People & Culture Director, Production in Liverpool

The Production HR team provides hands-on HR support to cast and crew working on Warner Bros. Discovery productions across content businesses. The People & Culture Partners on the Production P&C team work primarily in production environments to support the people who make our content. The goal is to be a recognisable and trusted HR partner to all personnel working on a Warner Bros. Discovery production, ensuring a respectful, inclusive, safe and positive work environment where people can thrive.

Reporting to the GVP, People & Culture - International, the People & Culture Director leads the delivery of the UK Production People Plan across the Warner Bros. Theatrical, DC Studios, HBO and WBTV slate. The role provides strategic and operational leadership to the Leavesden Production People & Culture Partner team, ensuring productions across the UK and, where required, Europe are supported by dedicated, expert People & Culture Partners delivering high quality advice within fast paced, high risk production environments. The role focuses on a predominantly freelance workforce and requires deep expertise in employee relations, contractual frameworks and wellbeing, within time critical creative settings. The P&C Director works with senior stakeholders across the UK and US to deliver a consistent and aligned people strategy. The role is onsite at Leavesden studios 4 days a week, with some travel as needed.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior People & Culture lead for UK High End TV (HETV) and Theatrical productions for cast and crew within a predominantly freelance environment, acting as the senior escalation point for complex HR matters.
• Advise, influence and coach Producers, Production Leaders and Heads of Department on high risk and complex people matters affecting both cast and crew, including employee relations, conflict resolution, performance management, disciplinary matters, organisational effectiveness, leadership behaviours, wellbeing and compliance.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight to the UK Production People & Culture Partner team, ensuring consistent, high quality support to productions and timely, effective resolution of complex people matters.
• Maintain a visible on set and on site People & Culture presence across Leavesden Studios, other UK studios as required, and on location.
• Build trust with Producers, Heads of Department, cast and crew, proactively identifying and mitigating people related risks inherent in a fast paced production setting.
• Act as a trusted advisor to Theatrical and HETV Executives and Production leadership across the full production lifecycle, from prep through to wrap, ensuring people decisions support creative delivery while managing legal, contractual and reputational risk.
• Design and lead the delivery of bespoke training for production environments, with a focus on respectful workplace behaviours and anti-harassment.
• Partner with US and other International People & Culture teams to align global production practices, share best practice and deliver a consistent, integrated approach to Production HR across territories.
• Design and deliver forward thinking People & Culture strategies that enhance the freelance workforce experience, with a strong focus on wellbeing, engagement, safe working practices and the creation of inclusive, high performing production environments.
• Champion a culture of respect, inclusion and psychological safety on set, fostering transparency, accountability and a strong speak up culture among cast, crew and production leadership.
• Conduct surveys to gauge cultural climate, wellbeing and engagement on productions, translating insights into practical recommendations.
• Lead and contribute to a broad range of People & Culture projects and initiatives, recognising the fluid, high pressure nature of production environments and the need for agility and sound judgement.
• Inform and escalate to the GVP as appropriate on critical or sensitive business or team/people concerns.
• Partner with recognised unions and guilds, ensuring consistent application and interpretation of collective agreements, policies and industry standards.
• Stay current on employment legislation, industry standards and emerging HR trends to ensure effective guidance and communication to production workers.
• Partner with People Relations and Employment Legal to deliver HR solutions on people related issues.

Qualifications

• Significant experience providing senior HR support within television, film, media or similarly freelance led environments, bringing strong commercial judgment, critical thinking and pragmatic business advisory capability.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence others into action and to think creatively about solutions.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently at all levels, build trusted relationships quickly and navigate sensitive conversations with discretion and clarity.
• Thrives in a fast moving environment, navigating ambiguity and making well judged decisions where paths forward are not always clearly defined.
• Strong organisational and project leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple, often competing priorities across concurrent productions.
• Confident and engaging presenter, with experience designing and delivering impactful training and briefings.
• Comfortable working both autonomously and as part of a highly collaborative, matrixed team across geographies and disciplines.
• Sound knowledge of applicable UK legislation, HETV & Film union agreements and regulations pertinent to production.
• Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards, with extensive experience handling highly sensitive, confidential and high risk information.
• Genuine passion for the film and television industry, with a strong personal drive to deliver outcomes and support creative excellence through effective people leadership.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required (approximately 25%), including studio based and on location work.
• Ability to work on site at Leavesden Studios 4 days per week.
• Degree or equivalent qualification or CIPD preferred.
• Previous experience of working within an American parent company and complex matrix organisation highly advantageous.

Working arrangements

This role is advertised as onsite, meaning all working hours will be carried out at the place of work. Subject to applicable laws, Warner Bros. Discovery reserves the right to change this working agreement with reasonable notice to you.