Commercial Director – Media & Strategic Partner...

Role Purpose

The Commercial Director – Media & Strategic Partnerships is responsible for owning and executing all commercial media and PR partnerships with leading global and regional organizations, including major streaming platforms, broadcasters, production studios, and strategic communications partners.

This role goes beyond advisory. The incumbent will personally lead deal structuring, commercial valuation, negotiation, execution, and post-deal governance, while acting as a trusted commercial advisor to senior leadership. The role requires a senior professional with a strong background in top-tier strategy consulting or Big 4 advisory, combined with hands-on media deal execution experience.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Strategy & Ownership

• Define and execute the organization’s media and PR commercial partnership strategy, aligned with strategic and national objectives.
• Translate strategic priorities into actionable, executable commercial deals.
• Act as the internal authority on media partnership economics and commercial viability.

Media & PR Partnership Execution

• Lead end-to-end execution of complex media and PR partnerships, including:
• Content licensing and commissioning
• Platform and streaming partnerships
• Co-productions, distribution, and campaign-based partnerships
• Personally lead commercial negotiations with senior counterparts at global media organizations.
• Maintain ownership from opportunity assessment through contract signing and implementation.

Commercial Valuation & Deal Structuring

• Lead financial modeling, valuation, and scenario analysis for all media and PR deals.
• Design and validate pricing structures, revenue-sharing models, licensing fees, and performance-linked mechanisms.
• Assess ROI, long-term value, and commercial risk prior to executive approval.

Contract Governance & Risk Management

• Own and validate key commercial terms including:
• IP ownership, usage rights, and exploitation
• Exclusivity, territories, duration, and renewal structures
• Financial, operational, and reputational risk allocation
• Work closely with Legal, Finance, and Compliance to ensure robust governance and approval processes.

Executive Advisory & Decision Support

• Provide clear, decision-ready recommendations to senior leadership and boards.
• Present complex commercial analyses in concise executive formats.
• Act as a trusted advisor on commercial risk, deal feasibility, and strategic alignment.

Market & Industry Expertise

• Track global media, streaming, and PR partnership trends, valuation benchmarks, and evolving business models.
• Benchmark proposed deals against global best practices and comparable transactions.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Media Management, or related field
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification is strongly preferred
• 15+ years of experience with clear progression to Director / Associate Partner / Partner level
• Background in:
• Top-tier strategy consulting firms (McKinsey, BCG, Bain), and/or
• Big 4 advisory firms (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG), preferably within Media, Communications, or Government advisory practices
• Demonstrated hands-on experience executing media and PR partnership deals (not advisory-only roles).
• Proven experience leading commercial valuation, negotiation, and contract execution for high-value media agreements.
• Regular exposure to C-suite and board-level decision-making.

Commercial & Financial

• Advanced financial modeling and valuation skills
• Deep understanding of media, PR, and content commercial models
• Strong negotiation and deal-structuring capability

Leadership & Influence

• Executive presence and strong stakeholder management skills
• Ability to challenge and influence senior decision-makers
• Clear, concise communication of complex commercial matters

Strategic & Analytical

• Strong commercial judgment in high-risk, high-value environments
• Ability to operate effectively in complex, multi-stakeholder settings

Personal Attributes

• Highly credible and commercially astute
• Results-driven with strong execution discipline
• Comfortable owning outcomes, not just recommendations
• High integrity and sound judgment