Title: Category Manager, Outbound Licensing

Description

Sets the strategic direction for assigned categories. She/he identifies prospects, negotiates deals through contract and closure and nourishes business relationships to achieve annual growth targets. Provides direction to licenses, guiding their seasonal product lines from concept through commercialization, and developing product extensions within category grants.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic direction for assigned categories and lines of business
  
  
  • Creates plans for growth in assigned categories by determining areas of focus and targeted growth prospects.
  
  
  • Creates presentations to communicate category strategy and licensee initiatives for, licensing leadership, internal Crayola departments and trade show presentations.
  
  
  
  


• Licensing Sales
  
  
  • Identifies prospects and maintains active pipeline of potential partners that meet strategic category objectives via prospecting, attending relevant trade shows and maintaining active network with key vendors in category.
  
  
  • Negotiates terns and closes new deals/renewals to achieve year over year category growth goals
  
  
  
  


• Category Management
  
  
  • Conducts quarterly or semiannual business reviews to ensure licensees are leveraging innovation in development, maximizing product grants and retail distribution channels, and licensees are on target to meet revenue forecasts.
  
  
  • Liaises with marketing/sales teams to ensure transparency, determine internal opportunities for current licensed products, and explore products needed to support product migration plans.
  
  
  • Directs seasonal line development and approval, adhering to internal approval process for licensees (ie. safety, quality, financial, packaging, promotional materials, displays, PR, etc.). Provides positive creative solutions to licensee development issues.
  
  
  • Collaborate across internal Crayola departments to develop activation plans around licensed merchandise (i.e. PR, social media, advertising and events).
  
  
  • Directs category research and product concept testing as needed with the consumer insights team