Acquisitions Assistant - FTC

The Global Acquisitions department secures content for broadcast. Programming is secured from two core sources: 1. The BBC - through our PLA (Programming Licensing Agreement) with BBC Studios. 2. Third-party distributors – UKTV and BBC Studios’ commercial relationships with third-parties have increased exponentially over the years and acquiring content from and managing relationships with distributors, networks and US studios in the UK and internationally is key to driving the business forward.

Through these sources UKTV and BBC Studios’ programme supply consists of either acquiring completed shows for exclusive first or second-run broadcast or pre-investing in programming in advance of completion (pre-buys/co-productions).

Purpose of the role

The Acquisitions & Team Assistant will coordinate and provide an exceptional level of administrative and organisational assistance to the hybrid BBC Studios and UKTV Acquisitions Team, processing contracts and invoices and helping organise events and manage team calendars. The successful candidate will have outstanding organisational and coordination skills and the ability to think and work proactively at all times. They will be comfortable engaging with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders and to enjoy a busy and varied workload.

What we would like you to bring to the role…key experience, knowledge, skills & personal qualities

• The ability to use their own initiative with confidence, using judgment to seek help where necessary.
• Proven track record of being organised and responsive in fast paced environments.
• Adaptable and resilient, able to cope with the pressure of managing the demands of a high volume of work, the various needs of different stakeholders, and meeting tight deadlines.
• Ability to work closely and build trust-worthy, collaborative relationships at all levels of seniority both internally and externally.
• Excellent communication skills - both verbally and writing.
• Excellent organisation skills and attention to detail.
• Perseverance and commitment to get the job done, going the extra mile when needed.
• Positive attitude and willingness to learn.
• Good MS Office skills – PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook.
• Experience maintaining databases and/or finance systems (Airtable and/or SAP would be a plus).
• Has a proactive and flexible approach to work and is comfortable with a dynamic environment with constantly changing priorities.
• A love of content and happy to watch lots of it and talk about it.

What you will get to work on…key outputs and responsibilities of the role

• Be part of a dynamic, inclusive and friendly team who are at the heart of the BBC Studios and UKTV channels business.
• Learn about rights management, contracts and the buying/selling process in the TV industry.
• Gain editorial experience through content screening and evaluation.
• Play a role in all stages of the content acquisition process and gain valuable insight into the TV business.
• Meet and work with people across the BBC Studios and UKTV.
• Provide day to day support for the team including meetings organising and room and creating agendas.
• On occasion, organise team-wide events, including away-days and internal summits.
• Assist with additional ad-hoc projects for the team as they arise.
• To input into and maintain various databases and ensure information is accurate and up to date.
• Act as contact point for BBC Studios finance department and other departments as relevant.
• Act as contact point for external suppliers on contract execution and invoice queries.
• Provide administrative support to the team, i.e., office administration, travel and meeting arrangements, team events, and other relevant tasks.
• Input contract and rights information into inventory and scheduling systems.
• Communicate deal and channel information to relevant departments.
• Manage the administration of acquisition contracts into the UKTV finance system and the BBC Studios finance system (SAP) including raising Purchase Orders and Invoice tracking.
• Keep records as required and manage the department administratively in an efficient and effective manner.

Hybrid-Working

At UKTV, we are working in a hybrid environment with a mixture of home and office working. Getting together in the office as a team and a company gives colleagues an opportunity to build and maintain great relationships, encourages our culture of collaboration and creativity while recognising that colleagues need to have a healthy and happy work-life balance. You’ll agree with your manager the split of time you spend in the office or at home based on the role that you do, how often you come together as a team and your personal preference.

Diversity & Inclusion Commitment

At UKTV, our inclusion vision is to truly represent society in our workforce and on-screen, and create a culture of fairness and respect where we champion difference so that every person feels included and empowered to do their best work. We are committed to ensuring a level playing field at UKTV where all employees and job applicants are given equal opportunity, and that we have diverse voices at the table in everything we do. We welcome applications from everyone and we want UKTV to be a place where you can be your authentic self, give your best and develop your career free from discrimination of any kind.