JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title Chief Operating Officer

Business Management &
Job family Band SL
Administration

Job purpose
To lead and co-ordinate all the internal business activities within a designated portfolio, driving efficiencies
and streamlining ways of working. This will include: governance, reporting, finance, people, communication,
strategy, budget, resources, accommodation and project management.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

 Manage the annual budget process within portfolio, working with individual teams to build budgets
and track spend.
 Establish effective governance models within portfolio and interfaces with the governance
frameworks within the wider BBC.
 Establish KPIs and an effective reporting cycle, working with colleagues to ensure they understand
their part in the process.
 Engage with stakeholders across the BBC, liaise with senior management on pan-BBC projects
where appropriate, co-ordinate project involvement across portfolio, planning resources and
managing dependencies.
 Provide expertise in devising, reviewing and assessing business cases and proposals including
identifying key issues and financial implications, leading the drafting of papers, correspondence,
speeches, briefings and presentations as appropriate.
 Provide inspirational leadership and support career development and talent retention.
 Contribute to the wider development and leadership of the division, promoting and championing
collaboration, creativity and diversity.

Knowledge, skills, training and experience

Essential
 As an expert in their field, they will provide professional leadership and act as role model to their
teams and colleagues.
 Adept at managing numerous, diverse senior and executive level stakeholders, often operating
under tight timescales and managing numerous competing priorities.
 Experience of operating at a senior level in the public sector and/or dealing with
external/governmental stakeholders.
 A convincing and persuasive communicator, required to modify beliefs and opinions of teams, as
well as senior stakeholders, able to establish effective and collaborative relations across BBC
departments and external agencies/stakeholders where required.
 Act as the conduit to effective communication and influence across the management team.
 Possesses a strong understanding of the media sector and BBC competitors, and the relevant in-
depth knowledge of current industry trends and issues relating to their functional area.
 A deep functional/technical expert with broad and comprehensive understanding of theories,
systems and practices relevant to their functional area.
 Strong awareness of the way in which programmes are commissioned, financed and produced.
 Broad and comprehensive understanding of all BBC regulatory and contractual obligations related
to their functional area.
 Extensive experience in managing significant budgets and understanding key financial drivers.

Job impact

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Decision making
 Develop, adapt and execute departmental plans in line with strategic plans and direction from
Senior Leaders.
 Undertake a wide range of activities factoring in multiple, diverse considerations, requiring complex
analytics and decision making, interpretative thinking and a solutions-focused approach.

Scope
 Typically leading a sub-function/top line department or specialism within a top line support function.
May in some cases lead a smaller BBC support function.
 Ability to apply external sector knowledge, contextualising challenges and changes in the sector, to
understand the relative positioning and strength of the BBC’s services/practices.
 In-depth knowledge of how own sub-function/sub-divisional area integrates within the
function/division, including how processes and resources interact to help achieve
functional/divisional targets and objectives.

Strategic impact/Influence
 Provides input into functional strategy.

Reporting structure
 Reports into a Senior Leader within their division.

Other information
For Reward team use only

Job Code

Definition: Support

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal
accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of
performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved

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