Vacancies at BBC World Service

As Regional Head of Business & Operations, you’ll work closely with one of our new Regional Directors and report to the Director of International Business & Operations. Together, you’ll ensure our bureaux across the region are safe, resilient, and strategically aligned to support our world class journalism. 

You’ll be responsible for leading business operations across a diverse and often complex region, including areas affected by conflict, ensuring our teams, infrastructure, and systems are robust, agile, and fit for purpose. Your work will directly support the BBC’s editorial and commercial ambitions, helping us reach audiences with trusted and impartial news wherever they are. 

What you'll be doing

• Providing strategic leadership across the region to ensure the delivery and performance of core business services 
• Partnering with the Regional Director to align operations with editorial and commercial priorities 
• Driving operational efficiency and value for money, ensuring resources are focused where they matter most 
• Leading digital transformation and innovation in how we work 
• Embedding strong governance, risk management, and compliance across all bureaux 
• Supporting teams in high-risk environments with calm, decisive leadership and a focus on wellbeing 
• Managing the regional property portfolio and overseeing vendor contracts 
• Leading and developing diverse, geographically dispersed teams 
• Championing sustainability and embedding it into operational practice 
• Building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including trade unions 

What we are looking for

We’re seeking a strategic, resilient leader who can bring clarity and direction in complex environments. You’ll need to be confident working across cultures and geographies, and comfortable navigating ambiguity and change. You’ll also bring: 

• Significant experience in business operations, ideally in a global or media setting 
• Strong leadership and people management skills, particularly across dispersed teams 
• A sound understanding of financial planning and budget management 
• Deep expertise in governance, compliance, and risk management 
• Experience managing property, infrastructure, and supplier relationships 
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills 
• The ability to lead through crisis and support teams in high-pressure situations 
• A commitment to inclusion, sustainability, and wellbeing in the workplace 
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity to regional contexts 

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PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Working as part of a centralised People Services team you’ll be embedded within the Nairobi bureau and supporting 2 International HR Business Partners (Africa and MENA) where you will gain an understanding of the challenges and priorities of these regions and provide support which enables the delivery of world class content to our audiences.  

Supported by a UK based centralised HR Advisory Service, you will act as a trusted advisor to your regions, understanding and supporting delivery of the people strategy, but also supporting on a wide range of day to day HR issues and projects. You’ll manage stakeholder relationships, not only with the business managers but also across the wider HR function drawing on the specialist advice and support from Centre of Excellence teams such as Reward, HR Systems and Data Analytics. This role is an amazing opportunity to develop a wide range of HR skills to grow your career. 

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT: 

• This role offers scope for development and improvement of your existing skills as an HR generalist.  
• Support the International HR Business Partner in developing and implementing solutions aligned to the people strategy to improve organisation effectiveness 
• Work closely with the International HR Business Partners to ensure that tools and policies are aligned, enhance employee engagement and ultimately improve performance. 
• Collaborate across the People Services Team and Centres of Excellence to deliver services and promote HR services and support 
• Act as a point of escalation for complex queries and requests received by the team 
• Participate in projects, leading and promoting, as appropriate the BBC’s reputation as a global organisation and employer of choice. 
• Be an ambassador for the International HR team and represent the BBC HR internally and externally (as appropriate). 
• Confidently operate autonomously and at pace  

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE 

You will have previous experience in a HR generalist role, either at Specialist or Senior Advisor level. You will be confident to work in a matrix organisation and excel at collaborative working in a complex environment. You will be a great communicator that can build relationships at all levels, and be pro-active to take initiative with problem solving. You will also be comfortable working with data. 

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA: 

• Experience of supporting Francophone region and fluency in French 
• Experience of supporting employees in Union environments 
• Evidence of working with stakeholders (with client groups, contracting for work and a focus on managing expectations)  
• Breath of experience across areas such as pay, data, people practices, and development 
• Previous experience of managing / enabling change activity within an organisation (restructuring and reorganisation)   
• Evidence of working with data with an ability to draw insight and develop compelling stories 
• Examples of supporting continuous improvement, and demonstrating curiosity of approach 
• Evidence of a focus on people experience