CREATIVE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY Ltd.; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exclusive previews of films and series

Volunteer days

Employee benefits programme

Learning and development opportunities

Job summary

STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY LTD in the United Kingdom is seeking a Product Development professional to lead end-to-end development for the Paddington brand and other IPs within the Kids & Family umbrella. You will manage the PD process from concept to production launch, collaborating with licensees, agents, retailers and internal teams.

Requirements include 5–10 years in licensing, superb communication (visual, spoken, written), and strong PD/manufacturing knowledge.

Qualifications

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Responsibilities

• Provide feedback to licensees, agents and partners with clear visuals and comments.
• Manage approvals, documentation and workflows; anticipate timeline issues and escalate.
• Oversee product development tools (e.g., MyMediabox) and asset delivery systems.
• Coordinate asset uploads to DAM systems and organize metadata.
• Lead on hardline categories such as Gifts, Novelty, Interactive and digital projects; liaise with 3rd party stakeholders.
• Collaborate with sales, marketing and Marketreach teams; attend meetings with partners as required.
• Support internal PD efforts and develop tools to improve processes.
• Work primarily on Paddington brand, expanding to other IPs within Kids & Family.

Skills

Licensing

Product development

Vendor management

Toys & Games knowledge

PD processes

Second language

Communication skills

Design understanding

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Mediabox

Job description

STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY LTD is part of STUDIOCANAL, a CANAL+ company. STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY owns and manages the Paddington™ IP and operates as a full-service global licensor, providing strategic worldwide IP development, licensing and retail expertise. The Paddington brand continues to increase its international visibility particularly in the US through global partnerships and strategic collaborations bestowing Paddington's values of kindness, politeness, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging. STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY continues to honour Paddington's legacy while embracing new opportunities for growth and global expansion.

Culture: We are a friendly close-knit team operating within a family of European media companies, offering the flexibility of a small company whilst being supported by a larger group.

About the role:

Reporting to Head of Creative & Marketing and working as an integral part of the Creative & Marketing team, the role will act as a creative and product development ambassador for SCK&F Brands

Primarily responsible for leading the end-to-end product development and approval process in order to create compelling and market appropriate products, from initial creative direction and concepts, through to final production launch.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide timely and accurate feedback to licensees, agents, and other partners, utilising your design skills to communicate effectively the requirements of the brand. This may take the form of product mock-ups, redlining drawings or photographs, or quick visuals to explain comments (especially where English is not the first language).
• Maintain clear documentation, tracking of approvals and pro-actively managing workflows – identifying potential timeline issues and elevating accordingly.
• Management of the product development tools (i.e. MyMediabox)
• Management of asset delivery systems and arranging timely distribution of assets and brand information to licensees and other partners on a regular basis.
• Will include uploading assets to our DAM systems and organising metadata.
• Whilst this role will work across all categories, it is envisaged that the role would primarily lead on hardline categories to include:
• Gifts and Novelty
• Interactive and digital projects (e.g. like Crayola Paint & Play, Roblox etc)
• Liaising with 3rd Party Stakeholders (including creators, producers etc)
• Liaising with commercial sales team, marketing team, and Marketreach team as needed.
• Attending in-person and remote meetings with licensees, agents, retailers and other partners and suppliers as required.
• Agent and retailer (DTR) management
• Range planning.
• Collating final visuals for marketing requirements / lookbooks
• Competitor awareness and trend overviews
• The role will also include internal product development for our own retail stores.
• Development of tools and assets as needed to improve our systems and processes.
• The role will predominately be working on the Paddington brand but will expand to include other IPs under the Kids & Family umbrella.
• 5-10 years’ experience working in the licensing industry.
• Superb communications skills; i.e. visual, spoken, and written.
• Experience working with partners for whom English is a second language.
• Efficient, pro-active and organized.
• Good visual understanding and design skills
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.
• Good understanding of PD processes and manufacturing techniques across a variety of industries and markets.
• Experience working with Toys & Games (inc. Plush), Interactive Games is an advantage.
• Knowledge of the Mediabox brand assurance software is an advantage.
• Persuasive and diplomatic.
• Fluency in a second language is useful.

Based in the UK and hybrid (minimum 3 days a week in the office).

*note: this will be a Product Development role with an opportunity for design, rather than a design role with some PD included.

• Exclusive previews of films and series
• Up to three days per year dedicated to volunteering with our partner charities
• An attractive employee benefits programme
• Ongoing opportunities for learning and development, including regular training, participation in internal and external conferences, and much more