Head of Legal & Business Affairs (FTC)

About the company

 BBC Maestro is on a mission to provide trusted, human learning led by exceptional people with lived expertise. We inspire adults, giving them the knowledge and confidence to continue or the permission to start, helping them use their time for meaningful growth, whatever shape that may take.

We operate as an independent company within the BBC Studios portfolio, offering online courses from world-class experts in their fields; from filmmaking and writing to cooking, music, and beyond.

We’re a small, collaborative team doing big things at pace. It’s a place where creative ideas move fast, where everyone rolls up their sleeves, and where we take real pride in delivering high-quality learning experiences for our global audience.

About the role 

We are seeking a highly personable, commercial, and creative counsel with expertise in entertainment and media law to lead our legal and business affairs.

You will be the go-to expert for the company, possessing a natural skill for helping business leaders understand the risk and reward in commercial deals and navigating ambiguity with confidence and ease. 

As a trusted strategic partner, you excel at translating legal and commercial concepts into clear and scalable business strategies, ensuring compliance across the fast-moving technology and entertainment sectors.

Practical considerations:

• This is a fixed term, maternity cover role.
• We expect this to be on a 4-day per week basis, working hybrid from our Kings Cross office 2 days per week.
• The salary range for this role is between £90,000-£99,000 (per annum, and prorated to a 4 days per week)

Your responsibilities

Day to day, you will be expected to carry out the following responsibilities:

• Negotiating and drafting commercial terms for the global licensing and distribution of content.
• Negotiating and drafting the full range of commercial contracts including talent agreements, supplier agreements and partnership agreements
• Managing production agreements and compliance, including location agreements, archive licensing, and fair dealing analysis
• Ensuring compliance with regulations and developments impacting us in the jurisdictions in which we operate including in respect of changes to our product and platform
• Managing data protection and privacy compliance in conjunction with our external DPO.
• Managing terms and conditions, marketing promotions and consumer advice across multiple jurisdictions
• Managing compliance with internal policies and procedures
• Providing legal support to the HR team on policies 
• Managing corporate or investment due diligence when required
• Working collaboratively with third-party legal partners including our content protection partner and managing foreign lawyers to ensure local compliance
• Managing our ongoing compliance with BBC Studio obligations

• 8+ years professional experience (post-qualification) as either a commercial lawyer  or in business and legal affairs within the entertainment and media industry.
• You have a practical understanding of the needs of a growing start-up and enjoy supporting a scaling business.
• Exceptional communication skills; you can translate complex legal requirements into comprehensible actions.
• Emotionally intelligent, highly adaptable to change, and able to bring a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach to decision-making.
• A skilled commercial negotiator with outstanding attention to detail and strong risk management credentials.
• Experience in both international and corporate law is highly advantageous.

• 28 days holiday per calendar + public holidays (prorated for part time work)
• Salary sacrifice pension
• Private medical insurance or wellbeing allowance
• EAP, via Spill
• Flexible working