Head of YouTube, Sky Entertainment Group

Role/Team overview The Head of YouTube is a newly created, senior leadership role, accountable for defining and scaling Sky Entertainment Group’s YouTube presence at pace. The role will lead the launch of new channels such as Sky Arts and Sky Comedy alongside other genre led channels, establishing YouTube as a strategic growth, audience development and talent‑discovery platform for the Group.

In this role, you will own and evolve the YouTube strategy across multiple channels, shaping long-term audience growth, fandoms for our brands and shows, and sustainable revenue opportunities. You will act as the senior authority on YouTube ensuring content, channels and partnerships are optimised for the YouTube ecosystem (covering programming, packaging, distribution, rights, and platform policy), while safeguarding Sky’s premium brands, IP and reputation.

You will provide senior, cross-functional leadership across Editorial, Marketing, Production, Product, Analytics, and Commercial teams, setting direction, aligning priorities and driving delivery to maximise the impact of Sky Entertainment IP on YouTube.

This role plays a critical role in shaping how Sky engages with audiences beyond the pay platform, using YouTube as a lower‑risk test‑and‑learn environment to inform commissioning strategy, talent discovery and future format development, while protecting long‑term value for the Sky paid proposition.

This role supports a phased “test and learn” approach: starting with library content to build audiences and fandoms at low risk, then using insights to refine the channel portfolio and progress at pace into creator partnerships and original digital commissions with the ultimate aim to discover new formats and talents that could translate into the Sky paid proposition over time.

This role will work hand in glove with the Communications and Engagement team who oversee the overall Social Media execution including YouTube for Tentpole Content from the Sky Entertainment Group. What you’ll do Management Provide strategic leadership for the launch of new YouTube channels (including Sky Arts and Sky Comedy as well as other genre led channels): define channel vision, positioning, content strategy, channel setup, brand identity, governance, operational workflows (including rights management processes) and launch plans.

Act as the senior decision‑maker for channel portfolio prioritisation, balancing audience growth, brand value, commercial opportunity and risk. Lead and oversee bespoke 3rd party agencies who will publish content on behalf of Sky. This includes defining a clear scope of work, setting suitable KPIs and creative standards, establishing operational workflows and implementing an effective and efficient performance reporting cadence.

Build, lead and develop a high‑performing YouTube and digital publishing capability over time, setting clear expectations, operating standards and opportunities for capability growth as the function scales. Own the senior strategic relationship between Sky Entertainment Group and YouTube, establishing a strong collaborative partnership that supports strategic delivery Lead channel management activities and embed best practices and workflows for optimisation.

This will cover programming and metadata strategy, thumbnail & title creation, playlists set-up, complimentary shoulder content delivery (i.e. shorts, clips, compilations, watch-alongs etc) alongside the optimisation of channel homepages, and incorporation of relevant community features to support content.

Operational Effectiveness Establish practical, compliant channel operating models (defining role responsibilities, workflows, publishing cadence and approval structures) and develop scalable playbooks for agile future channel launches. Partner with wider Sky teams including Rights, Legal and Commissioning teams to ensure compliant use of content, music, talent, third-party clips, and clearances; manage takedowns and claims processes as they arise.

Drive distribution and content discoverability, including maximising for search, suggested, browse, Shorts, and cross-platform traffic strategies. Set robust measurement frameworks and implement weekly/monthly performance cadence as needed; translate analytics into actions and learning loops to improve channel performance over time.

Establish clear governance framework and ensure adherence at all times. This should cover processes for ensuring brand safety, complying with platform policies (including OFCOM), maintaining of safeguarding standards, as well as creating crisis/issue response playbooks.

Strategic Delivery Define content formats and commissioning briefs for YouTube (clips, compilations, originals, Shorts, live, behind-the-scenes), aligned to brand tone and audience needs. Work hand-in-glove with Sky’s Consumer Engagement team (owners of the Sky TV YouTube channel) to align strategy, governance, content standards, cross-promotion, and audience learnings across channels.

Work closely with Sky Media to maximise monetisation of the channels, including actively pursuing branded partnerships and exploring innovation commercial models to engage with content creators (both established and up and coming) Build and scale creator partnerships and a creator-led content ecosystem: identify collaborators, develop repeatable partnership models, and feed insights into Sky’s commissioning and talent strategy.

