Latest Jobs at BBC Media Action

Jop Purpose

• The BBC MA office in Nigeria is seeking a Creative Lead to spearhead a multi-year, multi-media, multi-output Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) programme funded by the Gates Foundation (GF) and focused on reproductive health and family planning (FP) in Northern Nigeria. The Creative Lead is the second most senior role in this high-profile, significantly budgeted project, working closely with the Project Director to ensure the project’s creative outputs are delivered to a high standard, on time, and in alignment with the expectations of BBC MA and GF.
• The Creative Lead will be required to act like a master conductor, working closely with creative and productions partners such as a major TV network, advertising and digital agencies, media planning and buying agencies, mobile service provider, social media influencers/ content makers/ celebrities from the commercial world on the one hand, and with NGOs, social marketing organisations, GF grantees and other FP stakeholders on the other. The Creative Lead will envision a Narrative Universe that stems from the central TV drama series and create/ co-create content across a variety of platforms and formats with diverse partners. These partners straddle both the commercial and social impact sectors.
• The Creative Lead will need to provide strategic and creative direction to the partners mentioned above, who will design and execute a wide range of outputs, including mass media, social media, IVR, outreach, toolkits, and dissemination products, among others. They will work closely with the Project Director to ensure that the different parts of the Narrative Universe for various audience segments are engaging and entertaining, while achieving the project’s outcomes.
• The Creative Lead will coordinate, commission, liaise and review all outputs, ensuring that they are executed to the highest standards and within stipulated budgets and timelines. They will be expected to utilise their own credentials and professional network to attract talent that can enhance the project deliverables.
• The Creative Lead will report into the Head of Production & Training and have a dotted line to the Project Director, being accountable for all deliverables to the Project Director.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Accountable for a unique, creative, innovative and effective range of multi-media, multi-platform, multi-outputs in this multi-partner SBCC intervention.
• Provide dynamic and inspirational support to the creative and production team.
• Own the Communications Framework to ensure everything created, co-created or commissioned is on strategy.
• Spearhead the strategic creation of a Narrative Universe that will stem from the story world of the TV drama while working closely with the Project Director and Head of Production.
• Play a significant role in co-creating the story world of the TV drama series with an already identified TV network in Nigeria.
• Thereafter, act as a bridge between the TV network and BBC MA to review and vet scripts, as well as pre-production, production, and post-production. This will be in accordance with the agreed upon process between BBC MA and the TV network. The Creative Lead will play a critical role in shaping the process to maximise the project's benefit without compromising the TV network’s quality and performance.
• Strategise as per the master Communications Framework and create briefs for various creative and production partners from the commercial sector.
• Commission the above to design outputs and ensure they are created and executed to the highest quality, within agreed-upon budgets and timelines.
• Coordinate alongside the Project Director to identify opportunities, proactively design and  respond to the communication needs of other FP stakeholders and use elements of the Narrative Universe across their outputs.
• Collaborate with and contribute to partners' content development processes.
• Forge partnerships and harness the power of the vibrant Nigerian creative and media ecosystem.
• Repurpose project content for different platforms/ formats and help/ equip partners to do the same.
• Accountable for creating and commissioning engaging, entertaining, popular content that delivers on project outcomes. Lead on ensuring that partners’ productions and creative ideas align with BBC MA’s thematic and creative direction.
• Make sure all content created internally and externally aligns with the BBC’s editorial values.
• Recruit, manage and develop a team, ensuring that staff are appropriately inducted, trained and developed, and performance is appropriately managed.
• Lead team to oversee production logistics, including budgeting and scheduling, and ensure the project is delivered on time and within budget.▪ Manage the team to provide timely updates, including production status, broadcast schedules, and content produced.
• Ensure that the Project Director, Head of Production, and other relevant personnel are kept informed about the work schedules of the creative agencies and flag any concerns.
• Perform any other tasks assigned by BBC MA to achieve project and organisational objectives.
• Think outside the box, while being sensitive to Northern Nigerian sentiment and culture.

Required skills, knowledge, and experience

• Proven track record (body of work) of 8-10 years of creative direction across multiple media platforms (legacy and digital) and formats.
• Reputed as a creative leader with a strong strategic sense.
• Talent to think outside the box, combined with a deep understanding of audience and consumer insights from Northern Nigeria.
• Ability to mine powerful insights and create briefs for commercial agencies and other partner organisations.
• Knowledge of how a Narrative Universe works.
• Guide and collaborate with partners to produce outputs that utilise ideas, characters, and assets from the Narrative Universe.
• Understanding of all stages of the content production process across a diverse range of outputs.
• Deep knowledge of how social media works and a regular social media user (a respected and popular professional voice without being an influencer).
• Deep familiarity and experience of working with the commercial sector of the Nigerian media and communication industry – advertising, digital media (social media and telecom), media planning and buying, outreach and activation.
• Plugged into the above networks well enough to consult, use and leverage talent for the project in the most impactful and cost-effective manner.
• Up to date with trends and trendsetters, innovations, and constant changes in the vibrant media and popular culture scene of Nigeria.
• Demonstrable ease in being able to navigate both commercial and social impact sectors.
• Understanding of BBC’s editorial values.
• Creative writing skills in English and Hausa language.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multitask and work well under pressure.
• Excellent time and resource management skills.
• Team player with a problem-solving attitude and a proven ability to convert constraints into opportunities.
• Supervisory experience and ability to motivate different stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of business operations and financial management within a production environment.
• Deeply ambitious with an appetite to make this a project admired for its creativity, innovation, impact and scale in Nigeria and beyond.

