Chief Operating Officer

BBC Media Action is hiring for a Chief Operating Officer role for a 12 month fixed term contract in its London office. BBC Media Action is the BBC’s international charity, which believes in the power of media and communication for good. Working to the BBC’s values and editorial principles, BBC Media Action supports the independent media essential to democracy and development.

Main Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Serve on the Management Team, providing visionary leadership, contributing to the strategic direction of the charity, and leading the business management functions of the charity including playing a key role in organisational effectiveness and change management.
• Finance Business Performance Management: Manage and deliver long-term financial strategy in line with the charity’s goals. Provide effective financial advice that ensures that quality financial decisions are made which drive business performance.
• Risk Management: Drive risk-management for the charity, ensuring that appropriate processes and mitigating controls are in place including ownership of all financial and operational risks and mitigation thereof.
• Controls and compliance: Ensure that robust financial controls exist and are operated that meet all regulatory/statutory/legal and professional requirements and demonstrate best practice.
• Service Management: Ensure the provision of a high level service, identify areas for improvements, implement all audit, risk and compliance requirements.
• Business Relationships: Build, engage, and maintain strong and effective relationships with key stakeholders internally and externally, liaise with senior management on pan-BBC projects where appropriate, co-ordinate project involvement across portfolio, planning resources and managing dependencies.
• Team management: Manage direct reports and ensure that good management is in place for central finance, IT, legal and office management functions.

Are you the right candidate?

• Professional accounting/financial qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) is essential.
• Experience of being part of a strategic leadership team and substantial experience as a senior executive organisation in a multi country organisation.
• Highly developed communication and inter-personal skills including presenting to executive boards, influencing senior executives, inspiring large and small teams, active listening, coaching and mentoring one-on-one and writing compelling text, all through a combination of personal credibility, integrity and professionalism.
• A proven track record of building and leading successful and highly skilled teams, specialising in the range of operations that support an organisation that operates within a complex environment.
• A proven track record of developing and driving through efficiencies, and challenging ways of working in a multi-site organisation.
• A proven track record of initiating and promoting innovation and developing business opportunities.
• A well-developed understanding of the strategic impact of financial management and control.
• Experience of overseeing the management of an investment portfolio and the operations of a limited company.
• Experience of working in a risk management function with a knowledge of how to develop appropriate risk tolerance levels and associated management.
• Experience of working with financial accounting systems and the ability to understand, interpret, ability to turn data into strategic advice, and communicate complex financial data to a range of audiences.
• Knowledge of current technology capability and financial systems and a proven track record of successful IT/finance implementation.
• A well-developed understanding of the importance of key performance metrics in the analysis of an organisation’s success, and experience of developing and maintaining such metrics.
• A proven track record in designing, developing and sustaining stakeholder relationships across a complex and demanding environment that has resulted in strategic alliances.
• Experience of working in a multi-country organisation and an appreciation of the value of a diverse geographic focus and all that has to offer.
• An understanding of the opportunities and challenges of working in the “not for profit” sector is essential, but direct work experience is not.

How to apply

To learn more about this position and apply, please click here.