Director Franchise, Retail & Marketing - UK & IE (FTC)

Company Description
Universal Pictures were the first of the modern Hollywood studios, and over their one hundred years, they have been responsible for some of the world's most memorable feature films. It is the home of the epic Jurassic World franchise, the beloved Minions, the unstoppable Fast & Furious franchise, and Dreamworks animation, as well as a rich portfolio of classic films such as E.T., JAWS and Dracula.
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives expansion of the company's intellectual properties, franchises, characters and stories through innovative physical and digital products, content, and consumer experiences. Along with franchise brand management, UP&E's core businesses include Consumer Products and Games and Digital Platforms based on the company's extensive portfolio of intellectual properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination and DreamWorks Animation. UP&E is part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
At UP&E EMEA, we are proud of our unique culture. We are inclusive, curious and creative; channeling a growth mindset in order to drive the commercial and develop our people. To achieve this culture, we live by our 3 values:

• Being Human Matters to Us
• Together We Can Achieve Anything
• We Always Keep Growing

Job Description
You will be responsible for two distinct job responsibilities Franchise Management and Retail Marketing. You will be responsible for developing and executing franchise and retail marketing plans with retailers and key licensees, that leverages the richness of NBCUniversal's entertainment content to build a sustainable business that achieves annual revenue targets. You will activate the global franchise strategies at a market level by ensuring local relevance and partnering across other business units within the company with the goal of building or maintaining consumer relevance of our most important brands (IP). Managing events such as tradeshows, key partner meetings and consumer facing events.
Additionally, this role will develop and execute short and long term retail channel strategies delivering annual growth strategies that leverage the strength of the NBCUniversal's franchise portfolio, category and consumer priorities.
The role needs a strong leader who can be the voice of the brand, consumer, and retail, balancing the demands of delivering marketing activations that drive ROI within a defined budget and promoting retail sell-in of ranges.
Key Responsibilities
Execute and lead the UK&I FRM team, execute account plans with the team in line with franchise priorities and fiscal goals.
Line Management

• Management of up to 3x direct reports. Senior Franchise, Retail and Marketing Manager; Franchise, Retail and Marketing Manager; and the Assistant Franchise, Retail and Marketing Manager.
• Ensure clear communication and transparency of career development for all team members

Franchise Marketing

• Partner with retailers, licensees, and internal Universal/global teams on the development and execution and amplification of marketing programs to build brand awareness, engage consumers and ultimately drive commercial revenues
• Develop and execute territory specific franchise marketing activations, to support UP&E while creating demand value and awareness
• Focus on supporting the growth of all key categories through investment on key retail and marketing activity
• Be the cross-divisional liaison for internal business departments - local retail and category teams, regional creative and franchise teams plus Global Comms, Location Based Events, HE, digital, TV and theatrical teams
• Partner with Franchise Management (Global and Regional) to guide implementation of franchise strategies and local needs
• Be the brand and marketing expert in local market
• Attend top-tier retail and licensee meetings (i.e. master toy partner) in region, to share brand and retail plans
• Drive the LBE (location based events) business: Manage mall activations and costume character appearances in markets where required
• Responsible for overseeing presentation support and coordination of all events in region (summits, KPM's, trade shows,) from conceptualisation to execution
• Collaborate with global events team to secure required event assets via the events tool kit, including invitation templates, banners, etc. Work with global marketing team to secure required presentations
• Stay up to date on marketing trends across the region utilising key data. Share insights and lead arena with local marketing leads across UP&E.
• Work closely with Global Communication team and local agency to deliver the trade PR plans based on the priority brands and tent pole moments
• Work with key licensees and retailers on consumer and trade PR planning and approval
• Excellent industry knowledge and the ability to have commercial conversations and strategy setting with partners at all levels

Retail Marketing, planning and execution

• Develop retail marketing plans for defined, prioritised franchises to ensure alignment of Global, EMEA and UK&I strategies.
• Management of the local retail team to achieve G&Os, sharing 'best practice' across the other regions and apply synergy where appropriate
• Manage execution and account management of team for assigned marketing partnerships with retail accounts; includes in-store marketing, promotions, sweepstakes, out-of-home, print, online/mobile content, packaging, premiums, etc.
• Develop, maintain, and drive relationships across marketing and buyers in conjunction with category teams to drive product placement and sell through
• Build relationships and develop retail marketing programs with key retail accounts across Hardlines, F&L & FBC categories in line with brand guidelines and individual retailer expectations - events, digital, print, radio, TV, cinema, social, trading banners, POS etc
• Proactively conceptualize and develop cross promotions with other Universal divisions
• Sharing of best practice with Franchise and Retail & Marketing teams in US to ensure creative is consistent and on brand
• Remain competitively aware of competitors' retail programs & share best practices/results
• Managing the retail, franchise and trade marketing budget ensuring all activity drives ROI
• Approve all marketing submissions from licensees, agencies or retailers
• Provide comprehensive marketing program recaps and post analysis including measurable results, ROI, and how we compare to competitive programs and maintain examples of best in class programs to help drive the planning process
• Regular attendance of trade shows and social industry functions where applicable - e.g London Toy Fair, Brand Licensing Europe

Qualifications

• Strong Brand Marketing experience, preferably in a consumer products/licensing role
• Managed a team or team member in a senior role capacity
• Deep knowledge of licensing business and consumer products
• Deep knowledge of retail business including retail marketing tactics, promotional partners/packaged goods and consumer products
• Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills - Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and consistently with supervisor, colleagues and cross divisional stakeholders
• Excellent relationship management and influencing skills
• Excellent communication & presentation skills
• Ability to collaborate and communicate effectively and consistently with supervisor, colleagues, and cross divisional stakeholders.
• Able to diplomatically work with and influence third parties, both internal and external
• Strong sales and negotiation skills
• Able to work in a matrix organization
• A brand builder and commercial thinker
• Proven track record of hitting targets and delivering growth
• Ability to project manage multiple projects at once within a very fast paced environment

About You

• Adaptable, agile & flexible - able to pivot quickly, adapt strategies and deal with change.
• Good communicator - honest, transparent, and flexible depending on the audience. The ability to influence stakeholders.
• Leader - inspire and motivate those around them towards budget achievement.
• Relationship builder - able to flex style, understand needs, build a strong network and work within a matrixed environment.
• Results driven - own the numbers, be invested and be hungry to grow the business.
• Entrepreneurial - a self-starter, who is tenacious, independent, driven and proactive.
• Creative problem solver - universally creative and pro-actively seek solutions.
• Commercially curious - continuously seeking to understand the market.
• Passionate - energetic, engaged, positive and desiring to make a difference.
• Inclusive - open-minded, believing in diversity, equity and fairness.
• Celebrates Others - team-spirited, lifting others up to succeed.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer and we'll do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, speak to our recruitment team who will be happy to support you. Accessibility Statement | NBCUnicareers
Additional Information
As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [email protected].