Licensing Manager

Job Description:
Job Title:            Licensing Manager

Reporting To:    VP, Consumer Products, International

Department:      Consumer Products

Location:             Office based (Soho, London) & hybrid work from home

Term:                   9 month Fixed Term Contract
Your Platform

Activision Blizzard plays a centralized role in the creation of epic entertainment by supporting our interactive gaming brands and studios with a diverse range of career opportunities across corporate functions such as Marketing, Communications, Legal, Human Resources, Finance and Supply Chain.

This is an exciting time to join us. Ask anyone who works at Activision Blizzard their favourite thing about it, and they’ll tell you, it’s the people. We have world class brands, infrastructure, and resources, but our success doesn’t come from assembly lines producing widgets. Our success comes from people producing greatness together. We are nothing without our employee’s brilliance. So if you’re interested in our biggest priority, it’s the people.

Our office is based in Soho, the cultural heart of London’s West End with a vast array of classic record shops and leading film companies, media offices and great restaurants. Regent’s Park is close enough for a lunchtime run, as are the delights of Piccadilly Circus and the shopping mecca of Oxford Street. It is conveniently walking distance from a number of London tube stations and mainline train stations and has a well-stocked kitchen and free on-site gym.

To learn more, check us out at www.activisionblizzard.com or on Twitter at @ATVI_AB.

Your Mission

The Licensing Manager is responsible for managing our Activision Blizzard Hardlines portfolio in the region to build a sustainable consumer products business that achieves annual revenue targets.

As part of the International Consumer Products Team, the Licensing Manager will be responsible for establishing a strategy and growing the CP business in line with Global strategies and guidelines while demonstrating a solid understanding of the local markets’ individual needs and opportunities.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Assessing, managing, and leading all day-to-day aspects of the Activision Licensing business, including licensing, retail partnerships and ecommerce strategies, including working with the Vice President on business planning and strategy, new business development, and tactical marketing initiatives.
• Strategy: Build a 2 or 3 years international strategy adapting the Global strategy to our International consumer needs. Identify and quantify the largest opportunities (by brand, category and country). Prioritize key markets within the region for accelerated growth while nurturing developing markets. Continuously benchmark progress against plan and tweak accordingly.
• Licensees: Manage a portfolio of licensees to grow the CP business. Be an example on crafting long term alliances (internal and external).
• Critically evaluate the licensee base to ensure we have the right number of partners and best in category overall. Accountable for day-to-day management of key licensees including business reviews. Monitor sales and needs. Quickly develop expertise in each of the relevant licensed categories and act as the resource for these categories. This includes developing a detailed understanding of the product line, the market, competitors, and all capabilities of the licensee.
• Finance: AOP planning including detailed targets and action plan (by brand, category, country and quarter).  Quarterly forecast follow-up, contacting licensees and retailers to understand sales trend.
• Agents: ensure the Agents are delivering against our Strategies to fill market gaps. Communicate frequently with Agents sharing our updated plans, decks, news and best practice
• Franchise: Develop a clear franchise growth & diversification plan by market for all of the core properties and identify market-specific opportunities.
• HQ: work closely with HQ to ensure that our Execution is aligned with Global guidelines (creative, approval, return on investment, legal, financial etc.)
• Retail: Follow trend of the retail market (physical, digital, channels…) and maintain knowledge of key seasonality / buying cycles of retailers. Work in close partnership with CP Retail Team to design our strategical plan.
• Internally: Building and maintaining positive relationships, and influence critical internal partners within the internal game development teams, Consumer Marketing, Product Marketing, Retail, Legal and other cross-functional teams.

Player Profile

• Educated to degree level or equivalent required, MBA preferred.
• Substantial experience in Licensing role, including Leadership role. Plus, FMCG or retail preferred. Strong understanding of brand and property positioning.
• Relationship builder including excellent communication & presentation skills, including top Powerpoint skills. Requires the ability to influence and/or gain acceptance from others in sensitive situations without damaging relationships.
• Flexible/ability to adjust to changing business environment – start-up mentality within a corporate environment.
• Strong sales and negotiation skills. Action oriented, Strategic and creative problem solver.
• Self-motivated professional with ability to work independently and take charge.
• Great teammate and comfortable with matrix organization and ambiguity.
• Knowledge and fandom of Blizzard franchises and/or esports.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification or criteria, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage all to apply.

Our World

Our mission, to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment has never been more important. Through communities rooted in our video game franchises we enable hundreds of millions of people to experience joy, thrill and achievement. We enable social connections through the lens of fun, and we foster purpose and a sense of accomplishment through healthy competition. Like sport, but with greater accessibility, our players can find purpose and meaning through competitive gaming. Video games, unlike any other social or entertainment media, have the ability to break down the barriers that can inhibit tolerance and understanding. Celebrating differences is at the core of our culture and ensures we can create games for players of diverse backgrounds in the 190 countries our games are played.

As a member of the Fortune 500 and as a component company of the S&P 500, we have an extraordinary track record of delivering superior shareholder returns for over 30 years.

Our enduring franchises are some of the world’s most popular, including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Hearthstone®, Diablo®, StarCraft®, Candy Crush™, Bubble Witch™, Pet Rescue™ and Farm Heroes™. Our sustained success has enabled the company to support corporate social responsibility initiatives that are directly tied to our franchises. As an example, our Call of Duty Endowment has helped find employment for over 80,000 veterans.

Learn more information about Activision Blizzard and how we connect and engage the world through epic entertainment on the company’s website, www.activisionblizzard.com.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

Tagged as: finance, fmcg, franchise, licensing manager, Retail