Head of Operations & Strategy (Brand & Franchise) (12 Month FTC) in London

The Blair Partnership is a literary and entertainment agency. We offer our clients a broad range of services including rights management, client representation and franchise management. As part of those services, we help to manage several companies on behalf of our client J.K. Rowling. Those companies include Pottermore and Bronte. These businesses benefit from shared resources and expertise provided by The Blair Partnership, but they are run by their own leaders.

There are three core pillars to The Blair Partnership’s business activity:

• Franchise Management – which encompasses brand & franchise vision and strategy, creative strategy & direction, product development, brand management & comms for the Wizarding World franchise.
• Client Management - we represent our clients’ literary and entertainment rights portfolios and pursue commercial opportunities for our clients through deal making in the UK, US and internationally, partner management and backlist rights management.
• Governance & support - we provide governance and support to companies owned by J.K. Rowling and Neil Blair. As part of that support, we cultivate close collaboration & strong, cohesive working practices between all the businesses.

Our vision remains to shape, nurture and grow the most imaginative and engaging brands for generations to come, working with our clients. Our mission is to shape and connect stories to their audiences. We are committed to creating an environment where our staff, clients & partners can tell their stories and achieve their potential whatever that may be. We are committed to representing a diversity of skills, experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. We strive to make this a business that is welcoming, supportive and empowering; where all voices can be heard. It’s a work in progress and we know there is always more we can do.

The Head of Strategy & Operations is the primary operational and strategic partner to the Managing Director responsible for the Harry Potter brand. This role exists to extend the Managing Director’s capacity: driving execution, ensuring operational excellence, and acting as a strategic partner across all Harry Potter–related activity. The role will operate at the intersection of strategy, operations and coordination, supporting the internal engine behind the Managing Director’s work. Translating vision into action, setting goals, ensuring Product Development, Publishing and Brand Marketing & Communications teams all work cohesively and enabling the efficient delivery of Harry Potter team priorities.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Direction: Act as the Managing Director’s strategic and operational partner, recognising the areas that will benefit most from your involvement and acting ahead of time and enabling the Managing Director to focus on high‑value decision-making and external opportunities.
• Serve as an extension of the Managing Director in internal settings, providing clear direction, maintaining alignment across teams and ensuring follow-through on all Harry Potter–related initiatives (including MBR preparation).
• Provide candid, commercially grounded input on priorities, risks, trade-offs and execution plans helping shape decisions that strengthen the overall business performance of the Harry Potter portfolio.
• Lead the coordination and development of the Harry Potter Global Franchise Plan, acting as the primary contact for partners and WBD and ensuring strategic alignment throughout.
• Work closely with WBD to shape the long‑term strategy for HP.com, providing input while representing the priorities and perspectives of the Managing Director and CCO.
• Lead competitive awareness and reviews, keeping on top of the competitive landscape and highlighting opportunities or risks that could shape the Harry Potter strategy or commercial performance through team direction and reviews.

Operational Excellence & Delivery:

• Translate the Managing Director’s strategic goals into actionable plans, setting clear timelines, owners and deliverables (via Asana or equivalent) and anticipating dependencies or obstacles before they arise.
• Prepare briefing materials, decision memos and summaries for internal and external meetings (e.g., MBR, Monthly All-Hands, Board presentations, GFP and WB partner needs), ensuring leaders are well-informed and action-ready.
• Track, drive and accelerate progress across all major Harry Potter initiatives, surfacing bottlenecks early and recommending solutions that minimise delay and maximise outcomes.
• Ensure decisions made by the Managing Director are clearly communicated, embedded within the organisation and followed through with measurable impact.

Cross-functional Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment:

• Coordinate cross-functional work streams across TBP and Pottermore, publishing and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child providing clarity, direction and proactive issue-resolution to keep teams aligned and delivering at pace.
• Act as a trusted advisor and partner to senior stakeholders, helping streamline decision-making, improve communication and maintain organisational alignment.
• Foster strong working relationships with internal teams and external partners, helping shape, influence and drive joint initiatives.

Process & Organisational Effectiveness:

• Own and improve core processes, lead the development and improvement of our core processes, building simple, effective ways of working that enhance clarity, communication and consistent execution.
• Lead the planning and execution of cross-team events (away days, summits, monthly all-hands, etc).

IP Development:

• Support CCO & cross functional team for IP Development strategic planning.
• Partner with IP Development lead to build business plans, research needs, meet third party partners to build strategic documents/decks.
• Provide strategic partner support to any new IP partners.
• Support development of brand guidelines for new IP brand partnerships.
• Support any competitive reviews/research.

What Success Looks Like:

• The Managing Director is enabled to stay focused on the most important strategic priorities supported by strong clarity, preparation and follow-through.
• The organisation is aligned, focused and executing with pace. Cross-functional work streams operate smoothly with fewer blockers and clearer ownership.
• The Harry Potter strategy and commercial performance benefit from informed, proactive insight and coordination.
• Processes, communication and ways of working are simpler, more transparent and more effective.
• Recommendations on insights strategies, what should be utilising/purchasing.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Significant experience in business management, or similar roles.
• Prior experience supporting a senior executive responsible for a major brand, IP or complex portfolio.
• Background in publishing, media, entertainment or IP-driven businesses strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to manage ambiguity, complexity and multiple stakeholders simultaneously.
• Exceptional judgment, discretion and communication skills.

Personal Attributes:

• Highly trusted, calm and decisive.
• Comfortable operating behind the scenes while wielding significant influence.
• Able to zoom seamlessly between strategic thinking and detailed execution.

What you can expect from us:

• Competitive Salary.
• Company Bonus Scheme.
• Hybrid working policy (2 days/week working from home).
• 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays) – with an additional day awarded every year after your 2-year anniversary with us, up to a cap of 30 days.
• Progressive and inclusive policies around Carers, IVF, Menopause, Pregnancy Loss, etc.
• Enhanced maternity leave (18 weeks at full pay) and paternity leave (2 weeks immediately after birth, and 10 additional days over the following 12 months, at full pay).
• Group Pension Plan where we contribute 5% and annual pensions workshops.
• Life Assurance of 4 times salary.
• Health Insurance (currently with Vitality).
• Health Shield Cashback Plan – dental, optical, physio and wellbeing benefits and much more.
• Annual Creative Bursary to spend on the creative activity of your choice.
• 2 paid days off per year to spend volunteering and giving back to your favourite cause or community project.
• Monthly Lunch & Learn events – hearing great stories from colleagues, clients and external speakers.
• Regular fundraising events to raise money for our charity of the year. 2024/25’s charity is Unique.
• Seasonal company parties and team lunches.
• Subsidised on-site massages.
• Learning and Development opportunities, including an in-house Mentoring Programme.