Director, Business Development, Licensing - Random House

Director, Business Development, Licensing – Random House

Penguin Random House is seeking a Director, Business Development, Licensing to help manage the business development processes and strategy for licensed publishing across the Random House Group. In this role you will work in tandem with the various stakeholders for licensed brands, including the Publishing and Creative Directors, imprint publishers, editors, legal, finance team and more to build new partnerships and manage the business-related needs of our current partners.

This position is unlike any in publishing, providing an opportunity to interface with the leadership and creative teams across multiple imprints. You will be working with industry-leading partners like Disney, Microsoft, Netflix, Hasbro and more on massive pop culture brands like Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Stranger Things, Minecraft, Game of Thrones and many unannounced projects still in development. In addition, you will be in a central position to drive further acquisitions and partnerships, collaborating directly with our forward-thinking licensed editorial team on where to bring the business next.

This is a hands-on role with a huge amount of flexibility in terms of how you handle the work. Our team is results-driven, focused on managing our own goals alongside the needs of our partners and authors, and though you will be reporting to the Publishing Director for licensing, you will be involved in multiple areas of decision-making across our highly collaborative team.

The Role:

• Oversee and manage the business-related elements of Random House’s growing portfolio of licensed brands
• Manage the acquisition process for licensed properties, working with editors, publishers, and the publishing and creative directors for licensing to pursue new partnerships and projects
• Present and negotiate offers with new and existing partners and collaborate with Legal, Contracts, Finance, Subrights and the publishing teams through all stages of the negotiation and contract processes
• Collaborate with publishing teams to implement a continued growth plan for RH Licensing, including new potential partners, new formats, growth formats, and holistic, multi-year strategies around individual brands
• Continue to build and maintain key relationships with existing and potential clients and partners, and manage and negotiate renewals of expiring contracts
• Working with the Finance team, manage quarterly Forecasting Timelines and semi-annual Business Reviews for existing partners
• Attend both virtual and in-person events, including partner summits, showcases, and conventions, and communicate relevant data back to the larger team
• Attend weekly external partner meetings alongside editorial, marketing and publicity teams

The Essentials:

• Prior experience working with major brands on either licensing IN or licensing OUT
• Experience selling or acquiring licensed content in the publishing space is preferred but not required
• Strong familiarity with licensed contracts and their related terms
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills
• Highly collaborative with the ability to establish and nurture long-running partner relationships that span multiple books over multiple imprints
• Strong interpersonal skills with the proven ability to negotiate with business partners
• Proven ability to set priorities under pressure and multi-task effectively, managing time across multiple projects
• Ability to manage pressure and critical feedback from both internal and external parties
• Enthusiasm for working not only with books, but with major pop culture brands in the film, television, gaming and comic space a plus!

If you’re knowledgeable about the acquisition and contract negotiation process, possess the ability to view business relationships from a long-term perspective, and understand how to balance the needs of partners in the short term versus the business opportunities they may afford over time, then this may be the perfect opportunity for you!

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off. 

Penguin Random House is the leading adult and children’s publishing house in North America, the United Kingdom and many other regions around the world. In publishing the best books in every genre and subject for all ages, we are committed to quality, excellence in execution, and innovation throughout the entire publishing process: editorial, design, marketing, publicity, sales, production, and distribution. Our vibrant and diverse international community of nearly 250 publishing brands and imprints include Ballantine Bantam Dell, Berkley, Clarkson Potter, Crown, DK, Doubleday, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Little Golden Books, Knopf, Modern Library, Pantheon, Penguin Books, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Young Readers, Portfolio, Puffin, Putnam, Random House, Random House Children’s Books, Riverhead, Ten Speed Press, Viking, and Vintage, among others. More information can be found at http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/.

Penguin Random House values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Company: Penguin Random House LLC 

Country: United States of America 

State/Region: New York 

City: New York City 

Postal Code: 10019 

Job ID: 167747

Date: Oct 8, 2021

Location: 

New York City, NY, US, 10019

Nearest Major Market: Manhattan

Nearest Secondary Market: New York City

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