Head of Business Affairs

Head of Business Affairs

Department:  Production
Location: London
Contact type:  Perm
Full Time/Part time:  Full Time
Reporting into:  Chief Production Officer

About Ogilvy: 

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Specializing in brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence, and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science, Ogilvy UK crafts world-class, award-winning creative campaigns that solve business challenges for global brands including Molson Coors (owner of Madrí beer), Valeo Foods UK (owner of Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey), Argos, Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx, and Pernod Ricard.

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated its 75th anniversary as the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally and hosts Nudgestock, the world’s biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, now in its 12th year.

At Ogilvy, creativity and strategy are never separate. Our goal is to foster an environment where talent thrives and where innovative ideas drive measurable results.

The Role:

As the Head of Business Affairs, you will be an essential part of Ogilvy’s leadership team, ensuring the successful delivery of high-profile productions across all media. Your expertise in business affairs will play a pivotal role in balancing the creative and business objectives of global projects while ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks. You will collaborate closely with internal teams and clients, leveraging your strategic insights and extensive industry knowledge to keep Ogilvy’s reputation for excellence intact.

Key responsibilities include overseeing the business aspects of productions, managing talent relationships, structuring deals, and ensuring the smooth flow of information between legal teams, clients, and agency departments. Your role will also involve educating staff on industry standards and resources, while promoting an environment of continuous learning and collaboration.

Key Skills:

• Extensive Experience: At least 10 years’ experience in business affairs, with significant experience in production-related agreements across multiple platforms.
• Leadership & Influence: Strong interpersonal and leadership skills to guide teams and stakeholders effectively while maintaining a clear focus on objectives.
• Contract Expertise: Expertise in navigating and negotiating contracts for a range of mediums, including film, stills, digital, and branded content, as well as familiarity with guilds (e.g., SAG, ACTRA) and union rules.
• Global Perspective: Experience working on global projects, managing international rights, licensing, and royalties, with an understanding of cultural and legal considerations.
• Proactive Problem Solver: Ability to identify potential risks early in the process and develop creative solutions that align with both legal and business requirements.
• Industry Thought Leadership: Staying current with the latest trends, regulations, and best practices in production, media law, and business affairs.
• Relationship Management: Building and nurturing long-term relationships with clients, talent agents, outside counsel, and production partners.
• Effective Negotiator: Proven track record of successfully negotiating complex contracts, while balancing client needs with financial constraints and legal frameworks.
• Detail-Oriented: Exceptional organizational skills, with a focus on maintaining comprehensive records and ensuring all relevant parties have access to essential documentation and information.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Collaboration Across Teams: Work cross-functionally with senior leaders in creative, strategy, and production teams to ensure business goals align with creative execution.
• Client-facing Role: Serve as the primary point of contact for clients on all business affairs matters, ensuring transparent communication and the effective management of expectations.
• Educational Leadership: Share knowledge of industry best practices with internal teams and clients, elevating the agency’s overall understanding of business affairs.
• Innovation: Encourage the development of new business models and explore innovative solutions to business challenges, including new formats, platforms, and partnerships.

Requirements:

• Industry Expertise: In-depth knowledge of the APA & IPA guidelines, as well as expertise in the full spectrum of content production.
• Strategic Insight: Ability to evaluate and assess new opportunities with a strategic lens, offering insights that benefit both clients and Ogilvy.
• Legal & Risk Management: Experience providing risk-balanced legal advice and effectively managing risk in contract negotiations.
• Relationship Builder: Ability to cultivate strong relationships with clients, talent, vendors, and internal teams, ensuring trust and collaboration across all areas.
• Crisis Management: Able to handle situations under pressure and manage complex challenges with grace and professionalism.

How we help you Thrive:

• Professional Development: At Ogilvy, your growth is our priority. We offer continuous opportunities to expand your skillset, whether through formal training, mentorship, or on-the-job learning experiences.
• Health & Wellbeing: From physical fitness to mental wellness, we invest in our people. Enjoy benefits such as gym memberships, health tools, and annual eye tests.
• Work-Life Balance: Embrace flexibility with our hybrid working model. You’ll enjoy the benefits of remote work, with core office hours that ensure productivity while supporting personal well-being.
• Generous Leave: 25 days of annual leave plus an additional Volunteer Day, giving you time to recharge and contribute to causes that matter to you.
• Pension & Security: Our 1.5:1 matching pension scheme ensures your financial future is secure, along with life insurance for added peace of mind.

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.

We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments from us to support you through the process or expect to require any adjustments to working conditions to be able to best perform in the role, please let us know. We are happy to consider all reasonable adjustments.

If you live with a disability and you would like to take advantage of our offer of a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure you fill out our voluntary Equal Opportunities Questionnaire when applying.