VP, Business Development & Partnerships

Company Details

Company: BBC Studios, Direct-to-Consumer

Office: BritBox Office Hub, New York

Location: New York (Hybrid)

Reports To: SVP, Business Development & GM, BBC Select

Direct Report: Senior Business Development Manager

Employment Type: Full Time

Welcome to BBC Studios Direct-to-Consumer, the go-to streaming destination for the best of British entertainment.

Born of the BBC, BritBox brings authentic British stories to audiences around the world. Since launching in 2017, BritBox has expanded into seven markets, including North America, Australia, and the Nordics. We are a small but ambitious streaming business, available on every major distribution platform and continuing to grow rapidly.

BritBox offers an unparalleled collection of new and iconic British mysteries, dramas, comedies, documentaries, and more. From acclaimed new series to beloved classics, our carefully curated catalogue has helped build a loyal audience around the world.

As part of BBC Studios’ Direct-to-Consumer portfolio, BBC Select sits alongside BritBox, delivering premium factual content directly to consumers. The integration of BBC Select into the broader BritBox organisation creates opportunities to leverage shared capabilities, accelerate growth, and enhance the customer experience.

BBC Select launched in February 2021 and has established itself as the third-largest documentary streaming service in the United States. Through original commissions, territorial premieres, and expansion across new distribution platforms, BBC Select continues to serve a highly engaged audience seeking premium educational content.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a fast-growing business where you can play a meaningful role in shaping the future of British streaming entertainment worldwide.

The VP, Business Development & Partnerships will lead the growth and partnership strategy for BBC Studios’ Direct-to-Consumer portfolio, including BritBox and BBC Select.

Reporting to the SVP, Business Development & GM, BBC Select, this role is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and executing strategic growth opportunities that drive subscriber acquisition, revenue growth, audience expansion, and long-term enterprise value.

The successful candidate will own key distribution and platform relationships across North America, lead complex commercial negotiations, and develop innovative partnership models that advance the strategic objectives of the business.

Working closely with Product, Marketing, Finance, Content, and Operations teams, the VP will play a critical role in shaping the future direction of BBC Studios’ rapidly growing DTC business.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring a commercially minded executive with strategic thinking, strong industry relationships, analytical capability, and exceptional negotiation skills.

Business Development & Growth Strategy

• Lead the development and execution of the Direct-to-Consumer business development strategy.

• Identify new opportunities for revenue growth, audience expansion, and market penetration.

• Evaluate and prioritize strategic partnerships, distribution opportunities, and commercial initiatives aligned with business objectives.

• Develop business cases including market analysis, financial modelling, ROI assessments, and success metrics.

• Drive cross-functional alignment and execution across strategic growth initiatives.

• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives on behalf of the SVP and broader DTC leadership team.

Partner Management

• Own and manage the portfolio of platform, distribution, and strategic partners across North America.

• Build and maintain senior executive relationships across key industry stakeholders, distributors, platforms, and strategic partners.

• Identify new commercial opportunities within existing partnerships while expanding the overall partner ecosystem.

• Influence partner roadmaps and strategic priorities to maximise mutual value creation.

Deal Negotiation & Execution

• Structure, negotiate, and execute complex commercial agreements, renewals, and strategic partnerships.

• Lead negotiation strategy, commercial planning, and financial deal modelling.

• Oversee contract governance and ensure compliance with commercial terms and renewal milestones.

• Establish success metrics, performance indicators, and accountability frameworks for major partnerships.

• Continuously evaluate partnership performance and recommend improvements to commercial outcomes.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop the Senior Business Development Manager.

• Foster a high-performing, collaborative culture.

• Influence stakeholders across multiple functions and seniority levels.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on partnership strategy, market developments, and emerging opportunities.

• Is a strategic and commercially minded leader with a proven ability to identify and execute growth opportunities.

• Has deep experience developing and launching new business initiatives, partnerships, and distribution models.

• Is an accomplished negotiator with a track record of structuring and closing complex commercial agreements.

• Brings significant experience managing strategic partnerships and executive-level stakeholder relationships.

• Combines analytical rigour with sound commercial judgement.

• Is an exceptional communicator who can influence both external partners and internal stakeholders.

• Demonstrates strong leadership capability and thrives in collaborative, fast-paced environments.

• Can synthesise complex information into compelling business recommendations and strategic narratives.

• Exhibits high emotional intelligence, excellent relationship-building skills, and a low-ego, team-first mindset.

• Seasoned experience in business development, partnerships, strategy, or commercial leadership within media, technology, or streaming.

• Deep understanding of the North American media, television, and digital distribution landscape.

• Significant experience with direct-to-consumer subscription businesses, streaming platforms, or digital media services.

• Proven track record of negotiating and managing large-scale distribution, platform, and commercial partnerships.

• Strong network of senior relationships across streaming platforms, digital distributors, MVPDs, and the broader media ecosystem.

• Demonstrated success leading complex negotiations and delivering measurable commercial outcomes.

• Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.

• MBA or equivalent advanced business experience preferred.

Salary Range: $200 -220K base salary + competitive benefits + bonus potential

Please note that the salary range is intended to give as an indicator of the salaries that could be attributed to the breadth or experience for a given role. All candidates will be measured based on their level of experience.

Our Values

Our BritBox Global Values not only represent our culture but also ensure that we have principles that shape everything we do. Defined by our employees, they are not just words on a page, but the foundation of how we work together, every day.

Our values have been cascaded into specific behaviours, which are embedded into all of our people processes, including hiring, onboarding, performance evaluation and feedback.

We are proud of our values and seek to hire people who resonate with them

This job spec is not exhaustive and may change from time to time in line with the evolving nature of a dynamic and growing business.