Digital Lawyer

CONTRACT TYPE: Two roles: 1 x Ten month fixed-term contract (Full-time) and 1 x Six month, Fixed-term Contract (Full-time)

JOB TITLE: In-house title is Commercial, Rights & Business Affairs Manager

DEPARTMENT: Digital, Consumer Tech and Innovation legal and business affairs team, BBC Commercial Rights and Business Affairs

LOCATION: London based role with some flexibility - i.e. hybrid working. All Commercial Rights and Business Affairs colleagues are 'agile workers' and our expectation is that you will work an average of 2-3 days per week in BBC buildings in London.

PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: anticipated salary £62,000 to £72,000p.a. (plus London Weighting £5,441pa), depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We're happy to discuss flexible working. If you'd like to, please indicate your preference in the application - though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

Purpose of the Role

Join the BBC's Digital, Consumer Tech & Innovation Legal and Business Affairs team. You'll provide legal and commercial support for BBC digital products, innovation projects, and technology partnerships. From AI and immersive formats to archive licensing and digital procurement, your work will help the BBC experiment responsibly, protect its assets, and deliver trusted services to audiences. This is a chance to support high-impact work at the heart of the BBC's digital future.

Why Join the Team

You'll be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking team that supports innovation across the BBC. We work on exciting projects involving AI, personalisation, and emerging tech, helping the BBC stay competitive and trusted. You'll gain exposure to strategic work, develop your skills, and contribute to projects that reach millions. Our team values clarity, agility and knowledge-sharing - and you'll be supported to grow, influence, and make a meaningful impact.

Your Key Responsibilities and Impact

As Commercial Rights and Business Affairs Manager, you will:

• Provide legal and business affairs support across BBC digital products, innovation initiatives, and R&D activities.
• Draft and negotiate procurement contracts for digital services and consumer tech, including projects involving generative AI and emerging technologies.
• Advise on legal and commercial risks, including AI, open source, and IP protection, to support responsible innovation.
• Support the BBC Archive, unlocking value from one of the world's largest multimedia archives.
• Help streamline contracting processes and develop templates and playbooks for faster, smarter dealmaking.

Your Skills and Experience

We're looking someone who's collaborative, adaptable and comfortable with change. You'll be open to feedback, willing to learn our team's house style, and able to draft contracts in clear, plain English. You'll be proactive about improving how the team works, whether that's simplifying templates, reducing custom agreements, or sharing knowledge so others don't have to start from scratch. You'll understand the importance of timely, practical advice and be confident working closely with product teams to support fast-moving projects.

Essential

• Legal qualification and relevant PQE, with experience in commercial contracts, technology procurements, and licensing digital assets, such as code, content, data or other materials for use in digital products or services.
• Strong understanding of UK digital and tech markets, including data protection, consumer law, and legal risks linked to AI and emerging technologies.
• Experience drafting and negotiating contracts for digital services, tech collaborations and generative AI projects, with a focus on clarity, usability and alignment with team templates and house style.
• Ability to deliver timely, practical advice that supports BBC strategy and helps product teams make informed decisions quickly.
• Collaborative mindset, you work well with others, seek input from your manager and team, and are open to feedback. You will be comfortable with change and committed to improving how the team works, proactive about simplifying templates, reducing custom agreements, and helping others learn from previous deals and drafting.

Desired but not required

• Familiarity with legal and commercial issues in generative AI and machine learning, including how these technologies are procured and deployed in consumer-facing products
• Experience working on tech development collaborations, such as partnerships with universities or research institutions
• Licensing BBC content or data for use in digital products or innovation projects
• Awareness of emerging tech trends, for example, immersive formats, personalisation, or prototype testing
• Experience with open source licensing, including how code or tools are released and managed under open source terms.

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.

Before your start date, you may need to disclose any unspent convictions or police charges, in line with our Contracts of Employment policy. This allows us to discuss any support you may need and assess any risks. Failure to disclose may result in the withdrawal of your offer.

BPS25

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.

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: or simply state: Please contact

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.