Senior Business Affairs Director

Role: Senior Business Affairs Director

Location: India (Remote working until further notice)

About the role:

As the Senior Business Affairs Director, EMEA, you will be responsible for establishing, leading, and driving the Business Affairs function across the region. You will serve as the senior subject matter expert for all Business Affairs activities, ensuring best-in-class support across content production, adaptation, localization, and creative delivery.

The role will work closely with Production, Client Services, Legal, Procurement, Finance, Media, and external partners to provide strategic oversight of talent agreements, rights management, licensing, clearances, media compliance, station delivery, contract management, and usage rights. You will be responsible for developing scalable Business Affairs processes, governance frameworks, and best practices that can be implemented consistently across markets and client accounts.

As demand for Business Affairs support continues to grow across EMEA, you will play a critical role in reducing dependency on external providers, improving operational efficiency, mitigating commercial and legal risk, and enhancing Oliver's service offering to clients. The role requires a strong understanding of international rights management, talent negotiations, content licensing, media regulations, and production workflows across multiple territories and channels.

You will ultimately be accountable for the quality, consistency, compliance, and commercial effectiveness of all Business Affairs services delivered across EMEA while ensuring the function supports business growth, protects profitability, and enables teams to operate efficiently and compliantly.

What you will be doing:

• Supporting year-on-year growth through the expansion of Business Affairs services across EMEA accounts.

• Reduction in external Business Affairs agency spend through the development of an effective in-house capability.

• Consistent delivery of rights management, licensing, clearances, and compliance activities across all markets.

• Improved production efficiency through the centralization of Business Affairs support.

• Reduction in project delays related to clearances, approvals, rights management, and media compliance.

• Strong client satisfaction through proactive BA support and consultation.

• Effective risk mitigation and compliance management across all client projects.

• Development and implementation of standardized Business Affairs workflows and governance processes.

• Building and leading a high-performing Business Affairs function that supports team development and growth.

• Positive stakeholder feedback from Production, Client Services, Legal, Procurement, and clients.

Specific Accountabilities

• Lead, inspire, and develop a best-in-class Business Affairs function across EMEA.

• Act as the senior escalation point for all Business Affairs matters.

• Develop and implement BA policies, processes, and governance frameworks across the organization.

• Partner with production and client teams to provide strategic guidance throughout project lifecycles.

• Lead negotiations relating to talent, influencers, contributors, licensing, and usage rights.

• Oversee content, talent, music, and media clearance processes across all markets.

• Manage rights and usage approvals, renewals, extensions, and contractual obligations.

• Ensure compliance with territory-specific media regulations, advertising standards, and legal requirements.

• Provide oversight of station delivery requirements and media plan compliance across broadcast, digital, social, cinema, and emerging channels.

• Work closely with legal teams to review, negotiate, and manage contracts and associated documentation.

• Identify and mitigate commercial, legal, financial, and reputational risks.

• Support commercial teams with cost estimates, rights assessments, and contract implications during project scoping and pitches.

• Build strong relationships with clients, suppliers, talent representatives, legal advisors, and regulatory bodies.

• Drive operational efficiencies through the implementation of scalable workflows and best-practice documentation.

• Monitor industry developments, regulatory changes, and emerging trends to ensure Business Affairs practices remain current and competitive.

• Partner with global delivery teams to ensure consistency of Business Affairs support across all markets.

What you need to be great in this role:

• Extensive experience in Business Affairs, Rights Management, Production Legal, Media Compliance, or a related field.

• Proven leadership experience building and managing Business Affairs teams or functions.

• Strong experience supporting advertising, content production, media, marketing, or entertainment businesses.

• Expert knowledge of talent contracting, intellectual property rights, licensing, usage rights, and content clearances.

• Deep understanding of broadcast, digital, social, cinema, DOOH, and emerging media channels.

• Demonstrated experience managing complex negotiations and commercial agreements.

• Strong understanding of international legal, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

• Experience working across multiple territories and global markets.

• Ability to assess and mitigate commercial, financial, and legal risk.

• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills across senior leadership teams.

• Commercially minded with strong financial acumen and understanding of project profitability.

• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Proactive, strategic, and solutions-oriented mindset.

• Strong understanding of production workflows, adaptation processes, localization requirements, and media delivery protocols.

• Ability to identify opportunities for process optimization, cost efficiencies, and service growth.

Req ID: 19061

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