Rights Operations Manager (YouTube CMS) – Contract
Rights Operations Manager (YouTube CMS) – Contract
4 – 6 month contract role
3 days per week
Location: West London
The Role:
Our client is looking for a Rights Operations Manager to lead the resolution of YouTube CMS asset conflicts and ownership claims. This role will focus on clearing a significant backlog, reclaiming lost revenue, protecting intellectual property and ensuring UK-focused assets are accurately represented within the global Content ID ecosystem.
Key Responsibilities
- Conflict resolution: Systematically resolve asset ownership conflicts (composition and sound recording), ensuring accurate rights allocation
- Claim management: Review, uphold, or release disputed and appealed claims on user-generated content (UGC), prioritising high-value UK repertoire
- Metadata integrity: Identify and correct data issues at source, ensuring accurate ISRC and ISWC linking to prevent future conflicts
- Stakeholder liaison: Act as the key point of contact for UK-based labels and publishers, resolving territory-specific rights nuances
- Revenue recovery: Identify “unclaimed” or “misclaimed” high-traffic videos to maximise monetisation
- Process optimisation: Develop scalable workflows (including automation and bulk processing) to prevent backlog recurrence, working closely with global tech teams
Experience & Requirements
- YouTube CMS expertise: 3+ years’ hands-on experience, with strong familiarity across Assets, Issues, and Claims
- Music rights knowledge: Strong understanding of sound recording vs composition rights and how conflicts arise within CMS
- Backlog/data management: Experience handling large datasets (10k+ rows) using advanced Excel (e.g. VLOOKUPs, Pivot Tables) or SQL
- YouTube certification: Certification in Music Asset Management or Content Ownership is highly desirable
Technical & Soft Skills
- Analytical mindset: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to investigate and resolve complex rights conflicts
- UK industry knowledge: Familiarity with UK collection societies (PRS, MCPS, PPL) and associated data flows into YouTube
- Efficiency-driven: Proven ability to use bulk tools, CSV uploads, and scalable processes to resolve issues at volume