We're happy to discuss flexible working. 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 offer stage.

Excellent career progression - the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.

Unrivalled training and development opportunities - our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.

Benefits - We offer a negotiable salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

Job Purpose
BBC Northern Ireland's Commissioning Department is responsible for a range of Television programmes, across multiple genres, which appear on linear TV and on the BBC iPlayer across the UK. The department regularly seeks proposals from suppliers for new commissions, and our editorial team help select proposals that meet key audience needs and our broader strategic goals. This team will also act as Executive Producers on individual commissioned programmes, offering guidance and feedback throughout the production process and managing the delivery and ultimate transmission of this content.

As part of the BBC's 'Value for All' Strategy, we are prioritising content that can deliver on our key public service roles, responding to evolving audience needs and preferences, such as the shift to digital consumption, and the success of particular genres, including scripted content.

We are now seeking to recruit a Commissioning Editor (CE) with responsibility to take a lead on our comedy development and output. This is a new position with a specific responsibility to work with BBC NI's Senior Head of Content Commissioning (SHoCC), to develop the strategy, oversight and execution of our comedy content.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The CE will be the primary editorial contact for comedy suppliers offering constructive, timely and effective editorial feedback on comedy projects, including scripted content. This can be complicated and highly specialist work, offering feedback across all elements of production, often working collaboratively and effectively with other funders/stakeholders. Demonstrable experience in the technical skills of script editing is a key asset in this regard.
The Commissioning Editor will drive standards of content quality, keeping pace with the best contemporary comedy, meeting the expectations of today's audiences, in particular younger viewers.
BBC NI is expanding beyond the traditional content offer of local satirical and topical comedy, to broaden into scripted comedies and sitcoms, supporting our strategic move to high impact video that can cut through on the BBC iPlayer. The CE will be responsible for a comprehensive development pipeline, encouraging a risk-taking and innovative approach to ideas to respond to this strategy. Future comedy content will often involve contemporary, earthy comic voices and scenarios, outlandish characters, and new forms of escapism that may not have been seen on BBC NI previously.
This role must ensure high impact and value for money, while adhering to our editorial standards and commitments to diversity and inclusion. The CE will foster relationships with internal and external colleagues, including on and off-screen talent, suppliers and co-funders.
The CE will work with the SHoCC to develop our comedy strategy, and also contribute, assist and facilitate departmental strategies/wider BBC initiatives and act as editorial lead on a range of other content outside the comedy specialism as required.

Knowledge, Skills, Training & Experience
Substantial content-making experience in high-quality impactful scripted comedy, in particular sitcom and/or comedy drama. A background in the forensic analysis of comedy scripts/script editing, offering constructive decisive creative input, that demonstrably enhances quality/audience appeal.

Experience in producing/directing scripted comedy projects that have garnered critical and audience success locally and across the UK.

An appetite to play a proactive role, responding to emerging cultural sensibilities of younger and underserved audiences in NI and across the UK. Significant understanding of current trends and issues within the broadcast comedy industry. An understanding of how multi-platform and social media approaches can enhance the impact of commissions.

Evidence of strong influencing skills and relationship management, in the complex environment of comedy. In particular; supporting the development of new performers and writers; developing existing comedy names; managing relationships between different co-funding partners and stakeholders, including with BBC Network Comedy personnel; a commitment to creating diverse content and to the BBC's diversity strategy and policies.

A demonstrable capacity and willingness to act as editorial lead in managing projects outside the specialist comedy genre, including factual, entertainment and drama.

Experience and knowledge of managing financial budgets, editorial compliance, contract negotiations and production schedules.