Senior Product Development Manager, arts & entertainment IP

Huddle; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic product development company in Greater London is seeking a Senior Product Development Manager to lead the growth of its brand licensing programme in the arts and entertainment sector. You will be pivotal in creating innovative products and strategies while managing key relationships. The ideal candidate will possess a proven track record in product development, strong commercial acumen, and excellent relationship management skills.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in product development at a multi-market and category level.
• Deep understanding of interpreting brands and their audiences.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop product development strategy in line with the franchise strategy.
• Own relationships with creative & product development teams.
• Conduct market trend research to inform product range and development.

Skills

Product development

Commercial acumen

Creative problem solving

Relationship management

Organizational skills

Job description

Senior Product Development Manager, arts & entertainment IP

Huddle, Greater London, England, United Kingdom

Overview

A new position of Senior Product Development Manager has been created to support an expanding brand licensing programme for a global IP owner within the arts and entertainment space. It's a fresh multi-category programme with plenty of scope for originality and premium product ranges for consumers across a variety of generations and cultures.

This will suit an experienced product development manager who is excited by the opportunity to establish new structure and set up efficient processes to run a growing department. The Senior Product Development Manager will play a pivotal role in driving the growth and success of the global consumer products & merchandise (CPM) business. Reporting into the Head of Licensing, this position will manage and expand product across in-venue merchandise, third-party retail, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) / eCommerce channels.

The ideal candidate will bring strong commercial acumen, a deep understanding of the creative process and development of licensed goods, and exceptional relationship management skills. This role will be instrumental in driving the consumer products business through the development of best-in class product across fashion & lifestyle, toys & games and publishing both directly and in collaboration with agents.

Responsibilities

• With Head of Licensing (CPM), develop product development strategy in line with the franchise strategy and core brand values.
• With agents, develop a deep understanding of key markets to inform creative and range planning development.
• Own relationships with creative & product development team at agent level and designers at licensee & retail level.
• Establish meeting cadence including implementation of regular range review and planning sessions and build out product development roadmap informed by franchise strategy, sales data and market trends.
• On-going day to day management of agent partners and licensees across territories to drive product development success and meet commercial targets.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal departments to ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Conduct regular global and market specific trend and cultural research to stay ahead of evolving consumer preferences and competitive activity to inform product range and development.
• Use market trends and consumer insights to inform product roadmap and identify new product categories, brands, licensees, and retailers to work with.
• Create and deliver directional tools such as pitch decks, seasonal trend & look books, white space analyses, and competitor benchmarking to unlock new revenue opportunities and continuously push and evolve creative boundaries.
• Work with internal stakeholders to implement approval system and manage the end-to-end product development process, from concept through to execution.
• Implement range planning tools, product trackers, and commercial critical paths to ensure timely product launches aligned with revenue goals.
• Merchandising support of in venue and third-party retailers to ensure product ranges are optimised in retail environment to attract audiences and drive sales.
• Represent the company at key trade fairs, retail summits, and industry events to build relationships and identify new commercial opportunities.
• Manage all incoming samples and set up and run cataloguing and storage solution.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in product development at a multi-market and category level.Demonstrating an understanding and interpretation of market nuances, differentiation between retailers, channel and category.
• A deep understanding of how to interpret brands and their audiences and create relevant retailers, categories and products.
• Broad multi-category design and manufacturing knowledge such as graphic application, print techniques, tooling 3D products, stability testing, packaging, display and merchandising solutions.
• Team player with great communicative skills who builds strong, collaborative partnerships across internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Creative problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced environment, navigates change with agility and a nimble solution-focused mindset, making smart decisions that drive commercial impact.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage multiple projects efficiently, prioritise effectively, and consistently meet deadlines.
• Experience of briefing and working with designers and design agencies.
• Design skills an advantage.

If this sounds like a great opportunity to apply your expertise in product development to establish a new department, then we’d love to hear from you. Please apply with a copy of your CV, or email Rachel Steele [e-mail]

Details

• Seniority level: Mid-Senior level
• Employment type: Full-time
• Job function: Product Management and Marketing
• Industries: Staffing and Recruiting