Vice President, Production Management & Operations, UK & Europe - WBD Sports

London, England, United Kingdom

12/20/2024

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is seeking an experienced Vice President of Production Management & Operations for its UK & European operations. This senior position is responsible for overseeing, motivating and driving the production management team who work across a range of sports productions from the Olympics to Tennis Grand Slams, Cycling Grand Tours, Winter Sports, Motorsports, Football, Rugby and much more. This role will be pivotal in ensuring that the company’s productions are delivered on time, within budget, and aligned to the editorial directive.

This role will be based in London, reporting to the Group Senior Vice President of Content, Production & Business Operations, WBD Sports Europe.

Key Responsibilities

• Production Management & Operational Leadership:
• Lead and manage Production Management and Operational teams across the UK and Europe, ensuring alignment with WBD’s sports strategy, objectives, and editorial vision.
• Oversee all work performed by the production management team, optimizing workflows, operational processes, and cost efficiencies across our regions.
• Oversee the planning, coordination, and execution of all production management-related activities, including pre-production, production, and post-production. Ensure production management activities are delivered on time and on budget.
• Manage a diverse team of production managers, coordinators, and operational staff across our European Offices, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture.
• Implement training and development initiatives to upskill production teams, ensuring continuous professional growth.
• Budget and Resource Management:
• Collaborate with finance and other global corporate teams to set production budgets, manage cost control, and resource allocation effectively across productions and projects.
• Negotiate vendor contracts, and manage relationships with selected external suppliers, and local production service providers.
• Work closely with our People & Culture team and external partners on hiring and contracting our flexible workforce for sports productions as needed. Work with these partners to ensure smooth workflows.
• Stakeholder Management & Cross-functional Collaboration:
• Partner with and work with stakeholders from across our global business from various departments such as: Content & Production teams, Operational teams, Technology, Digital, Finance, Legal, Sales and other teams as needed.
• Proactively manage and resolve issues as they arise, ensuring that potential conflicts are addressed and navigated effectively. Escalate matters as needed to the Group Senior Vice President of the department, ensuring alignment with departmental priorities and objectives while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and managing any political dynamics
• We are a very global business so the role-holder must be flexible and able to work across multiple time zones.
• Risk Management & Compliance:
• Identify and mitigate operational risks, ensuring teams remain compliant with health and safety regulations, legal requirements, and local production rules across multiple territories.
• Manage any operational challenges that arise during production, providing solutions to ensure the operational realities align with the editorial objectives
  

Other Responsibilities

• This role involves periodic travel to sports events to support production across the UK and Europe.
  
  

Your Experience

• Significant proven experience in production management and operations, with a strong background in overseeing sports productions across the UK and Europe.
• Senior leadership experience, with a demonstrated ability to manage and inspire multi-functional teams across diverse regions.
• Expertise in budgeting, financial management, and cost control within the media and entertainment industry.
• Deep knowledge of the production landscape in the UK and Europe.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate with senior leadership, creative teams, and external partners.
• A deep understanding of production methodologies, and industry best practices.
• Experience working in a medium to large size media company is helpful but not essential.
• Robust leadership, team-building, and people management capabilities.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with the ability to anticipate challenges and develop effective solutions.
• Excellent analytical skills, with a solid understanding of production data and key performance metrics.
• Knowledge of post-production, distribution, and delivery workflows.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet tight deadlines.
  
  

Hybrid Working - This role is advertised as a Hybrid work model, that combines remote and in-office work, following our current company policy and to be agreed with your Line Manager. Subject to any applicable laws, WBD / your Line Manager reserves the right to change this working agreement where this is essential to business needs and upon reasonable notice to you.

How We Get Things Done…

This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.

Championing Inclusion at WBD

Warner Bros. Discovery embraces the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society and the world around us. Being an equal opportunity employer means that we take seriously our responsibility to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit, regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other category protected by law.

If you’re a qualified candidate with a disability and you require adjustments or accommodations during the job application and/or recruitment process, please visit our accessibility page for instructions to submit your request.