Number 2

We're not yet informed what sort of wedge the BBC's new Company Secretary, Phil Harrold, is getting. But we find he already needs a deputy, who will be paid between £50k and £70k, on the new-not-quite-senior-management grade, 11.

Deputy, of course, is not a title favoured by McKinsey, so the post is called Head of Executive Business. The "ideal candidate" ?

An experienced policy adviser, you will be highly strategic, able to think creatively and possess experience in governance or secretariat functions. Ideally you’ll have experience across strategy, planning and operational functions. 

Combined with effective communication and interpersonal skills, you will be well-versed in analysing and summarising large volumes of information, writing board papers, presenting and/or briefing to board level, and leading meetings with senior stakeholders.

Part of a team created to work on what, and what not, to tell the non-executive directors ?

Spread out

Eventually, Godric, cascades of initiatives lead to hack fatigue. At the BBC in Birmingham, Tommy Nagra, head of business development, is trying to reassure the second city that things are on the move.

This week, Director of Strategy and Digital James Purnell announced the creation of a Guerilla Group. 

From later this year, a team of storytellers and engineers in Birmingham will begin to work across the BBC with a focus on engaging younger, more diverse audiences, and will be fully up and running from 2015. The group will have the creative freedom to produce experimental new forms of content for programmes and services, using the technology and approaches of the future.

You'll note - no pounds signs or staff numbers offered. Yet presumably they're paying rent on office/studio space at the Fazeley Studios in Digbeth. And the move hardly fills up the already-rented Mailbox.

Explains Tommy, to the Birmingham Post today, "It is an experiment, but there is a three-year commitment. We want it not to feel very BBC as we know it, which is why it is not in the Mailbox, so it is released from the corporate shackles. That is quite exciting and risky, but if we get it right could be powerful and give the Birmingham digital offer a distinctive flavour.”

 “We want the Guerrilla Group to be distinctive and unique. You can get drawn into ‘corporateness’ in the BBC, and we don’t want that to happen.”

Insidious stuff, 'corporateness'. I worry that a variant may have already stretched to Digbeth.

Scrambled egg

As the BBC awaits news of a new HR Director and Chief Financial Officer, here's a-so-far-unheralded appointment to another job creation. In what seems an increasingly militaristic take on titles, The Operations Wing of Anne Bulford's Finance and Business Division now has a "Chief of Staff".

The role (I can find no trace of an advert) has gone to Brij Sharma, a philosopy graduate from Leeds, who has risen through various technology roles at the BBC to, most recently, the post of Senior Strategy Adviser to the BBC Trust. Looking forward to seeing him in uniform....

Churning ?

I understand completely that net advertising often follows the interests of the reader rather than the publisher, but I remain surprised that the BBC still feels the need to spend on general, positioning, recruitment ads. There's two more years of job cuts and redeployment required to reach DQF targets plus creating T Hall's £200m fighting fund....

Evaluated

And the answers to yesterday's quiz....

A: Advisor, Information Rights, Legal ?    7 
(A small majority of you got this one right)

B: Head of Features UK ?   SM2
(70% got this one wrong)

C: Head of Marketing, BBC1 ?   11
(47% got this right)

D: Creative Director, Visual Journalism ?   9
(90% of you thought this was more highly graded)

E: Head of UX & D for Internal Tools ?   10 
(42% right - though three thought it was a new Senior Manager)

F: Social Media Community Executive ?   7 
(Lower expectations from you than me - 37% right)

Plurality

You have until 3rd January to apply to be Economics Editor of Newsnight. Or is that Economic Editor ?

The advert offers "Economics" three times, and "Economic" five times. Has Ian Kazt brought Grauniad proof-reading skills with him to Broadcasting House ?

Me too

It seems the BBC is quicker off the mark when creating jobs, rather than when closing them. In the past 24 hours, we've had news of a "Controller, BBCiPlayer", to work to Danny Cohen; and "Social Media Authors" for Radio 1 and 1Xtra, working to Ben Cooper.

Today, James Harding has started the search for a "Managing Editor, BBC News", another new role - and one strongly tipped to be filled externally. James has been impressing his new workforce with his sharpness and enthusiasm, but sadly seems to have wandered away when it came to subbing the ad...

"The successful candidate will have proven editorial skills in their own right and a wealth of experience dealing with top on-air talent and their representatives. This is a board level position which requires the appropriate level of gravitas and influencing skills to make pan News Group decisions about talent beyond individual departmental plans".

(This might roughly translate as "help me move Paxo, Humphrys and Simpson on...")

• Danny Cohen breached divisional etiquette last night in an RTS interview with Steve Hewlett. Asked where the £100m x 2 savings will come from to fund "Where Next?" he said "Television and News are where there are the biggest chunks of spending, so we'll have to look for savings there." Just not done....

Slicing time

It's at least the ninth consecutive year of cuts to the budget of the BBC News division, now down from 9,000 staff at its peak to around 8,000.

