BBC Media Action Recruitment for Graduate Business Development Associates (2 Positions)

The BBC is the leading international broadcaster in Africa reaching a weekly audience of more than 100 million on Radio, TV, Digital (language sites and bbcafrica.com), Mobile and Social Media. We broadcast to Africa in English, Hausa, Somali, French, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kiswahili & Arabic. We are committed to broadcasting to and from the continent in a style that meets the demands of our growing audience and as well as our language services, our presence in the region is also defined by our bureaux, special correspondents and bilingual reporters. We are committed to delivering news and information to people across Africa and insights from Africa to audiences around the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Business Development Associate, West Africa

Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Reports to: Business Development Manager, Southern
Grade: Local Recruit
Slot: 2

Overall Purpose of the Job

• To help maintain and enhance business activities in Nigeria, reporting to the Business Development Manager, Southern and West Africa. This includes starting, maintaining and developing partnerships across all platforms promoting English, Pidgin and Igbo/Yoruba content. To ensure that these partnerships build the BBC’s audience and that partners are given great customer service.

Main Duties

• To take responsibility for day-to-day partner management, including updating partners with programming information and schedule changes, co-ordinating marketing activity and working on new initiatives.
• To liaise with partners on day-to-day queries, content placement, publicity and, where appropriate, invoice payments and debt collection.
• To help implement the strategy for exploiting market opportunities, including the identification of appropriate targets for business development.
• To work with the Business Development team for Southern and West Africa to deliver the Business Development Plan with accountability for agreed audiences, traffic and partner acquisition objectives for the market.
• To be a media market expert, understanding and sharing key media market insights and changes, highlighting the activities of competitors, and recommending appropriate action to influence the regulatory environment in the BBC’s interest.
• To work closely with partners in Nigeria and implement and maintain a strong client-focused plan.
• To work with BBC lawyers and the Business Development team, assisting with contract negotiations wherever required, enabling the BBC to form long- term relationships and secure distribution outlets that make BBC journalism more widely available without compromising the BBC’s reputation, independence or editorial integrity.
• To maintain and manage appropriate information and finance systems, reporting periodically on performance against targets. To be responsible for market and partner updates in the CRM system.
• To work closely with World Service English, appropriate language services, Marketing and Distribution & Transmission to ensure broadcasting and online partners receive the best possible service.
• From time to time to help organise specific BBC-led projects, training and events.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Considerable experience of working in a sales and marketing, business development and/or editorial environment.
• Experience in sales techniques including negotiating, influencing and networking skills
• A deep understanding of Nigeria’s media and telecoms environment and distribution/delivery systems with a strong contacts book and a detailed appreciation of likely market developments.
• A demonstrable ability to maintain and manage information and finance processes and systems.
• Demonstrable track record of delivering results to agreed timetables.
• First class presentation skills.
• Ability to liaise authoritatively both within the BBC and with outside organisations, covering a range of editorial and business interests.
• Ability to gain a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of BBC Commercial and Editorial Guidelines and the BBC’s international strategy.
• Good knowledge of relevant BBC World Service output in all media.
• A high standard of written business English and fluency in English, Igbo/Yoruba and Pidgin.

Competencies
The following competencies (behaviours and characteristics) have been identified as key to success in the job. Successful candidates are expected to demonstrate these competencies:

• Judgement - demonstrates balanced and objective judgement based on a thorough understanding of BBC editorial guidelines, target audience, programme and department objectives. Makes the right decisions, taking account of conflicting views where necessary.
• Analytical Thinking - Able to simplify complex problems, processes or projects into component parts, explore and evaluate them systematically. Able to identify causal relationships, and construct frameworks, for problem-solving and/or development.
• Decision Making - His ready and able to take the initiative, originate action and be responsible for the consequences of the decision made.
• Imagination / Creative Thinking - His able to transform creative ideas/impulses into practical reality. Can look at existing situations and problems in novel ways and come up with creative solutions.
• Planning and Organisation - His able to think ahead in order to establish an efficient and appropriate course of action for self and others. Prioritises and plans activities taking into account all the relevant issues and factors such as deadlines, staffing and resources requirements.
• Resilience - Can maintain personal effectiveness by managing own emotions in the face of pressure, setbacks or when dealing with provocative situations. Can demonstrate an approach to work that is characterised by commitment, motivation and energy.
• Influencing and Persuading - Ability to present sound and well-reasoned arguments to convince others. Can draw from a range of strategies to persuade people in a way that results in agreement or behaviour change.
• Communication - The ability to get one’s message understood clearly by adopting a range of styles, tools and techniques appropriate to the audience and the nature of the information.
• Change Management - Can understand and anticipate the need for change. Builds frameworks to plan and manage the continuous process of change.
• Business Management - His able to understand commercial imperatives and trading relationships, appropriately applies business principles in terms of costs, the market and added value.
• Managing relationships - Able to build and maintain effective working relationships with a range of people.
• Self-Development - His able to identify and apply opportunities for learning and development.

Application Closing Date
5th January, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online