Walt Disney Consumer Products Licensing Manager (Sandton)

Job description

Walt Disney Africa Consumer Products Licensing Manager \ AA Preferred \ Based in Sandton or Cape Town \ Package includes generous benefits \ Prerequisites: Tertiary qualification and  proven multicategory SA retail & consumer expertise

Disney is looking for an experienced Senior Consumer Products Licensing Manager to drive the growth of its branded consumer products in South Africa and in select African countries. This is a senior commercial role responsible for working with Disney’s licensed partners and major retailers to grow the sale of Disney-branded products across multiple retail categories in physical “brick and mortar” retail environments. The successful candidate will combine retail sales expertise, licensing knowledge, consumer insights and strong commercial acumen to help expand Disney’s retail presence across the region. Join this iconic company: Disney entertains and inspires millions of consumers resulting in annual revenues of over $90 billion worldwide.

Location: Johannesburg or Cape Town – we are seeking the best candidate regardless of location.
Employment equity:   AA preferred

Disney Consumer Products partners with approved licensees who manufacture Disney-branded merchandise across multiple categories including toys, apparel, accessories, stationery, home products and health & beauty. These products are sold through major retail partners predominantly in South Africa, with additional growth opportunities across East Africa (Kenya) and West Africa (Ghana and Nigeria). The purpose of this role is to work with licensees and retailers to increase sell-through of Disney products, expand retail distribution and drive category growth across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the retail strategy and sales growth for Disney Consumer Products across Africa
• Develop and execute trade marketing and retail partnership programmes with key retail partners
• Work with licensees to ensure strong retail execution and product performance
• Identify opportunities to increase retail distribution and shelf space
• Use consumer insights and shopper behaviour to inform product and retail strategy
• Manage budgets, sales targets and P&L performance across product categories
• Develop and present strategic retail plans and commercial growth initiatives
• Manage contractors supporting the business in Kenya and Ghana

This role also involves presenting performance updates to Disney’s regional leadership, including sales growth, financial performance and strategic retail initiatives.

Requirements

We are particularly interested in candidates who have experience in:

• Retail sales or retail account management
• Consumer product licensing
• Category management or multi-category retail environments
• Developing joint business plans with retailers
• Using consumer insights and shopper analytics
• Managing sales targets, budgets and financial reporting
• Presenting commercial strategies to senior management or regional teams

Experience within the South African retail landscape is essential.
Experience in growth markets such as Kenya, Ghana or Nigeria would be advantageous.

Typical work backgrounds include: toy companies, FMCG businesses, consumer product brands, licensing organisations or softlines retail sectors (apparel, accessories, footwear and home textiles).
Typical job titles include: Category Manager, Retail Sales Manager, Trade Marketing Manager, Customer Development Manager, Licensing Manager, Consumer Products Manager

Candidates with experience in FMCG, toy companies, retail category management or consumer product licensing are particularly encouraged to apply.