing or directing production staff.
• A calm, practical and collaborative approach.

Although audio production experience is welcome, we are equally interested in strong TV or film candidates with production-management experience. We will support the successful candidate to learn audio-specific systems.

How the role fits: You will report to our Business Manager and work closely with our Managing Director, Executive Producers and Production Coordinator. Senior colleagues lead company finance, HR, creative development and wider audience and commercial strategy; you will bring the production judgement, operational follow-through and reliable information that turn ideas and commissions into well-run work.

Working at Overcoat: We are a close, informal and ambitious team. Our working culture is built around excellent work, good planning, clear communication and largely regular hours. The role is based regularly at our office in Merthyr Mawr, with flexibility around productions and external meetings. We warmly welcome applicants seeking a more sustainable pattern of work, including people with caring responsibilities.

Applications close at 12 noon on Friday 31 July 2026. Interviews are expected to take place between Tuesday 25 and Friday 28 August 2026.

Equality and Access: Overcoat Media welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and identities, and are signatories of the Equality In Audio Pact. We particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented in audio and production management. Please also tell us about any access requirements or reasonable adjustments that would help you take part.