Rights Executive - BBC Studios (13630)

BBC Studios is a world-renowned content studio and channels & streaming business, powered by British creativity, with a reach that touches audiences in every corner of the globe. 

We work with outstanding creative talent who are responsible for platform-defining shows from Strictly Come Dancing to Bluey, Prehistoric Planet to Planet Earth III.

The range and quality of our content is unsurpassed, creating critical and commercial successes and global phenomena. 

From BAFTAs to RTS Awards, BBC Studios is Britain’s most awarded production company and the only producer with three of the top ten shows on IMDB; we’re the home of bbc.com, the widest-read English language news website in the world; and the UK’s largest distributor of British content.

The Rights Management Team is responsible for interpreting contracts (primarily distribution agreements), creating and maintaining acquisition rights and restrictions data for BBC Studios’ catalogue of content in an accurate, consistent and timely manner. It is also responsible for servicing rights and contributor cost queries from commercial teams to ensure titles are marketed and sold in the knowledge of an accurate rights position.

The Rights Executive provides support and guidance to the Rights Coordinators. The Rights Executive approves the rights and restrictions data the Coordinators create in the current rights management system to support BBC Studios’ commercial licensing activities.

Key responsibilities include: 

• Interprets contracts (primarily distribution agreements), approves and maintains acquisition deal summaries and rights and restrictions data, for the audio and audio-visual content and products that BBC Studios distributes.
• Is a Subject Matter Expert for distribution rights and restrictions, data and associated systems and processes. Responds to complex queries and provides guidance to the Rights Coordinators and other content stakeholders to progress and resolve issues. Promotes clear and concise communication of complex rights issues.
• Supervises the Rights Coordinators; provides line management support and advice; provides guidance on best practice; plans and delivers team development and training activities; performs performance reviews and agrees goals with direct reports.
• Manages content, rights and restrictions info in systems, including resolving any rights conflicts between contractual data / deals.
• Creates and distributes any complex regular and adhoc rights reporting.
• Understands upstream / downstream dependencies, integration and field usage; works with the Rights Manager to establish rules and data conventions.
• Monitors team workloads in line with service level agreements to ensure workloads are manageable and achievable; is aware of key points in the calendar year and business critical dates so as to understand and manage the impact on the Rights Team.
• Continually and proactively coordinates and undertakes rights research and data enhancement tasks and projects to improve the integrity and quality of rights and restrictions data.
• Helps identify and define data, system and process improvements and efficiencies to ensure effective and efficient rights data management; champions change and identifies opportunities for continual improvements to ensure the data meets the evolving needs of the Business. 
• Builds and maintains strong relationships with content stakeholders in the Business promoting the team as subject matter experts. 
• Promotes the current rights management system as ‘the single source of truth’; champions its data to reduce duplication across the company, and to ensure it is updated to reflect changes in BBC Studios’ activities, new ventures and the changing media landscape.
• Develops training materials to ensure a consistent understanding of rules and data conventions, and team responsibilities. Documents processes and procedures to support data accuracy and integrity.
• Deputises for the Rights Manager as appropriate.

Knowledge

• A detailed understanding of BBC / BBC Studios content, acquisition and investment, and talent rights systems and processes.
• A detailed understanding of the RightsLine content data structure and rights model, and how and where the data interfaces.
• Understanding of media and new technologies, and the impact on the BBC Studios sales strategies advantageous.

Skills & Behaviours

• An eye for detail, able to manage large volumes of information and data, demonstrating an understanding of the importance of data quality and accuracy.
• Excellent organisation and planning skills with an organised approach to own workload. Able to quickly assess and act on changing priorities, track workloads and handle a number of business critical processes simultaneously whilst working to deadlines, sometimes under pressure. 
• Excellent I.T skills, including Microsoft packages specifically Excel, essential. The ability to work with databases and quickly pick up new IT systems.
• Strong oral and written communication skills as well as interpersonal skills. To be customer focussed and have the ability to communicate effectively and confidently with people at all levels to build strong working relationships.
• A self-motivated highly organised team player with excellent people management skills.
• Able to efficiently and correctly identify the source of a problem, both seeking and providing guidance as appropriate.
• Ability to present complex information clearly and concisely to a variety of stakeholders.
• Professional behaviour with all stakeholders.
• Global mind-set: thinking and acting for both local and global needs. A service-orientated approach.
• The ability to manage a team in a hybrid working environment.

Experience

• Basic line management.
• Experience in a commercial organisation; working collaboratively to achieve a common goal; working independently or as part of a team.
• Reading and interpreting long form legal contracts to ascertain the rights position (distribution and other rights restrictions) of content.
• Administrative and data management experience, preferably within a media, rights or sales environment.
• Data governance.
• Data migration.
• Customer service experience and ability to deal with stakeholders at all levels.
• Identifying process improvements and change.
• Training end users on technology systems and/or process change.
• Working with IT during system developments and working in an agile environment.
• Reporting and data analysis experience, preferably in a media and/or content environment, is essential.
• Experience in issue resolution and influencing skills to reach positive outcomes.

Job Reference: 13630
Band: C
Salary: Up to £35,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience.
The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: London - Television Centre

Working Pattern: Hybrid Working (Mix of working from home plus two/three days a week in the office).

We are really proud to share that we are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer and so if you require any reasonable adjustments in order to apply please do contact us at with the job reference in the subject. 

We offer flexibility, competitive benefits and the opportunity to be part of the BBC's exciting mission. Some of the key benefits you’ll get from working in this role are:
Flexible/Agile working - opportunities across the business. We believe in empowering you to do your best work, so we offer support and flexibility to balance work and home. We’re happy to discuss a formal flexible working pattern. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at the offer stage.
Unrivalled training and development opportunities - we operate a people-first culture and pride ourselves on your development. Our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certifications.
Excellent career progression - BBC Studios offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation. Leaders at the BBC are passionate about helping our people grow in the organisation and you will have regular sessions with your line manager to support you with your career ambitions.
Benefits - We offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (plus an additional day which is a Corporation Day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

LIFE AT BBC STUDIOS

We don’t focus simply on what we do – we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. Please make sure you’ve read about our values and behaviours here.

The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce and therefore strongly encourages applications from underrepresented groups. We are committed to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of their background. More information on our D&I plan can be found here.

BBC Studios puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do both onscreen and offscreen, including delivering against the BBC Group’s science-based Net Zero targets. More information on sustainability at BBC Studios can be found here.