Director, BBC Monitoring

JOB BAND: SL
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC News
LOCATION: London

Please note that this role is aligned to the News Controller job family.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

The Director of BBC Monitoring is responsible for a global newsgathering operation that tracks and analyses open-source media from over 150 countries in more than 100 languages. The role involves providing vital context and insightful reporting on world events for the BBC's output and external users, while also leading significant transformational projects. Key responsibilities include overseeing diverse teams of journalists and analysts, managing operational performance, ensuring high editorial standards, and fostering innovation to keep the service relevant in a rapidly changing media landscape.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

BBC Monitoring tracks, translates, analyses and summarises global media to help make sense of world events. This is an opportunity to lead this global team, looking at how we increase reach and reputation whilst continuing to embed the BBC's digital agenda within Monitoring. The Director will have a clear vision for the role of BBC Monitoring in the forthcoming BBC Royal Charter discussions with the UK Government, mindful that the methods of working are likely to change significantly as technology develops through the next Charter period.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• Global Newsgathering: working with the Editorial Director to ensure best practice in overseeing the monitoring, translation, and analysis of media sources (TV, radio, press, online, social media) from over 150 countries and 100 languages to provide context for global events.
• Strategic Leadership: Lead significant transformational projects to enhance service delivery and focus experts on analysis and insight.
• Team Management: Provide strong leadership to a global workforce of journalists and analysts, ensuring effective deployment and development of their linguistic and cultural expertise.
• Operational Excellence: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to manage service performance, maintain operational guidelines, and ensure continuity of services.
• Editorial Standards: Champion the maintenance of high editorial standards, impartiality, and quality across all BBC Monitoring output.
• Innovation and Technology: Take a lead role in trailing and testing new technologies to keep BBC Monitoring at the forefront of media monitoring.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Leadership: Proven experience as an experienced leader, particularly in managing complex transformational projects.
• Global Awareness: Deep understanding of global media environments, political, economic, and cultural issues across various regions.
• Journalistic Expertise: Strong journalistic and analytical skills to provide insightful reporting and context on key global stories.
• Change Management: Ability to understand and drive continuous processes of change and development within the organization.
• Collaboration: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we'd love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

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.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world's best loved content, and the BBC's mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Find out more about the BBC

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy

Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we'd be happy to discuss:

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: , registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.