Senior Category Manager

This is a Full Time Job

Overview
What is the role

We are looking for a Senior Category Manager softlines to join the ViacomCBS Consumer Products team. Based at our offices in Camden, and reporting into the Category Director UK & Ireland, this role's primary responsibilities include:

Lead and own the UK & Ireland ViacomCBS Softlines business
• Achieve/exceed CP revenue targets for the softlines categories

• Drive new revenue opportunities

• Lead negotiations and coordinate implementation of all licensing deals within relevant categories

• To represent ViacomCBS to our external partners

Principal Accountabilities Plan, develop and deliver the Softlines UK Consumer Products Strategy
• Achieve/exceed revenue targets set for softlines categories

• Responsible for the Softlines P&L, supporting the category director through budget planning and LRP

• Build 2-year strategic plan alongside category director and category manager by franchise and licensee to deliver revenue growth

• Align with retail and marketing teams to deliver revenue goals

• Identify gaps in category/licensee portfolios and target new partners to fill these

• Work with international counterparts to identify new market opportunities Financial Management

• Deliver annual sales target through management of forecasting process for softlines licensees, and tracking actual reported sales against forecast.

• Review forecasts and royalty report submissions with licensees on a quarterly basis, setting targets Legal & Contract Management

• Lead negotiations for softlines deals and input into Global/Regional deals from a UK perspective. Responsible for ensuring all rights are cleared before the deal closes Creative and Product Development

• Work closely with creative teams on product development and style guide interpretation. Identify creative needs for licensees and when immersion sessions are needed Account Management:

• Actively lead the licensee relationship ensuring engagement and alignment through joint business planning

• Identify priority licensees and ensure alignment with Category Director, Retail and Marketing teams in order to grow and improve the business

• Drive regular strategic meetings to ascertain retail listings, gaps, opportunities and risks.

• Review business models with licensees in renewals and/or new partner negotiations and run financial modelling

• Provide Category Director with regular updates on the state of the business

• Establish regular competitor analysis to understand size of competitor business, product category, retailer

• Identify new licensees to improve category growth improving white space opportunities Team & Culture:

• Demonstrate an expansive and collaborative mind-set when working with all partners

• Champion and promote the needs of licensees within broader ViacomCBS organization (UK and Global)

• Direct management of softlines category manager

What skills do you need
• Insightful and persuasive salesperson, able to identify commercial opportunities and align our brands to those opportunities.

• Strong Negotiator, able to optimise your success and profitability of deals

• Straight-talker and clear communicator both internally and externally. Both written and verbal.

• Conclusive decision maker, able to creatively problem seek to get to a solution fast.

• Financially literate, always happy to dig into numbers from the ground up. Clear understanding of licensee financials, forecast, range selections and delivery of budget numbers.

• Blue-sky problem solver. Able to build relevant measurable ideas that excite and galvanize licensees and drive revenues.

• Relationship builder. A reliable and responsive business partner. Always known to deliver what is needed on time and to the highest standard.

• Strong time management and organisation skills, able to optimally prioritise workload and increase efficiency

• Confident self-starter, tenacious and persistent