Assistant & programme coordinator, Comedy

Closing date: 27th October 2024

Salary: Basic starting salary of £35,000 per annum, dependent on experience

Department: Comedy 

Reports to: Head of Comedy

Are you an energetic team player hungry to learn from the best in the business? Work on some of the UK's most iconic comedies in this mid-level role!

The multi-award winning Comedy Department is one of the key commissioning areas at Channel 4. Its commissioning brief is diverse and covers all scripted comedy across Channel 4. Recent shows have included: Derry Girls, Stath Lets Flats, Big Boys, Friday Night Dinner, The Change, We Are Lady Parts, The Windsors, Big Mood and Everyone Else Burns. The department is one of the smallest at C4. The team is tight knit, passionate, hard-working, challenging and collaborative. This job would suit a smart, confident, energetic, team player eager to learn and make a role their own at broadcaster with a unique comedy legacy.

We’re after someone highly organised and proactive with a genuine passion for scripted comedy, knowledge of the UK comedy landscape and a hunger to learn, streamline working processes and support a busy team to help get the best out of our brilliant projects and all of our time working at Channel 4.

The role

• High level administrative support to the team including diary management, travel arrangements, dealing with general correspondence and expense filing.
• Managing journey of contracts and programmes from point of development/commission through to delivery and beyond. 
• The role also supports the Commissioning Editors through the project management of all relevant editorial/compliance processes managing the journey of programmes from the initial pitch and commissioning decision, through to delivery and beyond.
• Support Commissioning Editors with all paperwork and programme support and develop a detailed knowledge of department output.
• Manage all relevant Editorial/Compliance processes by working with the channel’s legal teams.
• Responsible for smooth functioning of the department at all levels; including attending meetings, distributing programme ratings, and managing the award entry process.
• Management and accountability for all departmental systems.
• Arranging team events both in London and across the UK including Comedy Festivals, New Talent Schemes and scouting opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Assistant to the Head of Comedy and 3 Commissioning Editors in the Comedy providing full administrative support including diary management, travel arrangements, arranging events, dealing with general correspondence and expenses filing.
• Set up and manage systems in the department, including all compliance processes.
• Assist with special projects, reports, presentations and some meeting minutes.
• Review all programmes and materials that have been delivered for broadcast, alerting Commissioning Editors and relevant parties of any issues that will need addressing.
• Complete Programme Certifications and Language Forms for all department output and communicating Warning/Flagging and Viewer Support details.
• To be jointly responsible with the Commissioning Editor for editorial/compliance issues on specified series with appropriate reference-up to the commissioner and/or legal & compliance as and where appropriate.
• Close monitoring of contract delivery, liaising regularly with external suppliers and Channel 4 departments on any issues
• Monitor the progress of different programmes once they have been commissioned, including liaising with various departments throughout Commissioning (such as the scheduling teams, press, programme management, marketing, presentation and legal) and alerting the relevant teams of any last-minute changes, reversions, or delivery problems. 
• For each new commission, raise a project form via our internal systems, and coordinate the completion and return of editorial specification forms with the relevant production company.
• Raise all project forms and coordinate Editorial Specification forms for the department through ‘Commissioning Cycle’.
• Dubbing and editing of output as requested for ‘Programme Review’ and other departmental sessions, and help source programmes for showreels.
• Responsible for compliance editing of output. Re-versioning of licensed contracts to Channel 4 technical specification when required.
• Track ratings and performance of programmes, distributing as required and adding to Bible.
• Act as custodian of department’s archive (Commissions, Pre-Purchases and Licences). This will include monitoring the channel schedule for repeats, re-watching materials as necessary, and communicating with the relevant teams on any contributor or other subsequent issues which may require action.
• Supervise any compliance edits of department’s output as required.
• Ensure that all programmes due to be broadcast have been approved by the legal team and the Commissioning Editor ahead of the weekly press deadlines.
• Update the internal General Enquiry system with all information related to the programme, including with correct programme titles and slots using ‘Programme Maintenance’.
• Work with our Festivals team to enter programmes into any awards where they may be eligible, and coordinate the completion of the entry forms with the production company.
• Weekly update and distribute department programme ‘Bible’.
• Help to manage awards entries for the department.
• Mandatory attendance at regular editorial and compliance training sessions for Commissioning Programme Coordinators.
• Daily distribution of department Viewer Enquiries.
• Monitor the department’s adherence to the Creative Diversity Guidelines, updating the spreadsheet and flagging when issues occur.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Demonstrable interest in television and the media.
• Keen interest in Comedy.
• Solid experience in a demanding, fast paced environment.
• Proven ability to cope in a very busy environment and to perform in high-pressured situations to be able to manage several tasks at once.
• Proven ability to prioritise tasks and work effectively without supervision.
• Methodical approach to monitoring projects.
• To always display a helpful attitude whilst managing diaries carefully and sensitively.
• To have initiative, but also be able to respond to orders and have a willingness to do whatever is required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven ability to be part of a team, work well with others in an open-plan department and deal politely with visitors from other companies.
• Possess a keen attitude and a willingness to learn.
• Flexibility, patience, perseverance and commitment to get the job done.
• Proven ability to work with confidential materials and issues.
• Excellent IT skills, including all Microsoft Office programmes - Outlook, Word, Excel.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• High level of organisation skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Ability to make judgements about when to refer issues to the relevant people.
• Punctual at all times.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the TV production process, including compliance, press and publicity.
• Understanding of the Ofcom Broadcasting Code.
• Video and photo editing skills may be useful to the role, but not essential. 

Hybrid working

From September 2023, C4 has operated a 60/40 working pattern, equating to three office days per week. 

Having everyone in the office three days a week gives us more opportunity to build our high performing, inclusive culture; to collaborate and to learn and share with each other, as well as helping to coordinate a regular pattern of home and office working days. Employees then have the flexibility to decide where they spend the rest of the working week. All our offices are open five days a week.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries. 

Please include in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.