Head of YouTube and Production (all genders)

Einleitung

As a science brand, we are best known for our distinctive animated videos and our elaborate products around the kurzgesagt theme worlds. Through our globally successful YouTube channel with over 24 million subscribers, we aim to inspire people around the world about science and make knowledge accessible and exciting. We believe that well-researched facts are just as important as humor and good storytelling. Nothing in the universe is boring if you tell a good story.

Our international team currently consists of about 70 great colleagues. We are looking for an experienced Head of YouTube and Production (all genders) to lead the strategic and operational side of our YouTube channel. This role combines leadership, production expertise, and business responsibility. You will own the end-to-end production process, define the overall channel strategy, manage budgets, and ensure that every video is produced efficiently, performs strongly on YouTube, and contributes sustainably to the channel’s growth and monetization. This role is ideal for someone who deeply understands what makes YouTube videos successful, can translate creative ideas into scalable production pipelines, and is comfortable making data-driven and financial decisions.

How to make an impact - in a nutshell

Channel Performance

• Define and continuously refine the overall strategy of the YouTube channel, aligned with long-term creative and business goals
• Develop a strong understanding of audience behavior, retention, CTR, watch time, and algorithmic signals
• Analyze performance data and translate insights into actionable improvements for content, formats, and release strategies
• Stay up to date with YouTube trends, platform changes, and best practices

Leadership

• Together with your team, oversee the entire video production pipeline, from idea development to final upload
• Ensure high production quality while maintaining efficient workflows and realistic timelines
• Lead, coach and develop a team of producers and a business development manager while fostering a culture of ownership, quality, and continuous improvement
• Work closely with creative & editorial teams to turn ideas into compelling videos and act as point of alignment between creative, production, and business teams
• Continuously optimize production processes to improve speed, quality, and scalability

Financial Strategy & Revenue Management

• Own the production budget of the company and ensure responsible, transparent spending
• Lead and optimize monetization strategies, including sponsorships, integrations, and additional revenue streams
• Drive both cost-efficiency and revenue growth by uncovering new monetization opportunities beyond standard ad revenue, while maintaining high quality
• Ensure monetization efforts align with brand values and audience trust
• Balance creative ambition with financial sustainability
• Allocate resources efficiently across projects, formats, and experiments

What you are best known for

• Multi-year, hands-on experience in the production of online video content
• Deep understanding of what makes video content successful, both creatively and financially
• Experience with the management of large YouTube channels
• Proven leader with a focus on team culture, collaboration, and the successful management of production workflows and budgets
• Strong business mindset with experience in monetization and sponsorship models
• Ability to balance creative vision with operational and financial constraints
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with frequently shifting constraints and opportunities
• Great communication skills with fluency in English; German is a bonus

Some perks of working at kurzgesagt

• A role with real ownership: You’ll have plenty of freedom to shape your work and leave your own footprint, while taking on hands-on work and real responsibility for one of the world’s largest knowledge channels on YouTube
• A truly unique company culture: A healthy error culture, flat hierarchies with extremely fast decision-making, transparency, and a shared drive to keep pushing things forward. Our Slack emoji game? Absolutely on point. Yes, we mean custom emojis. Lots of them
• Attractive benefits: A heavily discounted USC membership, subsidies for public transport tickets and company pension plans, employee discounts, and perks with numerous partner companies. Plus, an after-hours budget for team activities outside of work
• Personal development: An annual learning and development budget, as well as dedicated time for training because learning and growth never stop here
• 30 days of vacation (based on a 5-day work week) and a strong focus on maintaining a healthy work-life balance
• Great working environment: Work in the heart of Munich (close to the main train station) with excellent public transport connections, alongside a creative and enthusiastic team that supports your growth
• And last but not least: You’ll get your own personalized avatar and bird :)

Like what you see?

Then don’t wait any longer. Apply now to become part of a small but really cool team. We can’t wait to hear from you!

We would love to hear more in your motivational letter about:

• Your experience leading YouTube channels or online video projects
• Your involvement on both the creative and commercial dimensions of digital content
• Your leadership of teams
• Your ability to relocate to Germany for this role if you are not already based in Germany