Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead creative strategy for UK sports series and drive audience engagement across multiple platforms.
- Company: Join The Athletic, a leading sports media company with a passion for storytelling.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, unique perks, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
- Why this job: Shape the future of sports content and connect with millions of fans worldwide.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in media or sports, strong leadership, and a deep understanding of football and F1.
- Other info: Dynamic work environment with opportunities for growth and collaboration.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 84000 £ per year.
The Senior Director, UK Series is responsible for the creative leadership, audience growth, and commercial performance of The Athletic’s UK-based series portfolio. This includes flagship football and motorsport properties such as The Athletic FC, The Totally Football Show, The Race, Talk of the Devils, and future series across Premier League, Formula 1, and other global sports.
Collectively, these series reach tens of millions of fans annually across audio, video, written, social, and live platforms. The Senior Director will ensure these brands consistently exceed audience expectations, especially around tentpole moments such as the World Cup, European Championships, transfer windows, F1 pre-season and race weekends, and other major sports and cultural moments. This role sits at the intersection of editorial excellence, production leadership, and commercial strategy.
The Senior Director, UK Series will lead The Athletic’s UK production team, partner closely with UK newsroom leadership, and collaborate with external production companies, publishers, and platforms. They will also work cross-functionally with operations, sales, marketing, product, and finance to set strategy, unlock revenue, and manage resources in alignment with company priorities.
Responsibilities- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Set the creative vision and editorial strategy for The Athletic’s UK series slate, ensuring distinct, high-quality storytelling that reflects The Athletic’s journalistic standards and brand voice.
- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Own series-level planning across the calendar, including coverage strategies for major moments such as the World Cup, Euros, Premier League seasons, transfer windows, and the F1 calendar.
- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Accelerate the expansion of our video programming across YouTube and TikTok.
- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Partner with UK newsroom leadership to amplify their world-class reporting across our series’ audio, video, social, and live formats.
- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Identify and develop new series, formats, and talent, with a focus on long-term franchises rather than one-off programming.
- Editorial & Creative Leadership: Ensure consistency, quality control, and audience relevance across all UK series.
- Team & Production Leadership: Lead and develop The Athletic’s UK-based production team, fostering a culture of editorial ambition, operational excellence, and collaboration.
- Team & Production Leadership: Work with series EPs to optimize day-to-day production workflows, ensuring shows are delivered on time, on budget, and at a consistently high standard.
- Team & Production Leadership: Manage high-level relationships with external production partners, talent, and distributors, negotiating scopes, timelines, and creative alignment.
- Team & Production Leadership: Act as the senior UK series leader, representing The Athletic internally and externally.
- Audience Growth & Performance: Own audience strategy and performance for UK series, working with analytics, marketing, and product teams to drive growth across platforms.
- Audience Growth & Performance: Use data and audience insights to inform programming decisions, talent development, release strategies, and experimentation.
- Audience Growth & Performance: Champion a fan-first mindset, ensuring content is accessible, distinctive, and valuable to both core and emerging audiences.
- Commercial & Strategic Leadership: Partner with sales and partnerships teams to develop exciting first-to-market commercial programs, including sponsorships, branded content, and platform partnerships.
- Commercial & Strategic Leadership: Balance editorial integrity with commercial opportunity, ensuring programs feel authentic to audiences and talent.
- Commercial & Strategic Leadership: Work with finance and operations to manage budgets, forecast performance, and allocate resources effectively.
- Commercial & Strategic Leadership: Contribute to broader company strategy, particularly as it relates to international growth, franchise expansion, and new business models.
- 10+ years of experience in media, sports, or entertainment, with a strong track record in content leadership, production, or general management.
- Proven experience running or overseeing multi-platform series (audio, video, digital, social), ideally within sports, news, or premium content.
- Deep understanding of UK and global football and/or Formula 1 audiences, with a strong editorial instinct for what resonates culturally.
- Demonstrated ability to balance creative ambition with commercial outcomes, including experience working with sales, sponsors, or partners.
- Experience leading teams, managing budgets, and working cross-functionally in complex organizations.
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and external partners.
- Comfortable operating at both a strategic and hands-on level, especially around major live moments and breaking news cycles.
The Athletic offers unique perks and benefits to all full-time employees based on their country of residence. Our UK benefits packages offer benefits and perks, competitive to the local market.
The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.
Senior Director, UK Series (London) employer: The Athletic
Contact Detail:
The Athletic Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Director, UK Series (London)
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your passion! When you get that interview, make sure to express your enthusiasm for sports and storytelling. Share your ideas on how you’d elevate The Athletic’s UK series and engage with fans.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for the unexpected! Be ready for scenario-based questions that test your creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Think about how you’d handle major sports events and what strategies you’d implement to boost audience engagement.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining The Athletic family.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Director, UK Series (London)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion: When you're writing your application, let your passion for sports and storytelling shine through. We want to see how your love for the game translates into creative ideas and strategies that can elevate our series.
Tailor Your Experience: Make sure to highlight your relevant experience in media, sports, or entertainment. We’re looking for someone with a strong track record, so don’t be shy about showcasing your achievements and how they align with what we do at The Athletic.
Be Data-Driven: We value insights! Use data and audience insights to back up your ideas in your application. Show us how you’ve used analytics to inform your decisions and drive audience growth in your previous roles.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at The Athletic.
How to prepare for a job interview at The Athletic
✨Know Your Audience
Before the interview, dive deep into The Athletic’s UK series portfolio. Familiarise yourself with flagship properties like The Athletic FC and The Totally Football Show. Understanding their audience and what makes these series tick will help you demonstrate your fit for the role.
✨Showcase Your Creative Vision
Prepare to discuss your ideas for new series or formats that could resonate with fans. Think about how you would approach major events like the World Cup or F1 races. Presenting a clear creative vision will show that you’re not just a follower but a leader in content strategy.
✨Highlight Cross-Functional Collaboration
This role requires working closely with various teams. Be ready to share examples of how you've successfully collaborated with sales, marketing, and production teams in the past. Emphasising your ability to bridge gaps between departments will showcase your leadership skills.
✨Data-Driven Decision Making
The Athletic values audience insights. Prepare to discuss how you’ve used data to inform programming decisions in previous roles. Whether it’s audience growth strategies or content optimisation, showing that you can leverage analytics will set you apart as a candidate.