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Job Purpose

• The BBC MA office in Nigeria is seeking a Project Director to lead an extensive, multi-year, multi component Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) programme funded by the Gates Foundation and focused on reproductive health and family planning (FP) in Northern Nigeria.
• The Project Director is the most senior role, leading this high-profile project with a significant budget. The Project Director will be accountable for delivering the project to a high standard, on time, and inalignment with the expectations of BBC MA and the Gates Foundation (GF).
• The Project Director will be responsible for maintaining oversight of the project’s activities, leading a team, liaising with media, civil society, and government partners, providing strategic and technical guidance to specialist and project teams, and ensuring that all creative outputs are produced to the highest standards. To summarise, the Project Director will be accountable for delivering the project to high quality, meeting planned outcomes, within budget and to the timeline.
• The role reports to the Country Director and will work closely with other implementing teams and the Senior Management Team.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Accountable for the effective and high-quality design, delivery, management and monitoring of a multi-media, multi-platform, multi-partner SBCC intervention and disseminating the learnings thereof.
• Provide dynamic, inspirational leadership and management, including sound technical and staff leadership across all aspects of the intervention.
• Lead project activities – working closely with your team, other teams within BBC MA and relevant external stakeholders to deliver the project and donor commitments while aligning with BBC editorial standards and values and BBC Media Action’s best practice.
• Manage project budgets (including budget forecasting) to ensure the complete and successful delivery of project outputs in accordance with that budget and in line with BBC MA’s financial procedures and the funder’s operating guidelines. Work closely with the Finance department to identify and resolve any potential financial issues.
• Recruit, manage and develop the project team, ensuring that staff are appropriately inducted, trained and developed, and performance is appropriately managed.
• Engage with Creative, Production and Research and Learning (both in Nigeria and London) teams to strategize, brainstorm and review all project outputs (both internal and co-created or commissioned to external partners) in line with the agreed Theory of Change and Communication Framework.
• Envision and implement strategic ideas and tactics in line with the project – not just in implementation, but in forging partnerships and harnessing the power of the vibrant Nigerian creative and media ecosystem.
• Anticipate and respond to risks and threats that could threaten project delivery.
• Lead the dissemination of project results and oversee the publication of reports.
• Serve as the organisation’s primary contact with the donor and other project stakeholders.
• Manage the project’s Steering Committee comprising, internal and external senior stakeholders.
• Maintain strong, collaborative relationships with partners and organisations (including other GF grantees, the creative and media industry, and FP stakeholders) for the benefit of the project, in line with BBC Media Action’s values.
• Ensure the development of knowledge management systems and processes that help collect, organise, store, and share BBC MA Nigeria’s knowledge assets in a manner that makes them readily available, accessible, and effectively used for the benefit of the organisation and the sector.
• Contribute to the development and writing of new proposals, or work as part of a larger team responding to donor requirements.
• Ensure that project activities comply with BBC MA and GF standards around safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. The role will support processes that ensure relevant safeguarding  due diligence is conducted with any local partner organisations that may work with vulnerable  adults or children as part of the project. Where any risks are identified, will ensure that the risks  are mitigated.
• Any other tasks assigned by BBC MA to achieve project and organisational objectives.

Required Skills, knowledge, and experience

• Substantial experience of managing progressively large-scale and complex projects in the development and/or humanitarian sector, with direct experience managing large, diverse teams and significant budgets, including client relationship management with major funders.
• Experience working in both media and development sectors to bring about change through the power of media and communications.• Deep familiarity and experience working with the commercial sector of the Nigerian media and communication industry – advertising, digital media (social media and telecom), media planning and buying, outreach and activation.
• Networked into the Nigerian media industry to tap into this world to consult, use and leverage  talent for the project in the most impactful and cost-effective manner.
• Up-to-date with trends and trendsetters, innovations, and constant changes in Nigeria’s media and popular culture scene.
• Strong understanding of SBCC tools and techniques, ideally gained from experience of designing and/or delivering large-scale SBCC interventions.
• Sound financial knowledge, including forecasting.
• Knowledge of Hausa language.
• Understanding of the religious sensitivities and the socio-economic, political and cultural context of Northern Nigeria.
• An understanding of reproductive and family planning projects and stakeholders in Nigeria is desirable.
• Proven expertise to build, influence and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders outside of a line management relationship.
• Experienced in controlling programme activity and providing decision support to allow prioritisation based on strategic contribution and use of resources (people, funds, time, etc.).
• Foresight to anticipate risks and the executive ability to manage them.
• Confident public speaker with experience presenting to colleagues, donors and stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Deeply ambitious with an appetite to make this a project admired for its creativity, innovation, impact and scale in Nigeria and beyond.