Director, Retail Marketing

Role Overview:

The Director, Retail Marketing is responsible for the strategy, development, budget, sell-in/presentation and execution of all marketing programs for select third-party retail accounts for the Disney Consumer Products business in North America. In this role, you will bring industry expertise to drive innovative marketing campaigns at retail, strengthening industry connections and leveraging Disney’s unique characters and stories to differentiate the Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars brands in the retail environment. You will work closely with the Retail Sales organization to ensure alignment and integration between Disney and our key retailer partners.

The key to success will be providing strong and engaging leadership, mobilizing talent and ensuring the teams are operationalizing the strategies and the culture represents an organization that operates with pace and executes with excellence, shares best practices across markets, and embraces innovation in retail experiences.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the implementation and execution of marketing activations across third party retail in NA.

• Partner with sales team to help develop comprehensive, future-focused, strategy for assigned accounts to achieve business goals & objectives.

• Lead end to end marketing strategy for retail channels that enables sustained growth through sales and marketing initiatives.

• Collaboration with the Consumer Marketing team to integrate retail into the brand activations that are executed at the national level.

• Lead omni-channel retail marketing plans inclusive of in-store, e-commerce, retail media networks, creator & affiliate programs, loyalty, and CRM integration to drive consumer engagement and conversion.

• Develop programs and content presentations for retailer buyer and marketing teams

• Maintain current knowledge of industry trends, competitors, consumer insights, business opportunities

• Create actionable recommendations to key stakeholders and seeks out knowledge of competitive retailer program execution and recaps to inform best practices.

• Develop measurable performance frameworks and dashboards to optimize programs using data, consumer insights, A/B testing, and ROI metrics.

• Collaborate with and influence licensees, internal promotional partners and interfacing with the other division leads of The Walt Disney Company to ensure optimal execution of retail strategies/programs

• Fiscal responsibility for budgeting, decision-making, tracking and reconciliation of retail marketing budget in partnership w/ Retail Sales and finance teams. 

• Manage key promotional deliverables for all internal & external parties (including retailer agencies) to deliver on-time cost efficient programs

• Partner with retail account marketers & buyers, licensee marketers and internal sales and franchise teams to maximize Disney branded marketing at retail account

• Lead agency briefing, creative development oversight, and cross-functional partner orchestration across internal teams, licensees, and retailer partners.

• Responsible for the development of account strategic initiatives to secure cross-category statements through influential partnerships

• Champion innovative retail experiences (e.g., experiential, pop-ups, digital engagements, livestream commerce) to differentiate Disney at point-of-purchase.

• Act as Brand Ambassador ensuring retailer marketing program elements meet legal approvals & brand management guidelines.

• Internal advocate for retail account expressing retailer needs and priorities.  Communicator of retailer’s own initiatives, competitive programs, and retailer insights.

• Build and mentor a high-performing team by setting clear KPIs, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, accountability, and inclusive leadership.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years Retail Marketing experience or related field, with a portion of that experience specifically in a mass retail environment(s)

• Ability to demonstrate strategic thinking, executive level clarity of communications and management of multiple executive stakeholders

• Exceptional presentation and negotiating skills

• Adaptable and responsive – can thrive in ambiguous business situations and in rapidly evolving retail environments including digital and e-commerce

• Ability to collaborate, influence and persuade at all levels of an organization

• Comfortable working through a matrix structure to deliver business objectives and share best practices

• Strong relationships through the broader Walt Disney Company – Corporate Alliance, Studio Brand, Promotions and Ad Sales

• Proven ability to build strong relationships with key external retailers and to identify and develop new opportunities that can be scaled through category teams

• Demonstrated ability to lead the organizational and cultural change efforts needed to ensure new, innovative concepts, and business practices are fully adopted and integrated into the business,

• Financial acumen and understanding retail marketplace, P&L, market research and data analysis

• Frequent domestic travel required to support key retail partners, market visits, and events

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

The hiring range for this position in Glendale, CA is $168,400.00-$225,800.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.