Overview of the role
A head of development is the most senior person on the development team. They are responsible for maintaining and growing a slate of ideas, driving the overall development strategy and leading the team to win commissions. They build and nurture relationships with commissioners and talent and foster ‘access’ relationships with organisations and other places of interest. They are also responsible for the day-to-day management of the development team. The head of development works closely with the creative director and managing director (MD).
Core responsibilities
These core responsibilities are provided as a guide and are not exhaustive. The exact responsibilities in a particular job will vary depending on the scale / budget band / genre of the production.
- Work to targets, either financial or commissioning hours, which have been identified by the creative director and MD
- Understand the business ambitions of the company and have a clear plan for how to use department resources and the development team to achieve these aims
- Identify the most appropriate genre departments/commissioners for the company
- Build and nurture commissioner relationships by organising regular meetings
- Pitch confidently to the creative director, MD and commissioning editors and be well prepared for follow-up questions
- Respond to commissioner interest in ideas in a timely fashion, observing their points and feedback
- Be alert to new opportunities, tenders and funding
- Create relationships that give access to opportunities
- Maximise the value of an idea by exploring additional opportunities such as online content, apps, and, where possible, merchandising
- Understand budgets when developing an idea, ensure that ideas are possible to deliver within the tariff of the department/time slot
- Conduct interviews and hire new team members
- Employ diversely by advertising widely and using fair and transparent recruitment practices
- Understand the strengths and weakness of individuals within the team
- Identify and address skills gaps
- Monitor the day-to-day tasks and workflow of the team, delegate responsibilities according to experience and ability
- Set clear and realistic deadlines for delivery
- Ensure that internal and external deadlines are met by monitoring team output
- Provide informal and formal feedback for each member of the development team
- Identify gaps in the TV market and recognise new trends in programmes in the UK and globally
- Log and manage ideas on a development slate and regularly update this document with new ideas and remove inactive/rejected ideas
- Set-up brainstorming meetings using commissioner steers, briefings and programming trends to inform the topic or starting point
- Employ brainstorming techniques that generate new ideas and original ways of thinking
- Categorise, collate and group ideas from brainstorming sessions, filter and select ideas which align best with commissioner needs and ensure new ideas are logged
- Keep a clear record of where ideas have been pitched, any feedback and next steps
- Delegate tasks to the development team that ensure both new and existing ideas are developed at the right pace
- Be selective and strategic in prioritising ideas for further development
- Understand how to adapt rejected ideas to make them appropriate for other broadcasters
- Demonstrate consistent and clear leadership
- Be a point of contact for questions from the team
- Ensure all voices on the development team are heard
- Nurture and develop skills within the team by providing feedback to tasks
- Provide new opportunities that challenge and grow the experience of individuals on the team
- Be alert to and share new training opportunities for team members
- Build a resilient team by fostering a collaborative and healthy working environment
- Manage team morale including when ideas are rejected or slow commissioning periods
- Lead on the format, shape and narrative of each development project and deck
- Use editorial instinct and experience to develop the most compelling and original programmes
- Set a high standard for decks and pitch materials, ensuring that ideas reflect the tone of the channel/timeslot
- Advise the team in designing materials that will best sell an idea or format and give clear feedback
- Review research from the team, identify gaps and provide direction
- Ensure facts and stats have been appropriately sourced and adequately fact checked
- Listen and respond to commissioning editor feedback, understand and incorporate feedback points and be willing to defend and adapt ideas
- Liaise directly with talent agencies and agents to identify the best established and up and coming talent
- Meet with established and new talent to develop and brainstorm ideas
- Pitch ideas to established talent via agents
- Maintain contact with talent and inform them of any developments
- Assess the practical and financial implications of a project and shape ideas in a way that make them possible to realise for a specific tariff
- Explore the practical requirements of a project including staffing and scheduling
- Lead on projects with significant interest or funding
- Create running orders and scripts that reflect financial or practical considerations and challenges
- Assist in creating budgets for funded development projects alongside head of production or production manager
- Be confident in implementing GDPR data protection rules
- Ensure that personal data is stored in a safe and appropriate way, with limited access
- Be aware of relevant compliance issues - this may include considerations such as impartiality, accuracy, conflicts of interest or managing secret filming
- Understand broadcaster editorial and compliance guidelines and Ofcom rules and regulations
- Identify vulnerable contributors and implement appropriate duty of care and safeguarding measures
- Where necessary, understand the rules and guiding principles for working with children
Skills
Check out role specific skills, transferable skills and attributes for the role of head of development.
- Planning team workflow in order to ensure internal and external deadlines are met
- Networking and liaising with other departments, working closely with other heads of departments, creative directors and managing directors
- Demonstrate best practice in all aspects of work and management to build creative and resilient teams
- Communication: communicate the requirements of the development team at a senior level with a variety of internal and external organisations and individuals
- Team-working: collaboration within own and with other departments and external organisations
- Problem-solving: assessing ideas for practical, editorial, and financial considerations, creatively adapt to different requirements
- Deliver under pressure: responding quickly to the needs of the team and responding to urgent deadlines calmly and efficiently
- Management: manage the development team, uphold ethics, and maintain respect when dealing with others
- Support and encourage junior members of the team
- Set etiquette: the roles and responsibilities within development teams and the etiquette to follow
- Resilience: adapt positively to changing work priorities and patterns, ensuring deadlines continue to be met and fostering resilience in teams
- Proactive and explores new ideas and non-standard ways of working which will enhance and deliver the best results for the ideas
- Productivity: organises work effectively and achieves required results within deadlines
- Demonstrates the drive and energy to get things done in pressurised situations and escalates appropriately when necessary
- Ethics and integrity: honest and principled in all their actions and interactions
- Respectful and inclusive of others, and meets the ethical requirements of their profession / discretion
- Flexibility: willing to both listen and learn and to accept changing priorities and working requirements and has the flexibility to maintain high standards in a changing environment
- Professional development: develop an ethos to learn and seek out learning and networking opportunities, identifying those that will be most beneficial