Research & Development Producer

Salary: £34,000-£42,000 per annum

The National Film and Television School (NFTS) is recruiting for a Research & Development Producer to identify project opportunities and develop ideas into mature research and development projects.

About NFTS

First established in 1971, the National Film and Television School (NFTS) has evolved to become a leading global institution, developing some of Britain and the world’s top creative talent in film, television and games. It is widely acknowledged to be the top school of its kind in the UK and one of the best internationally, being named as one of The Hollywood Reporter’s top international film schools for over a decade. The NFTS is a registered charity (313429).

About the role

We are currently recruiting for a Research & Development Producer to work alongside our Head of Innovation, and help to plan, define and deliver a successful series of research and development projects with the aim of sharing new and emerging practice across the School and with industry. The R&D Producer will work collaboratively across the school to identify project opportunities and develop ideas into mature research and development projects.

This role will suit a self-motivated and organised individual with experience of working within digital media and end-to-end project delivery. You will have outstanding communication and influencing skills, the ability to manage internal and external stakeholders and be comfortable managing multiple tasks.

Full time (35 hours a week), permanent

Purpose of the role

It is essential that NFTS teaching continues to be informed by new research, knowledge and insights, and the School wishes to build on its reputation for being at the vanguard of developing and shaping new practice.

This role will help contribute to the film, television and games sectors through the facilitation, dissemination and translation of R&D undertaken through the School’s curriculum, production and research activity.

The R&D Producer will work alongside the Head of Innovation to plan, define and deliver a successful series of research and development projects. They will work collaboratively with different disciplines and Heads of Department from across the School, as well as with the Communications and Marketing team to produce appropriate content for sharing our projects, and ensure the greatest impact for our work.

Main duties and responsibilities

1. Take overall responsibility for the scope, definition, delivery and success of a series of research and development projects at the NFTS.
2. Identify project opportunities based on industry knowledge, user needs and business priorities including new opportunities.
3. Creatively develop novel ideas and business requirements into mature R&D projects that demonstrate concepts and prove hypotheses using a variety of techniques, from low-fidelity prototypes to audience-facing pilots.
4. Monitor, summarise and report feedback from the user base or audience to measure the performance of a project.
5. Enable the sharing of new and emerging practice both across the School and with the industry.
6. Take responsibility for relationships with external stakeholders, partners and suppliers as well as with departmental stakeholder peers and more senior colleagues within the organisation.
7. Undertake the continual improvement of projects, identifying and prioritising improvements and enhancements.
8. Propose, agree, and work within project budgets.
9. Develop and maintain the business case in support of existing and new projects.
10. Take responsibility for contracts and relationships with partners, negotiate and influence to hold them accountable to the terms of the agreement.

Knowledge, skills and experience

1. Significant experience of end to end project delivery, in a hands-on producer and/or project management capacity.
2. Significant experience of working within digital media, software development, broadcast, filmmaking, games or related media sectors, delivering digital media projects.
3. Significant experience of working in multidisciplinary teams, which include both creative/editorial and technical expertise.
4. Experience of working with researchers, or within an academic context, is an advantage, but not essential.
5. A proactive and problem-solving attitude to working on unusual projects and solving complex problems.
6. Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to promote ideas and present the results of a project in a clear and effective manner, to a variety of audiences.
7. Sound time and resource management skills and ability to lead, motivate and direct support staff and contractors contributing to a project.
8. Self-motivated, with the drive and initiative to carry out projects according to plan, and the ability to quickly adapt in a fast-changing environment.
9. Ability to rapidly acquire new skills and to work with new technologies with little documentation or support.
10. Ability to understand and apply industry knowledge and market awareness to the planning of projects.
11. Ability to identify underlying trends and ensure that projects are aligned to likely future developments.

Applications

For further information about this role and information on how to apply please visit our website.

Please note that we are unable to sponsor candidates for this role, so we are only able to accept applications from candidates who are able to demonstrate their right to live and work in the UK. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, we will not be able to progress your application.

At the NFTS, people are at the heart of what we do. We’re an inclusive employer and are committed to equality of opportunity, and building a culturally diverse workforce. We are committed to being an anti-racist organization and to increasing our representation of staff from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. We strongly encourage applications from all backgrounds.

The closing date for this position is 29/10/2023 at 23:59