Production Manager

The Production and Commissioning Operations team play a fundamental role in supporting the commissioning process within the UK team. The department leads and manages commercial and operational support for Paramount UK Commissions.

The candidate will be responsible for the commercial negotiation and management of all original UK commissioned scripted and unscripted original content across Paramount owned and operated services. In this role you will lead all aspects of the entire production cycle of commissioned content, establishing and collaborating solid working relationships with external producing partners through initial negotiation, programme commission approval via the channels BBAM (Business Board Approval Meeting) commissioning process, and delivery of masters and paperwork to the approval of final costs reports, payments, and production close down.

What will you be doing?

• Working within the Commissioning and Programming division, manage and negotiate production budgets and schedules with third party producers and suppliers, ensuring value for money and assessing whether a production budget and schedule is appropriate for each production.
• Work strategically to negotiate key commercial terms for each commission across channel platforms to achieve the best commercial position for content commissioned.
• Dynamic and diligent commercial and production risk profiling.
• Working with Legal Compliance and Risk Management departments to guarantee all compliance, welfare, and production risks are appropriately identified, evaluated and handled across our slate of productions.
• Lead the end-to-end production process from intention to commission, through to delivery, final costs evaluation and close.
• Liaise and maintain excellent partnerships with internal departments and key business partners including Legal, Finance, Scheduling, Welfare and Compliance, Risk management, Press & Publicity, Broadcast Operations to ensure first class communication and efficiencies are maintained.
• Liaise with Business and Legal Affairs department to establish that the contract terms are accurate and PPAs are issued and signed in a timely manner.
• Support the smooth running and approval process of payments of invoices and final costs.
• Liaise with Commissioning Editors and Producers to ensure all productions will be delivered successfully within our No Diversity, No Commission framework.
• Manage a slate of multiple productions at various stages of the production cycle ensuring that all system data is updated and communicated as required in real time.
• Manage day to day communication that arises from production companies, ensuring producers have access to the contacts, information and advice required to enable the Producer to deliver on time and in line with channel rights, technical and delivery requirements.
• Work across and design company/departmental systems and workflow, inputting into the change management of systems from creation through to implementation & identify new ways of working and contribute to effective implementation.
• Support team, department, wider business projects as required and provide reporting if necessary.

What are we looking for?

• Several years experience at a PM level in TV Production environments.
• Experienced knowledge of production content making, and the programme production cycle is essential.
• Extensive experience in budgeting, cash flow, cost analysis and understanding of rights negotiations.
• Awareness of industry regulations and union & Guilds i.e., Ofcom, Equity, PACT, WGGB etc.
• Expertise in production obligations i.e., Production Insurance, Health & Safety, Sustainability, PACT Diversity, equity and Inclusion, welfare and risk management production requirements, Duty of Care, etc.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills.
• Must be confident working with other departments at all levels and have excellent relationship management skills in order to build solid partnerships with external producers.
• Ability to take initiative, think differently and be solution driven, displaying excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently as well as demonstrating great teamwork and be both proactive and reactive in your working practice, working at pace to deliver department output positively and collaboratively.
• Must display diplomacy, sensitivity & integrity and be able to manage challenges conversions.
• Strong IT Skills including Excel, Office with the ability to quickly pick up new systems & stringent attention to detail, awareness of and ability to stay ahead of evolving technologies and industry developments.
• Ambitious and engaged, with positive energy and a passion for production management and drive to succeed and evolve with Paramount.