This year new boss James Harding has clearly decided to take the foot off the pedal a little. In 2012, 140 post closures saved £25m; today, he's announced 75 jobs will go by the end of financial year 2013/4, saving £11m; there are still two years of cuts to come, which will need to find the remaining £24m of the £60m target for news, driven by the licence-fee-settlement-done-over-a-weekend - unless the new DG decided to re-allocate things.

The choreography is interesting - normally this annual cull is announced in October, but clearly, the organisation wants to move upbeat with the DG's 10-year strategy due to be unveiled on October 8. So, clearing the decks, we can expect news of cuts to Television, Radio and Future Media to follow shortly. Maybe the Bonfire of The Boards, when it comes, will help lighten the mood for the lower ranks.

Now you see it ...

Transparent - or just veneered ?

From a BBC job ad for a tour guide to join the team "taking MPs and Brownies" round Broadcasting House: "The tours department falls within BBC Media Engagement, which is part of Marketing and Audiences and has a key role to play in making the BBC appear more open and accessible." My italics.

Selectors

Whilst the Newsnight team await the arrival of new editor Ian Katz, they'll be delighted to know that he fought off 53 other candidates; that the final interview panel was Fran Unsworth, Acting Director of News Janice Hadlow, Controller BBC Two,  Ceri Thomas, Head of News Programmes and Dan Goad, Head of HR, Network News; and that "candidates were scored against a set of competencies during their interviews and the decision as to who was appointed will have been made jointly between the interviewers based on these scores."

This response to an FOI inquiry sets a neat precedent - presumably the BBC can release the names of all interview panels on request. Go for it, boys and girls.

Multi-skilled

I'm getting mild amusement from one of the new features of the BBC Jobs wesbite: "People who applied for this job also applied for....".

For example, underneath the details of the vacancy for Orchestra Production Manager, BBC Concert Orchestra, someone thought their skillset also supported an application for Kick Off Sports Reporter Scotland.

An applicant to be Correspondent in Georgia also had a bish at Technical Project Manager, Salford Quays.

And those seeking to support Jim Purnell as HR Assistant, Strategy and Digital have been trying for Team Assistant, Legal: Marketing Co-ordinator; Licencing Co-ordinator - and Kick Off Sports Reporter London.

Don't be nervous

Regular readers will know what pleasure I take in the frailities of normal BBC job ads. No frisson, though, in those for the vacancies as Director of News and Director of Television out this morning - no role spec, essential, desirable etc; no spelling mistakes, no sign of psychometrics, no form. Just send a c.v. and a list of your previous opera roles a covering letter. Here are the guts of the News ad.

As a member of the Executive board, reporting to the Director-General, this role will play a significant part in the BBC’s strategy and output, ensuring that the BBC always holds the trust of the people who pay for it and distinguishes itself through the best possible content, effective distribution and organisational efficiency. You’ll also take an active role in leading a digital BBC that can make the most of new technologies and the global possibilities that they bring.

As an inspirational leader with a strong, clear vision, you’ll bring extensive experience of leadership in a creative organisation, and demonstrate a clear understanding of the public service ethos of the BBC.

And blow me down, the guts of the TV ad are exactly the same. One difference is that the tv role is categorised as "Content-making" and the news as "Journalism"; have we lifted a curtain on Tone's new structure ?

For either role, you have to apply by 10th March, and are invited to have a confidential chat with Annabel Dixon, Head of Resourcing and Talent. Ah, go on - she's not that frightening....

Holiday time

There's an entertaining half-term week ahead for BBC management. The NUJ are planning a national one-day strike on Monday 18th February, ratcheting up the stakes over possible compulsory redundancies. In Scotland, union officials say six new posts have been advertised externally, while nine staff face the exit.  The timing will disrupt various ski-ing and other holidays, as suits are called in to keep things going; for the striking workers, it's nicely added to a weekend. And, for the history books, it'll be the first time for pickets at Dr Evil's Volcano News Lair new Broadcasting House (phase 2).

The end of the week has been ear-marked for the publication of the (redacted) Pollard annexes. So marvel as executives pull together on Monday, and wonder how they ever managed to speak a civil word to each other on Friday.

Routine matter

The NUJ are ramping up for the arrival of Lord Hall as Director General of the BBC. Their current mandate for calling a strike (over compulsory redundancies) runs out in March. How they wish that might extend to 2 April - Tone's first day.

The union says there are worries about possible compulsory redundancies in Scotland (9 still to be settled), Newsbeat, Five Live, staff on the Big Screens, Asian Network and the World Service.  Currently, the BBC is advertising at least six jobs for journalists externally; presumably there are more only visible to insiders.

