Licensing Manager, Hardlines

Gateway Licensing; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

WildBrain CPLG is seeking a Licensing Manager to develop and strategically grow license partnerships and new business across agreed product categories and secure consistent contact with national and international licensors.

Reporting to the Licensing Director, the Licensing Manager will work closely with other WildBrain CPLG offices and the Partnerships team to secure licensees for each property and maximize retail activity.

Qualifications

• Experience in licensing, marketing, and retail is preferred.
• Direct experience in Consumables Categories (Food, Health and Beauty) is highly preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and networking skills.

Responsibilities

• Be the main commercial contact for licensees within defined categories (hardlines, Health & Beauty Aids, food & beverage).
• Identify licensing opportunities and fill market gaps across categories considering segment, market, channel and franchise.
• Partner with Licensing Director to manage contract negotiations for key licensees and analyze business plans to ensure deliverables.
• Ensure timely product approvals and stay informed about seasonality and retailer buying cycles.
• Maintain knowledge of industry trends, competitors and opportunities for the category and licensees.
• Collaborate with Product Development to ensure licensed products are commercially viable.
• Attend trade shows and industry networking events as applicable.
• Manage annual budgets and quarterly revenue forecasting.
• Maintain CPLG CRM compliance for licensor reviews and forecasting.
• Collaborate with Legal to process contracts efficiently.

Skills

Licensing experience

Account management

New business

Negotiation

Job description

Company Description

Location: LA or NYC (US)
Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work.
Compensation: $95,000 - $105,000 (USD) Yearly

Overview

WildBrain CPLG is a world-leading entertainment, sport and brand licensing agency with 20 offices worldwide. Since 1972 we have been providing our partners with dedicated licensing and marketing professionals and fully integrated retail, creative & product development, legal and accounting services.

We are looking to add to our talented team of innovators that can help us manage some of the most profitable and enduring brands in the world! We believe that our partnerships are about clarity, openness, and trust, and we are widely known for our straightforward approach.

About the Role

WildBrain CPLG is looking for a Licensing Manager to join our team to develop and strategically grow our license partnerships and new business across agreed product categories and secure consistent contact with national and international licensors.

Reporting to the Licensing Director, the Licensing Manager will work closely with other WildBrain CPLG offices and the Partnerships team to secure licensees for each property and maximizing retail activity.

Job Description

• Be the main commercial contact for your licensees within your defined categories hardlines, Health & Beauty Aids (HBA), food & beverage
• Identify licensing opportunities and fill market gaps across the category considering segment, market, channel and franchise, and in accordance with agreed licensor strategies.
• Partner with Licensing Director to manage contract negotiations for key licensees, analyze and control business plans to ensure contract deliverables are met throughout the term.
• Ensure timely product approvals in line with industry needs. Maintain knowledge of key seasonality per category and buying cycles of retailers.
• Maintain current knowledge of industry trends, competitors, business opportunities, threats and dynamics for category and key licensees.
• Partner with the Product Development team to drive quality in licensed product representation, ensuring lines are commercially viable.
• Attendance at trade shows and industry networking functions where applicable.
• Fiscal responsibility to include annual budget planning and quarterly revenue forecasting
• Ensure strict adherence to CPLG’s CRM system as the central information tool for licensor reviews and internal forecasting and business management.
• Work closely with the Legal team to ensure all team contracts are processed in the most efficient way possible.

What We Offer

Working at WildBrain is more than a job — it’s the opportunity to join forces with extraordinary, insightful, and imaginative people who will recognize your talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work environment that promotes creativity and individuality. We offer competitive benefits, and we invest in our people and their future.

Our Commitment

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are in our DNA. As a global leader in kids and family entertainment, we strive to reflect and honour the diversity of our audiences around the world. We believe that creating diverse and inclusive content & brands begins with fostering a culture of belonging at WildBrain. To us, a culture of belonging is one where we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees, stakeholders, and external partners and strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and brings their authentic self to work.

We demonstrate our commitment to this by striving to provide a supportive work environment and a corporate culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. We recognize that people bring experience and talent that goes beyond the technical skills and requirements of a job. If you possess similar experience that is close to what we’ve listed here, we encourage you to please still consider applying. We strongly believe that diverse experience, transferable skills, and passion are key! WildBrain accommodates people with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. Applicants are encouraged to make their needs known in advance if accommodation is required.

About WildBrain CPLG

WildBrain CPLG is a trusted licensing partner for leading brands worldwide, offering 50 years of expertise building consumer products and location-based entertainment programmes across the entertainment, sport, corporate and lifestyle sectors. With over 20 offices serving the UK, Europe, India, the Middle East, China, Asia Pacific and the US, WildBrain CPLG combines the strength of global reach with expertise in local markets to achieve the best results for partners. Our passionate teams consistently challenge themselves to explore new and innovative ideas and opportunities in partnerships, activations, creative and business processes to celebrate and build brands. At WildBrain CPLG, we believe that collaboration is about clarity, openness and trust, and we are widely known for our no-nonsense, straightforward approach. WildBrain CPLG is part of WildBrain Ltd., a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment. Please contact us or visit the WildBrain CPLG website for more information: www.cplg.com.

About WildBrain

At WildBrain, we build and grow beloved family brands through exceptional entertainment experiences. Home to franchises such as Strawberry Shortcake, Teletubbies, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi, we are a global leader in franchise management—bringing stories to life through content production, audience reach and consumer products. Our award-winning studio has partnered with top global platforms such as Apple TV, Netflix and the BBC, producing acclaimed series such as The Snoopy Show, Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City, Teletubbies (2015), Yo Gabba GabbaLand! and Finding Her Edge. The WildBrain Network, offering more than 1,000 channels across YouTube, FAST and AVOD, delivers premium-quality content to today’s kids and families wherever they’re watching—connecting advertisers to audiences at scale through brand-safe media solutions. WildBrain CPLG, our global licensing and consumer products arm, represents our own and partner brands across major territories worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, WildBrain trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.

Qualifications

• Direct experience within Consumables Categories (Food, Health and Beauty) highly preferred
• Demonstrable experience in the licensing industry, marketing, retail
• A creative thinker with the ability to be flexible and adjust to a changing business environment.
• Outstanding interpersonal and networking skills.
• An innovative and creative salesperson with proven experience in account management and new business development
• Comprehensive knowledge of licensees' production and creative capabilities/limitations.
• Entrepreneurial spirit, team-player and can communicate at all levels
• Proficiency in writing and Speak in Spanish a plus
• Proficient of MS Office including, Teams, One-Drive, Excel and PowerPoint.