Head of Podcasts Commercial - 12 Month FTC

Your team: Growing podcast revenues are becoming increasingly important for the success of The Times brand. We are seeking a Head of Podcasts to join our successful digital sales team within Times Media London. The digital specialist team sits within our agency brand team, the heart and engine of the commercial floor, and are the brand experts on our Times brand. Be part of a team and brand going through an exciting transformation driving our digital-first strategy, products, and leading first-party data tools to our agencies and clients.

Your role: As Head of Podcasts, you will drive the overall podcast commercial strategy, taking responsibility for revenue growth, market positioning, and long-term product development. Working closely with the Head of Digital Sales and reporting into the Sales Director, you will define and execute a vision that positions Times Media as a market leader in premium podcasting, while influencing senior stakeholders and representing us across agencies, clients, and industry events.

Day to day you will:

• Lead the podcast commercial strategy to deliver sustainable revenue growth across all platforms and formats

• Collaborate with senior stakeholders across Digital, Strategy, Editorial, Product, and Marketing to align podcast development with wider business objectives

• Shape go-to-market positioning, pricing, packaging, and innovation for our podcast offerings

• Represent Times Media externally at industry events, client meetings, and agency engagements as the face of our podcast proposition

• Create best-in-class commercial opportunities, including sponsorships, branded content, and partnerships across the podcast portfolio

• Cultivate senior client and agency relationships to unlock new revenue streams and long-term partnerships

• Manage pipeline development and revenue forecasting, ensuring clear visibility and delivery against targets

• Optimise monetisation, ad yield, and audience growth by partnering with distribution platforms

• Evolve the product offering continually by leveraging audience insight, data, and market trends to drive innovation

• Mentor and guide wider sales teams, acting as the internal centre of excellence for podcasting

What we're looking for from you:

• Deep expertise in podcast monetisation models, including sponsorship, branded content, and programmatic audio

• Proven ability to define and execute commercial strategy at a senior level within a media owner or publisher environment

• In-depth understanding of the UK media and publishing landscape, including agency and client dynamics

• Experience collaborating with and influencing senior stakeholders and leadership teams to drive business objectives

• Established credibility in the market, with a background in advocating for a brand externally at industry events and key client engagements

• A passion for podcasting and storytelling, combined with commercial creativity and innovation to build compelling client solutions

• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, enabling you to negotiate effectively and articulate complex commercial propositions to diverse audiences

• Demonstrated success in guiding cross-functional collaboration across editorial, commercial, product, and marketing teams

If you think you have what it takes but don’t tick every requirement on the list, please do apply. We recognise that considering someone’s potential as well as their experience is a great way to hire. We want to hear from people who have a passion to learn and develop.

News UK is one of the leading media businesses in the UK and Ireland. Our newsbrands include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Sun on Sunday and The TLS. Our national broadcast brands include talkSPORT, Times Radio and Virgin Radio UK, and we have market-leading local stations across Ireland. Our world-famous brands provide news, analysis, opinion and entertainment to almost 40 million people each month. Spanning print and pixel, audio and video, events and experiences, our multi-format brands are home to a plurality of opinion, representing the diverse communities we serve. Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose, we exist to promote a fair society, freedom of speech and a little bit of fun. Rethinking continually the business of storytelling, we represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter.

At News UK, we embrace a hybrid work model, currently requiring a minimum of three days per week in the office. This approach fosters collaboration, innovation, and team spirit within our workspace. Certain roles may necessitate additional in-office days; please discuss this with your recruiter for specific requirements.

Life at News

Driven by passion, guided by principles and acting with purpose. We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter. We inform our audiences so that they can make decisions based on trusted information.

We represent, reflect and reach the nation, telling the stories that matter most. To ensure these stories resonate with as broad an audience as possible, it is essential that our organisation reflects the diversity of the people we reach. Whether through age, gender, ethnicity, disability, social class or sexuality, we are committed to representing the rich variety of voices that make up our society. And we champion a culture where everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive as we continue to innovate and drive long term sustainable growth. This is done through our Diversity Strategy.

At News UK, we take pride in our exceptional employee-led networks that bring together individuals with shared interests and create a vibrant sense of community. We believe our networks play a vital role in fostering a collaborative and supportive work culture at News UK. Groups that we support include the African & Caribbean Network, Parents and Carers, and LGBTQ+ group News Is Out, and the Apprentice Society.

Benefits

Some of our benefits include:

• Private medical insurance including coverage for pre-existing conditions

• Discounted gym memberships, free ClassPass at Home, weekly in person/ virtual exercise classes

• ‘Bikes for Work’ and ‘Electric Car’ scheme

• Up to 60% discount on Harper Collins books

• Maternity leave up to 18 weeks full basic salary & paternity leave up to 2 weeks

• Access to exclusive events and competitions with exciting brands such as talkSPORT, Virgin Radio UK & The Times. Weekly virtual panel chats with top journalists and celebrities

• Access to wellbeing benefits such as EAP, physio/massage and counselling

• A generous pension scheme with employer contributions of up to 5%

• Wide range of training available, plus full LinkedIn Learning access

• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays and up to 4 volunteering days per year

We are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process. If you require reasonable adjustments due to a disability or health condition at any stage of your application or interview, please let us know. You can contact us at [email protected] to discuss how we can support you to perform at your best.