Head of Operations, BARB

Media help partners understand the changing advertising landscape. Specialising in audience measurement, consumer targeting and in-depth intelligence into paid, owned and earned media, their global coverage and local expertise enable better understanding of media audiences and their relationships with brands.

Kantar Media is a wholly owned but operationally independent part of the Kantar Group.

Job Details

The Barb service is one of the largest and most complex of Kantar Media’s global operations delivering a complete range of cross media audience measurement services to the UK market. Kantar Media has held the Barb panel measurement and data processing contract since 2010 and the current contract period runs until 2029.

The latest contract (starting in 2024) has seen a major step change in scope and deliverables, with a complete refresh of metering and back-end technology as well a 40% increase in the size of the Barb panel itself. The set-up phase was completed successfully, and the primary goal now is to drive performance and efficiencies in panel management and data reporting to new levels.

The Head of Operations is responsible for the planning and operational execution of performance improvements and maintaining high standards in all areas of responsibility. The role has responsibility for the strategic leadership of a large group of people, for managing and improving supplier relationships and for driving a programme of continuous improvement both within the operations function and in the key client deliverables and SLAs.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership, careful planning, and first-class operational execution.
• Act as a key trusted advisor to the Barb Executive Team to discuss and explain all aspects of end-to-end operational performance and advise on future operational planning considerations.
• Develop a close working relationship with the Barb Client Services team, anticipating client requests and responding to issues in a coordinated and timely manner.
• Manage the performance of a panel of over 8,500 homes, ensuring that engagement and compliance is maximised and daily data reporting meets the client’s targets.
• Align the Operations financials, SLAs, KPIs and projects with business needs, meeting and exceeding client SLAs and financial budgets. Responsible for managing the Barb Operations budget, financial planning and follow-up. Own and lead on the Barb Operations budget planning and quarterly forecasting with other stakeholders.
• Data Operations leadership. Timeliness and quality of the client data we deliver (24/7, 365 days) is critical to the service we deliver and our clients. Leadership of and delivering high standards of performance and management in data operations is a critical role.
• Manage key supplier relationships and negotiate successful supplier contracts with effective KPIs and SLAs.
• Liaise with global product development and support functions to provide feedback on technology performance and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the service offering.
  
  

Skills/Experience

• Strong background in operational leadership. Ideally possess experience in both field and office based operational team where performance management, responsiveness and agility are critical.
• Knowledge of data operations and data quality control. Experienced leader of data delivery and data quality control teams working to tight, always on timelines where exceptional quality of data is required.
• Provide inspirational leadership to a large group of operational staff distributed across the UK and drive initiatives to improve productivity and performance. Develop the team and change mindsets. Motivate and inspire others through leadership and demonstration of required behaviours.
• Foster a Continuous Improvement mindset and promote innovative or transformational ideas. Be open-minded and curious, seeking out diverse perspectives from within the team and supporting functions.
• Possess a strong commercial acumen with a good understanding of the key audience measurement requirements of broadcasters and the Television and video streaming industry in the UK. Anticipate developments and enable the team to capture opportunities for innovation and growth.
• Have a strong interpersonal impact and manage internal and external relationships effectively. Create a culture of trust, openness, cooperation, collaboration and teamwork.
• Focus on delivering results, setting and achieving stretch goals. Tackle difficult decisions head on, take ownership and make things happen.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be willing to approach and seek guidance and assistance from across Kantar Media, including the Product, Technology, HR and Finance teams as well as other audience measurement services. (This is especially pertinent for an external replacement).
  
  

Country

United Kingdom

Why join Kantar?

We pride ourselves on understanding people, and what makes us think and act the way we do.

And because we know people, we like to make sure our own people are being looked after as well. Equality of opportunity for everyone is our highest priority and we support our colleagues to work in a way that supports their health and wellbeing. While we encourage teams to spend part of their working week in the office, we understand no one size fits all; our approach is flexible to ensure everybody feels included, accepted, and that we can win together. We’re dedicated to creating an inclusive culture and value the diversity of our people, clients, suppliers and communities, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds and sections of society. Even if you feel like you’re not an exact match, we’d love to receive your application and talk to you about this job or others at Kantar.