Work in Japan : Head of Licensing of Multinational Entertainment Company

Minimum Experience Level

Over 6 years 

Minimum English Level

Business Level 

Minimum Japanese Level

Native 

Minimum Education Level

Bachelor's Degree 

Visa Status

Japanese national or permission to work in Japan required  

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Reports to: SVP of Consumer Products, Asia based in Singapore

Primary Responsibilities:
・ Bottom line responsibility (financial & operational) for the licensing business of of all the company’s intellectual properties in Japan.
・ Develop, initiate and implement licensing deals as well as marketing strategies to support brand positioning for success.
・ Develop and implement long-term growth of the consumer products business by categories and properties.
・ Develop key retailer relationships in Japan to ensure our merchandise are properly represented and merchandised.
・ Seek out innovative toy licensees in Japan for licensing outside of Japan.


Specific Responsibilities:
・ Identify new licensees in the product both hard-line and Softline, publishing, promotion and Home Video categories for all the company’s brands.
・ Negotiate contracts with licensees and proactively review progress of each licensee on a timely basis through bi-annual business review.
・ Working with the Marketing and RBD Director to implement and source retailers/shopping mall partners for the company’s annual retail events.
・ Implement and monitor licensee’s marketing, product development and distribution guidelines in each market.
・ Initiate collaborative efforts between product licensees to effectively market properties.
・ Working with finance to monitor licensee’s payments and ensuring royalty reports and sales forecasts are submitted on a timely basis.
・ Conduct timely licensee review meetings and market visits to monitor and help grow licensees business. Understand licensees business to better service their needs.
・ Be on top of the market trends and competitors’ activities.
・ Build and update licensee list on a regular basis

Qualifications
The successful candidate will most likely come from the Licensing & Merchandising industry preferably from the licensing of entertainment properties/brands with a strong toy category focus, TV/print advertising sales, advertising agency account/client management, or a sales role within a company selling products/services into the advertising & media industry. S/he must also have proven Japan experience. The successful candidate must have fluency in spoken and written Japanese and English.

S/he will be a business builder who can facilitate the success of the teams, a mentor and strong motivator who can provide clear direction when required.

A balance of top level strategic sales and commerce skills with the ability to introduce processes to increase performance is required along with the ability to keep an eye firmly fixed on the numbers. This person will represent the company with style and show determination and resilience in the face of aggressive goals for growth.

Responsibilities
The Licensing Director/VP will be a natural leader with deep commercial skills; s/he will lead from the front and will further develop a results-oriented approach, whilst maintaining the quality creative focus.

It is crucial that this person will be comfortable in a wide variety of business environments and able to communicate easily with very different styles of people from both an internal and external perspective.

S/he will be required to develop a strategy and business plan to address the requirement for aggressive growth targets. Working with the management team, s/he will implement new sales strategies and structures to develop key licensees and optimise revenue and brand potential.

This person will be very comfortable working in a creative environment and working with people for whom creative decisions are paramount whilst maintaining a strong sense of the commercial drivers of the business. This is a leadership role and the Licensing Director/VP will represent the company at industry functions. S/he will have the style, gravitas and contacts to extend sphere of influence in key target sectors such as Retail, Manufacturing of hard-line and Softline products, FMCG, publishing, and large corporate and multinational advertisers. The ability to create and leverage senior level relationships is very important in this role.

Some travel will be required.

Robert Leonard’s single biggest investment is in the potential of people. Our decision to be a highly people-focused recruitment firm is a major factor in our success.

We believe that a higher level of commitment to candidates benefits clients and candidates alike. Our focus means better service and has helped us become a highly reputable and reliable recruitment firm in pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare, advertising, marketing ＆ PR, communications, consumer goods, entertainment/media, IT, internet, telecoms, finance, banking, accountancy, business consulting, manufacturing, automotive, industrial.

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