Own budget planning for YouTube operations (people, agencies, tools, production) and deliver against agreed KPIs. What Success Looks Like Build audiences and understanding : Build audiences on YouTube for Sky brands and deepen understanding of audience behaviours and fandoms.

Creator ecosystem : Build understanding of the creator-led ecosystem to develop partnerships that can benefit the Sky pay proposition. Inform commissioning : Use YouTube insights to inform commissioning strategy, new formats and talent (e.g., vodcasts), and support lower-risk experimentation in YouTube ecosystem.

Incremental growth : Achieve incremental audience growth by showcasing Sky to non-Sky households, with low cannibalisation risk. Build fandoms and protect value : Grow fandoms while protecting premium IP and maintaining clear brand and rights governance.

Monetise over time : Monetise flexibly through ads (via Sky Media) and longer term brand partnerships where appropriate. What you’ll bring Essential criteria: Significant experience leading end-to-end YouTube strategy, operations and growth at scale within the media & entertainment sector (broadcaster/streamer, publisher, or high-growth digital brand companies).

Demonstrable success delivering audience growth through programming, packaging, search optimisation and platform-native storytelling across different formats (including Shorts). Strong understanding of YouTube’s recommendation algorithms and best practices (CTR, retention, session time, consistency, audience satisfaction).

Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver operational performance in fast-paced creative environments. Commercial and budgeting experience (including forecasting, development of business cases, vendor management experience); familiarity with monetisation levers where relevant.

Credible senior advisor, able to influence and challenge at SLT level using insight, evidence and commercial judgement. With excellent stakeholder management skills within a matrix organisation, including demonstratable experience in delivering effective cross-functional projects and collaborations Strong analytical capability: comfortable using YouTube Analytics and broader Business Insight tools; able to form hypotheses and run tests.

Creative instincts for packaging & brand management i.e. titles, thumbnails, hooks, and pacing; understands audience psychology and trends. Operational rigour: capable of setting and supporting a team to deliver against strategic roadmaps, operational workflows, governance frameworks, and risk management processes.

With high standards for brand safety, compliance, and responsible publishing. Clear, concise communication (written and verbal) with the ability to present performance narratives and strategic objectives to senior leaders. Benefits and perks There's one thing people can't stop talking about when it comes to life at Sky: the perks.

Here’s a taster: Free Sky TV or NOW package, including Sky Sports and Sky Cinema Pension package with up to 9% employer contribution Private healthcare with mental health support Aviva Digital GP and dental insurance Discounts on Sky products, including Sky Mobile, Sky Broadband, Sky Glass and Sky Protect Sharesave and Tech schemes A range of Sky VIP rewards and experiences How you’ll work We've adopted a hybrid working approach to give more flexibility on where and how we work.

The hybrid working expectations for this role are 3 in the office per week. Your office base Osterley Our Sky Group HQ. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and workspaces, there’s plenty of space to see your big ideas come to life. Here you’ll find 13 subsidised restaurants and cafes.

You can re-energise at our gym, catch the latest films at our cinema, get your car washed and even get pampered at our beauty salon. Our Osterley Campus is just a 10-minute walk from Syon Lane train station, or you can get one of our free shuttle buses from Osterley, Gunnersbury and Ealing Broadway stations.

Plus, there’s free onsite parking available for cars, motorbikes and bicycles. Who we are We’re Sky, a leading media and entertainment company who connect millions with entertainment, sports, news and arts through innovative products and services.

Working with us means you’ll be bringing the joy of a better experience to more people, every day. All so we can do better and deliver better for our customers, colleagues and society. We’re an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company.

We're a Disability Confident Accredited Employer, and welcome and encourage applications from all candidates. We will look to ensure a fair and consistent experience for all and will make reasonable adjustments to support you where appropriate.

Please flag any adjustments you need as early as you can. Just so you know: if your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a criminal record check. And depending on the role you have applied for and the nature of any convictions you may have, we might have to withdraw the offer.

To be eligible for this role you are required to have the appropriate right to work in the UK. Please be aware Sky does not offer sponsorship for this position. To find out more about working with us, search #LifeAtSky on social media.