The EMEA Category Manager Fashion & Living is responsible for developing and executing a long-term business strategy for the Fashion & Living sub-categories (Accessories, Footwear, Infant & Homeware); leveraging the richness of NBCUniversal’s entertainment content to achieve annual revenue and growth targets. They will be responsible for identifying the best partners (Licensees / Collaboration Brands) to engage with, negotiating agreements, driving innovative quality product ranges, accurate quarterly forecasting and active retail sell-in of cohesive product ranges.

Key Responsibilities

Category & Partner Management

• Lead EMEA business development & management for subcategories; Accessories, Footwear, Infant & Homeware.
• Drive the Evergreen strategy and maximise movie Tent Pole moments.
• Lead the EMEA Brand Collaborations arm of the total EMEA Fashion & Living category strategy.
• Represent EMEA on Consumer Products Global Taskforce with EMEA Snr Directors Category and PD .
• Be the EMEA conduit for In-Theatre license premiums. Global Partners - Snapco & Zinc
• Lead contract negotiations with new business licensees & Brand collaborators, analyze forecasts & business plans
• Where relevant on new and existing partners, dedicated account management to ensure contract deliverables are met throughout the term
• Partner with Regional DTR Teams & Hub Category managers to build cohesive commercial product ranges and land credible assortments for the assigned categories.
• Collaborate across the matrix to drive business forward; Category, Product Design, Franchise, Finance, Legal, ECommerce & HR
• Be the category expert; Consistently stay abreast of industry trends, competitors, business opportunities, threats and dynamics for category and key licensees / partners. Share regularly with DTR & Hub teams.
• Schedule and deliver best in class licensee/partner pitch presentations.
• Regular attendance of trade shows and events where relevant – e.g. Brand Licensing Europe, Spring Fair

Finance and Business Planning

• Fiscal responsibility to include quarterly revenue forecasting & annual budget planning
• Identify whitespace opportunities using data to guide decisions. 
• Gather and analyze business performance across category by licensee and partner/retailer. Build action plans where relevant to drive business momentum.

Brand and Content Management

• Support brand marketing initiatives including the development and execution of category plans
• Assist in delivering creative assets and refreshes
• Secure support for partners within broader brand strategies and retail plans (Tent Pole & Evergreen)

Retail Development

• Identify new retail business opportunities and whitespace for EMEA Regional partners.
• Develop and nurture strong relationships with key buyers across EMEA DTR & Specialty Retail where relevant.
• Maintain knowledge of key seasonality and buying cycles of retailers ensuring opportunities are maximized
• Partner with Ecom team to drive Ecommerce product penetration and merchandise excellence for assigned categories.

Strategy – as it pertains to the designated subcategories Accessories, Footwear, Infant & Homeware

• Support the EMEA Senior Director to develop Sub-Category strategies for Accessories, Footwear, Infant & Homeware in EMEA.  Support Roll out and monitoring of same.
  • gathering data, market & competitor insights
  • Evaluating size of prize
• Identify & maximise key partners and whitespace opportunities across age, segment, market, channel and franchise in designated categories.
• Pitch and Onboard new Regional Partners and manage same.
• Lead the EMEA Brand Collaborations arm of the Fashion & Living category strategy. Represent EMEA on Global Taskforce.
  • Identify, Target and Pitch Fashion & Home Brands to collaborate with on Key franchises according to the EMEA Franchise Priority grid.
  •  Support EMEA Senior Directors of F&L & PD to develop EMEA Collaborations strategy & drive action.
  • Support F&L Market leads with their collaboration strategy and pitching where relevant.
  • Attend Global Task Force meetings and presentations.
• Critically evaluate the licensee base to ensure we have the right partners to deliver best in class category overall