Head of Production

Planet B Productions; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A progressive media company in London is seeking a dynamic Head of Production to lead and develop high-quality audio and video content. This role involves overseeing production workflows, managing budgets, and coordinating with freelance teams to deliver impactful content across digital platforms. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in production management, experience in video-first platforms, and a passion for progressive storytelling. Join a growing organization at the forefront of meaningful media production.

Qualifications

• Experience with multi-camera operations, including lighting and framing.
• Setting up and running sound for podcast recordings.
• Strong budgeting and scheduling skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead production planning from initial brief to final delivery.
• Manage project-level budgets and prepare costings.
• Develop and manage production schedules for multiple projects.

Skills

Multi-camera operations

Sound setup for speech

Adobe Creative Cloud proficiency

Budgeting and scheduling

Managing freelance teams

Content strategy for video platforms

Colour correction/grading

Job description

Location: London-based (minimum 2 days in office)

Reporting to: Executive Director

Term: 4 days (32 hours) per week

Pay: £40,000 per annum (pro rata of £50,000 full-time equivalent)

Deadline: 5pm Monday February 2nd 2026

About Planet B

What we do

We make progressive media. From standalone documentary projects such as Overshoot (audio) and Boomerang (video), to regular podcasts like Macrodose, our productions seek to bring radical ideas, critical histories and original storytelling to wide audiences.

Why we do it

With the centre ground crumbling and the far right on the rise, progressive movements urgently need more effective ways to communicate their visions and ideas. Planet B aims to foster a diverse new media ecosystem, building agile products designed for an era in which audio-visual and social media driven content shapes public discourse and civic debate.

Over the past few years, our part‑time and freelance collaborators have seeded new media projects that challenge the reactionary dominance on digital platforms. We are now looking to scale up our permanent operations, with the appointment of a Head of Production as an integral first step in this next phase of Planet B’s growth.

How we do it

Planet B is based in North London and operates with a small, collaborative core team alongside an extensive network of freelancers. Projects are developed in‑house through this network or via commission by external partners. We also run regular live events to expand the reach of our work.

About the Job

Summary

The Head of Production at Planet B will be responsible for turning ambitious editorial ideas into high‑quality, scalable productions across audio, video, and live event formats. In the short term, this is a highly hands‑on role: leading the development of Planet B’s new in‑house video podcast studio, establishing production workflows, and directly producing and delivering a of new studio‑based video podcasts for platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Working closely with the Executive Director and Head of Operations, the Head of Production will combine practical production leadership with strategic oversight – managing budgets and schedules, coordinating freelance producers, technicians, and editors, and ensuring projects are delivered efficiently and to a high technical standard. As Planet B scales its output and operations, this role will increasingly focus on building and managing an in‑house production team, alongside our freelance network.

This role offers a significant leadership opportunity within a fast‑growing organisation at the cutting edge of progressive digital media, with meaningful scope to shape Planet B’s creative and editorial direction.

Key Responsibilities

Production Lead, Strategy and Planning

Work with the Executive Director and creative collaborators to scope, prototype, and refine new Planet B productions, with a primary focus on studio‑based video podcasts.

Lead production planning from initial brief to final delivery, developing project‑specific production workflows and providing accurate resource projections to inform organisational strategy.

Provide senior technical oversight across audio and video production, setting production standards and making key decisions on formats, workflows, equipment, and delivery specifications.

In the short term, take a hands‑on role in leading day‑to‑day production for new video podcasts and studio outputs, including directing recordings, overseeing shoots, and troubleshooting technical issues as they arise.

Project and Budget Management

Prepare and manage project‑level budgets: prepare costings, monitor spend, manage changes, and report to the Head of Operations.

Build and manage detailed production schedules for multiple concurrent projects, ensuring deadlines for deliverables are met without overloading the team.

Oversee day‑to‑day production across development, pre‑production, recording/shooting, and post‑production.

Act as the senior point of technical decision‑making during production, able to answer high‑level questions from freelancers and collaborators and resolve production challenges efficiently.

Lead on production risk management, including health and safety, insurance, safeguarding, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements across locations and platforms.

Provide production data to support impact, outreach, and funder reporting.

People and Freelance Management

Work with and develop Planet B’s existing roster of freelance producers, technicians, editors, designers, and other creatives.

Work with the Executive Director to build project‑specific production teams, briefing, and managing freelance talent to ensure clear scopes of work, timelines, and deliverables.

Other Responsibilities

Contribute to ongoing conversations around company‑wide editorial and financial strategy, bringing a production‑first perspective to organisational decisions.

Provide monthly updates to the Planet B Board on production timelines.

Support on the production of live events where necessary.

About You

Experience with multi‑camera operations, including lighting, framing, exposure, and basic colour.

Setting up and running sound for speech (podcast mics, interfaces, monitoring).

Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud or similar.

Strong budgeting and scheduling skills, with high confidence in spreadsheets and production/project management tools.Experience managing freelance teams and suppliers, including negotiation, briefing, feedback, and performance oversight.

Familiarity with analytics and impact reporting for content across various digital platforms (e.g. audience metrics, engagement, outreach outcomes).

Strong alignment with Planet B’s mission to amplify transformative thinking and heterodox debate on themes like inequality, imperialism, and climate breakdown.

Demonstrable track record delivering multiple projects simultaneously, on time and on budget, ideally in a small or growing organisation.

Experience designing or delivering content strategies for video‑first platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok.

Colour correction/grading and simple motion graphics or titles (e.g. in Premiere Pro/After Effects).

Join our Team

If you have what it takes to be our HoP, please apply. We particularly welcome applications from people under‑represented in our industry.