Business Partner COO Office (m/f/d)

Context

At Bauer Media Group, the former President of the Audio Business has been appointed as our new COO. As he steps into leading the newly formed Group Leadership Team, it is critical that the COO Office establishes strong visibility and connectivity across both the Lines of Business - Audio, Outdoor and Publishing - as well as Group Functions. The COO must actively engage in supporting and engaging with the business, while at the same time ensuring that Group-level transformation, governance, and support functions are aligned with strategic priorities. To enable this, two new roles have been created within the COO Office: Business Partner and Governance Manager.

Mission Statement - Business Partner COO Office

Reporting to the Head of COO Office, the Business Partner acts as the primary liaison between the COO Office and our 3 Lines of Business and Group Functions, ensuring the COO remains closely connected to operational realities and strategic priorities. The role aggregates insights, tracks COO-sponsored initiatives, and surfaces updates, risks, and opportunities in a timely, synthesized manner. By maintaining a strong presence within Lines of Business & Group Functions, the Business Partner ensures the COO Office is a visible, accessible, and trusted partner, enabling effective representation of divisional perspectives in interactions with the COO and senior leaders.

Key Tasks

1. Strategic Business Partnering & Relationship Management

• Continuous partnership with all 3 Lines of Business and Group Functions
• Act as first point of contact for Lines of Business and Group colleagues, filtering and prioritizing requests
• Join leadership meetings for Lines of Business and Group Functions as relevant to ensure key outcomes are shared with COO
• Prepare COO for 1:1s with Lines of Business Presidents and Group Function leaders
• Lead preparation of materials for COO market visits in collaboration with local market CEOs and Group Function leads
• Collaborate with Lines of Business Presidents and Group Function leaders to prepare inputs for Group Leadership Team meetings coordinated by the Governance Manager

2. Business Performance & Insight Generation

• Booking and performance reports analysis and interpretation, escalating risks and trends to the Head of COO Office/COO with clear analysis and explanation
• Ensuring business updates, risks, and opportunities are surfaced in a timely, synthesized manner
• Monitor consumer and competitive trends relevant to all Lines of Business, preparing insights for COO consumption
• Map and refresh quarterly and annual roadmaps to support quarterly business reviews
• Support Lines of Business Presidents and CFOs during the yearly budget process (June to November)

3. Strategic Projects & Transformation Support

• Participate in high-priority strategic projects, especially cross-Lines of Business ones (topics may include: business strategy refresh, BMG commercial proposition and innovation, AI vision, expanding consumer competitions proposition), by providing execution support and ensuring the Head of COO Office is adequately briefed for decision forums
• Collaborate with the Group Strategy & Transformation team to track progress of the Focus program (support functions transformation)
• Participate in selected Group-level projects as needed (e.g., Finance and HR transformation, compensation & benefits reviews, ESG strategy, AI/tech working groups, M&A projects) by providing analysis, material preparation, and execution support

Requirements

• Several years of relevant experience in corporate strategy, transformation, project management, business analysis or comparable roles
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to consolidate complex data into concise insights for senior leadership
• Proven stakeholder management skills; able to build trust with Lines of Business Presidents, market CEOs and leadership teams, while representing the COO Office with discretion and confidentiality
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to draft briefings, synthesize meeting outcomes, and prepare COO-level materials
• Strong project management skills, with experience coordinating cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
• High degree of judgment and confidentiality when working on sensitive COO-sponsored initiatives
• Ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, and escalate critical issues promptly via the Head of COO Office
• Strong critical thinking and commercial judgement, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and ensure decisions are based on robust evidence
• Low ego, high ambition, humility, open-mindedness
• Passion for media and creative industry desired, previous experience not required but advantageous

Location

Based in Hamburg (Germany) or London (UK)

Earliest possible starting date

01.01.2026

We are a media business focused on creating content that matters to millions of people across Europe. Our offering extends from print and online publishing to audio broadcasting and entertainment, alongside investments in other media related sectors. With more than 500 million copies sold each year, we are one of Europe’s largest Publishers. From women’s and celebrities’ magazines to TV listings to food and special interest, we own some of the most popular publishing brands in Germany, UK, Poland and France – both digital and print. But not only that. Reaching over 61 million listeners weekly, we operate over 150 radio and podcast brands in nine countries, spanning the UK, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Portugal. Family-owned in the 5th generation, Bauer Media focuses on the long-term, with a consumer-first mindset that guides us across our diverse portfolio. Our workforce of 12,000 shares a common purpose: to deliver content and services that enrich people‘s everyday lives.

We want to inspire not only our customers, we also want to inspire our colleagues. How? By giving you the opportunity to take on responsibility and by offering you a long-term perspective.

You can also benefit from our attractive offers:

• Individual solutions for the flexible organisation of working hours and location
• Targeted and individual training for your professional and personal development
• A central location in Hamburg's city centre with good transport options (bus & train)
• Subsidy for Deutschlandticket & bike leasing
• Effective health management (e.g. health week, free sports programmes & Wellhub)
• 30 days of holiday & frequent events for employees
• Company restaurant, free magazines & various discounts via corporate benefits
• A culture in which personal responsibility, teamwork and creativity are valued and you have room for creativity and for exciting and challenging tasks

If you are looking for an independent position and would like to enrich our existing team with fresh impulses, we look forward to receiving your complete application documents.

Your contact for this position is Kieron (Freigang).

We are an international employer and equal opportunities are important to us. That's why we welcome everyone in their uniqueness, regardless of e.g. religion, gender, skin color, disability in our house.

Req ID: 3239