Manager, Hardlines

As part of the Universal Products and Experiences team you will support the Hardlines Category Director to manage relationships with licensees and retailers to drive commercial outcomes (budget). Key respoinsibilities include:

CATEGORY MANAGEMENT (70%)

• Strategic Licensee Management:
  • Manage your portfolio of licensees to maximise commercial outcomes within these sub-categories, including:
    • Determining the direction of the sub-categories
    • Developing strong relationships and understanding of licensees’ businesses
    • Holding regular business reviews and joint planning to understand licensees’ performance and future direction to ensure financial targets are met or exceeded
    • Explaning licensees’ business performance in internal finance meetings
    • Providing licensees with the latest Universal company direction, brand and sales information and retail sales and marketing initiatives
    • Working with UP&E counterparts in key markets globally to benchnark performance and gain creative insights into the sub-categories
    • Analysing both NPD industry data and retail product sales performance to gain inisghts and guide business direction
    • Identifying new opportunities for retail placement and/or new product development
    • Working with the UP&E Creative Team to inspire licensees with new product ideas through innovative use of assets and creative concepts
    • Working closely with the UP&E Creative Team to oversee product development life cycle from concept to release into retail
    • Work with licensees to keep up-to-date product line plans for all retail accounts

• New Business
  • Drive growth in the Hardlines category by:
    • Identifying gaps in the Hardlines product portfolio with current licensees
    • Identifying new licensee opportunities to fill gaps
    • Building presentations to pitch at new business meetings
• Financial Reporting:
  • Managing the quarterly financial reporting processes end-to-end (forecasting and royalty reporting)
• Contracts:
  • Managing the contract process for new and existing licensees with internal contract administration, legal and finance teams, including:
    • On boarding new licensees to Universal’s systems and ensuring they meet contract requirements (including Global Brand Standards) and that current licensees contact requirements are up-to-date
    • Upating contract trackers and licensee lists
• Marketing Approvals
  • Manage the asset management and trade marketing approvals for licensees

RETAIL SALES (30%)

• Strategic Retail Account Management:
  • Manage your portfolio of retail accounts to drive the business and focus on Universal’s IP and licensees product including:
    • Developing strong relationships with relevant buyerships and understanding of the retailers’ busineses and market share
    • Developing a strong understanding of Universal’s financial performance
    • Building presentations to showcase Universal’s IP and to showcase licensees’ line plan of products to maximise ranging
    • Working with licensees to identify joint opportunites to grow the business
    • Working with UP&E counterparts in key markets globally to benchmark performance, creative inpirtaion and sales insights to influence retail locally  
    • Analysing both NPD industry data and retail POS to provide insights into sub-category and product performance and guide business direction
    • Identifying new product opportunities and working with licensees to fill gaps
    • Working closely with UP&E’s Franchise & Retail Marketing Team to ensure licensees are included in retail marketing campaigns
• Sales Analysis and Reporting
  • Support the strategic planning and management of the Hardlines Category by:
    • Retailer POS
      • Maintaining the Hardlines Score Card spreadsheet
      • Preparing the weekly retail POS reports sent to UP&E global teams and gain insights to ifluence category direction
      • Cross-checking retailer websites to POS reports to ensure all SKUs are captured and data integrity is maximised
      • Review ANZ top toys vs. US retailers top toys for insights
      • Review  performance of new SKUs and stock on hand s to maximise sales
      • General anaylsis on retail sales performance

• • • NPD Reports
      • Monthly analysis of NPD reports to commicate Univeral’s IP performance in the competitive landscape to UP&E Teams, licensees and retailers
      • Using NPD’s online ‘decision key’ system to pull category insights to help guide strategic direction

GENERAL:

• • In this dynamic industry it is an important skill to be flexible and highly responsive to the ad hoc needs of licensees and retailer requests
  • Sharing of information is key to success, it is valued skill to be able to work closely with Universal internal departments in ANZ including Studios, Home Entertainment and TV and UP&E Teams abroad
  • In this role you will develop a strong undersanding of the Hardlines industry, the key players, the competitive landscape and the retail environment
  • You will be the Universal brand champion to both the licensees and retailers