Job Title

Head of BFI Doc Society Fund

Reports to
Doc Society Directors

About DOC SOCIETY

We are an innovative non-profit organisation founded in 2005 that works with the most inspiring independent documentary filmmakers all over the world. We are a team of 28 people working from the UK, US, The Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Mexico, Kenya & Australia.

Our mission:

We bring people together to unleash the transformational power of documentary film. We stand in solidarity with filmmakers and work to unite them with new friends and allies, building new models globally. We aim to innovate, share and innovate again.

A commitment to anti-racism, economic justice and climate justice is embedded in all we do and how we do it.

Our driving principle:

Great documentaries enrich the lives of individuals. They have a unique ability to engage and connect people, transform communities and improve societies.

To find out more about our organisation go to www.docsociety.org

Equity and Inclusion:

We want Doc Society to be the place where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and to do their best work. Doc Society’s promotion of diversity and inclusion is clearly reflected in all of our documentaries and across all of our programmes. We are fully focused on equality and believe in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin and all the other characteristics that make us who we are. For this reason we strongly encourage applicants from under-represented groups.

THE BFI DOC SOCIETY FUND

The BFI Doc Society Fund supports and nurtures independent non-fiction film by UK filmmakers, prioritising expansive, director-led storytelling.

The Fund comprises a features fund, the Made of Truth shorts fund for new and emerging filmmakers, and a talent support programme all enabled by the National Lottery. Our funding is intended to be transformative and representative of all UK society.

Our features funding backs ambitious, independent feature documentary films intended for theatrical release, from both emerging talent and more established directors. The films we support play widely at international festivals and find a home in UK cinemas and on television as well as on global streaming platforms. We believe passionately that stories should reach the audiences who need to see them most and shape audience engagement and impact strategies to make this happen.

The Fund prioritises supporting the next generation of independent filmmakers as part of the BFI NETWORK. We do this via a UK-wide Talent Support Programme, meeting filmmakers where they are and partnering with festivals to provide networking events, access to funders and other talent development opportunities on a local and national level.

The Made of Truth shorts fund runs on an open call basis annually and supports new and emerging talent with funding, mentorship and 1-2-1 executive producing support. From 2023 we will support up to 15 short documentaries a year.

MAIN PURPOSE OF POSITION

It has recently been announced that the BFI has selected Doc Society to continue serving independent documentary filmmaking and filmmakers as the BFI’s UK-wide delegate partner for the next three years from April 2023 - March 2026.

We are building on a successful initial five year delegation, laying the groundwork for deeper innovation and change over this next period. Doc Society's delegation 2023-2033 will be guided by four main pillars: open collaboration; representing all of UK society; freedom of creative expression; the audience's right to culture.

We are seeking a Head of Fund to manage the BFI documentary delegation on a day to day basis. This involves having senior responsibility for the BFI Doc Society Fund according to the principles of National Lottery funding, which are: equity, diversity and inclusion, UK wide, environmental sustainability.

This role in more detail involves:

• Taking an active role in the selection of projects for funding providing editorial insight and leadership to the selection process
  
• Providing expert editorial feedback and guidance to a wide range of features and shorts throughout the lifecycle of the films, from development through to distribution and audience engagement.
  
• Assisting filmmakers in finding additional funding for their projects

• Actively participating in the Talent Support Programme, attending in person events UK wide, hosting discussions and meeting filmmakers.
  • Maintaining an overview of the legal and compliance aspects of grantee films including supervising grantees handling of sensitive content issues

• Managing the delegation budget in conjunction with the team and Finance Director
  • Providing leadership to the Doc Society team working on the delivery of the fund and support programme to ensure that they are effectively delivered
    
  • Reporting to Doc Society Directors and BFI about progress, successes and challenges and contributing thought partnership to Fund strategy.
    
  • Playing a leading role in spearheading and supporting sector wide interventions that deliver on equity, diversity and inclusion.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience

Essential

• Knowledge of Doc Society’s mission and work
• Passion for and commitment to independent documentary as an art form
• Demonstrable understanding of the BFI’s 2033 strategy and how documentary filmmaking is expected to contribute
• Deep engagement with current independent documentary conversations in the UK and globally
• Highly proactive and organised, able to manage and prioritise a busy workload and stakeholders to deadline with consistent quality
• Team player, establishes good working relationships and works confidently with more and less experienced colleagues
• Demonstrable experience of project assessment, and an ability to identify opportunities and challenges in written and visual work.
• Leadership skills, ability to embody the values of the Doc Society mission statement
• Very strong interpersonal and communication skills (including written and verbal), collaborative way of working, and an ability to manage a high volume of daily phone and digital communications
• Attention to detail and skilled at managing competing priorities and project management
• You will have a desire to amplify the voices of the people we support and have demonstrable experience of having done this previously in the independent documentary space
• Well networked in the independent documentary sector and with storytellers generally

Desirable

• A commitment to other art forms (such as theatre, literature, the visual arts).
• Meaningful experience in similar roles at a comparable sized organisation

Terms:

Office working at 180 Strand if based in London
28 days holiday including bank holidays
Employer pension contribution after 6 months
The role runs to the end of Doc Society’s delegation, March 2026, and is a full time role
Preferred start date: as soon as possible

Location:

Position can be based from anywhere in the UK. Will require frequent travel around the UK.
The position requires a UK wide presence which could mean being based in a partner’s office 2-3 days a month. We welcome further ideas about how this might be achieved.

Salary:

• £60,000
• Probationary period: 6 months (with 3 months mid-point review)

Interested to apply?

The search for our Fund Head is being handled by Searchlight. Please send your CV & cover letter detailing what you can bring to the role to: naren@searchlight.com.