Meanwhile BBC HR supremo Lucy Adams will be organising another re-training course for her team of advisers (vacancies there, too - "never has there been a more exciting time to be in HR at the BBC"). The BBC has lost an industrial tribunal brought by the NUJ against the compulsory dismissal of  Russell Maddicks, a Latin American specialist at the Monitoring Service in Caversham, run by Dr Chris Westcott. The judgement notes that Russell's internal appeal against the sack, conducted by the Doctor (and, one presumes, an HR helper) "started without the claimant and his representative having all the documentation they had asked for. Rather than allow the claimant to present his argument he asked a series of questions. He undertook an investigation after the meeting had concluded without giving the claimant the opportunity of hearing what his investigation had revealed and responding. The fact the BBC routinely conducts appeals in that way it does not make it reasonable in the circumstances of this case".

News vendor

I had a gut feeling this would provide pickings as soon as it got Tweeted - a vacancy has arisen for a publicist for BBC News.

Annotated highlights from the job spec...

The post-holder will provide 360 degree [?] campaign planning and execution on priority and proactive [?] content for BBC News, through its full public service lifecycle [?] and irrespective at [?] to which medium it plays out on (including broadband, mobile phones, on demand etc as required). Campaigns could include programme publicity, relevant web or interactive content, relevant BBC Learning content, relevant opinion former activity and some event planning.

Future focus is fundamental within Communications, therefore all staff are expected to actively explore [1st of three split inifinitives] and identify new and interesting avenues for communicating effectively and imaginatively with audiences.

Apparently, you also have to be good at crisis management. Can't think why....

Sunrise, sunset

On cold, dull days, shivery fingers look for things to sub - good old BBC job ads.

The Controller Daytime is responsible for delivering distinctive, mixed genre programming [cf today - programmes about buying houses, repairing houses, foreclosing on houses, emigrating to new houses, and filling houses with antiques] of unrivalled quality, range and ambition for our target audience on BBC One and Two as well as being an inspired [do they mean inspiring ?] leader and providing strategic vision for BBC Daytime.

You will drive the business forward [save money year on year] by ensuring the new daytime strategy [doing what Mr Mosey says] to focus origination spend on BBC One [if by mistake we've left you with any money for new programmes, for gawd's sake put 'em on the main channel] with BBC Two as a predominantly archive service [repeat channel] meets our editorial and creative aims as well as creating and maintaining commercial partnership opportunities [getting other people to meet some of your costs].

Three days still to apply. Interviews will be held on February 7th.

Load of ballots

If things weren't grim enough for Auntie, the NUJ is shaping up for a series of strike ballots over compulsory redundancies. The first will be at the Asian Network, with a result due by New Year's Eve; those who stay at the station also have to relocate out of Leicester. The NUJ leadership is pretty confident there'll also be ballots in the New Year over jobs cuts at BBC Scotland, BBC News and the World Service.

A nice in-tray for a new DG. Will it still be Tim Davie, acting, and now with added tie ?  I've got a small side bet that he'll lose the Tintin trim as well before the month is out. Hard to imagine a DG with "product" on their hair - unless, of course, it's to be a woman.

Jobs done

One Billy Blofeld has been tracking recruitment advertising spend at the BBC over the years, through FOI inquiries.

Combined figures for the last two calendar years come to £371,925.  In 2006 it was running at some £270k per year, with The Guardian taking 86% of that. In 2007, The Guardian's take of the licence-fee for BBC job ads peaked at £333k.

The top twenty chart for the last two years still has The Guardian at the top but with a mere sliver of its former income. Spookily, no ads were placed in The Daily Mail.

Tap dancing

The BBC staff organ, Ariel, reports a management move to help staff facing the exit as a result of Delivering Quality First cuts.

"A new commitment comes into effect this week that will oblige BBC hiring managers to consider those under threat of losing their jobs for vacancies they are suitably qualified for ahead of other internal or external candidates."

This is clearly part of some choreography before the announcement of detailed job closures to be achieved by March 31st 2013. Old union hands will be puzzled but pleased - if the concession genuinely means managers must prove that they've consulted the list of staff available for redeployment before going to the market. (One suspects it won't necessarily come into play ahead of big jobs like Director BBC Vision).

For HR to offer this sop unpressed, this year's cuts must be really unpleasant for most divisions; there's already unhappiness in Scotland, who traditionally "go early". Other divisions will announce their plans over the next two months. How will George spin it, from September 17th ?

Super human

BBC job ads usually catch my eye for combining spelling mistakes and grammatical errors with statements of the obvious and Grade 1 HR speakak. Today I bring you one clearly written by a different hand. It's for the vacancy as head of User Experience and Design (UX&D) at BBC News. This means how BBC output looks and works on computers, mobiles etc.  Let's hope staff who may have to work with this demi-god (scraping by on £70k p.a - a salary a long way behind most of the senior people in news) don't keep a copy

As the new Head of UX&D for News you’ll stand among the most senior people in BBC journalism. So you’ll need to hit the ground sprinting, leading your fellow leaders and taking them with you as you innovate exceptional user experiences. 

Along the way you’ll dazzle all and sundry with your supreme expertise, your rousing vision and your insatiable urge to understand, predict and deliver what people want from news. 

Sound like you? Apply now for your chance to join a centre of excellence for UX&D, helping us design experiences for the audience of tomorrow, and deliver them to the audience of today.