Job Description
JOB DETAILS
JOB BAND: E
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time.
DEPARTMENT: BBC Legal, Distribution Team
LOCATION: Role based in London’s Broadcasting House, with some hybrid working. Our in-office team days are currently Mondays and Tuesdays, with additional days as required.
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £104,000 - £114,000pa 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. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Lawyer to join the BBC Distribution Legal team which currently consists of the Head of Distribution Legal, two Senior Lawyers and two Lawyers. Trainees rotate into the team periodically.
As a Senior Lawyer, you’ll play a key role in supporting the BBC’s public service distribution activities—ensuring BBC channels, content, and products reach audiences across a wide range of platforms and devices, including Pay TV, Smart TVs, streaming devices, mobiles, smart speakers, in-car systems, and social media.
WHY JOIN THE TEAM
You will work in a fast-paced environment supporting a strategy-driven client team responding to changes in Media and Technology regulation and ensuring the BBC’s own distribution policy is consistently applied, there is always something new to consider and advise on. You will have the opportunity to grow your experience within supportive, friendly and collaborative legal and client teams.
You will advise on, negotiate and draft a wide range of BBC distribution agreements including significant carriage agreements on pay TV platforms, and agreements for access to BBC services on Smart TVs, set top boxes and streaming sticks. You will manage contractual arrangements with Big Tech which facilitate BBC content, iPlayer and BBC Sounds on mobile devices and in car, as well as agreements which relate to podcasts, radio and audio distribution on third party services and smart speakers. You will also provide legal advice and support in relation to innovative social media platforms.
You will also advise on and support BBC distribution policy and strategy work such as engagement with DCMS, Ofcom and industry bodies on issues such as the future of TV distribution and digital transition.
You will work with a wide range of internal teams and BBC’s external and joint venture distribution partners.
The role sits within the wider BBC Legal Division which is responsible for providing legal advice and assistance across the BBC and for developing and implementing the BBC’s legal strategy. The Legal Division is led by the BBC’s General Counsel. It is made up of the following departments: General Counsel's Office, Litigation and Information Rights, Intellectual Property, Employment, Programme Legal Advice, Commercial Data Protection and Technology, Distribution and Competition and Regulatory Law.
On one of our in-office days we are co-located with the client team. Being embedded with the client team means you have the opportunity to be closely involved with their projects from the very beginning.
Your Key Responsibilities And Impact
* You will provide expert legal advice on complex distribution arrangements across multiple platforms, including broadcast, digital, and streaming, linear and non-linear for TV and audio.
* You will negotiate, draft and conclude a wide range of agreements to support the BBC’s distribution activities.
* You will anticipate and assess risk and propose suitable practical and contractual mitigations.
* You will liaise with stakeholders across the BBC to support strategic projects.
* You will assist and support the development of junior lawyers and trainees in the team.
Essential Criteria
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
* A qualified lawyer with a minimum of 5 years PQE with substantial experience in broadcast, media or technology gained with a leading law firm and/or specialist IP, Commercial or technology team.
* Significant experience in handling IP, commercial or technology issues in the media sector.
* Substantial experience in reviewing, drafting, negotiating, and concluding carriage and distribution agreements and other ancillary legal documentation.
* Demonstrable experience in providing practical and commercially focused legal advice.
* Excellent communication skills and experience of building relationships with clients and colleagues.
Desired But Not Required
* A high level of technology literacy, including familiarity with Smart tv interfaces, streaming video services, social media, IPTV, mobile media and related functionality.
* In-house experience.
* Experience of regulatory and data protection law.
* Knowledge of media rights and industry practices.
* Experience of dealing with artificial intelligence.
If you can bring some of these skills and experiences, 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.
For any general queries, please contact: bbchr@bbc.co.uk
Redeployment
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.