Licensing Sales Manager - Fashion

About The Role & Team

This role manages key commercial licensing partnerships across the UK grocery and fashion retail landscape, with a strong focus on apparel, accessories and lifestyle product categories. Responsibilities include implementing long-term and fiscal strategies to maximise sales, revenue and category growth.

Building strong relationships, both internally and externally, is crucial. You will actively manage fashion-led licensing partnerships, negotiate contracts, and drive strategic growth across apparel and lifestyle categories for the UK business.

Apply creativity and expertise across fashion product development, trend-led range planning, digital, social and in-store marketing. Use consumer, retail and style insights to shape commercially relevant strategies that span across departments. Be agile in identifying new fashion opportunities, retail moments and partner-led activations.

This is a permanent position located in the London office in Hammersmith, with a requirement to be in the office four days out of the week.

What You Will Do

• Develop, set, and execute strategies for relevant fashion, apparel and lifestyle categories in alignment with the regional strategy, working collaboratively with stakeholders. This includes identifying white space across sub-categories, franchises, consumer segments and retail channels.
• Manage the annual operating plan and quarterly forecasting process, developing licensee objectives and initiatives to drive growth, in partnership with franchise, marketing, retail, product development, design and finance teams.
• Foster and cultivate relationship engagement, partnerships and joint business planning with licensees and retailers, ensuring plans reflect fashion seasonality, consumer trends and key retail moments.
• Conduct or participate in contract negotiations with licensees to maximize Disney royalty revenue, ensuring all key stakeholders are informed with the relevant
• Collaborate closely with regional creative teams, product approvers, franchise, marketing and retail teams to support fashion product development, range building, approvals and go-to-market plans with licensees and retailers.
• Communicate the International Labour Standards (ILS) process and act as the liaison between the supplier and The Walt Disney Company (TWDC) ILS team.
• Identify, pitch and secure new business opportunities that significantly enhance growth across fashion-led categories, including apparel, accessories, lifestyle ranges and retailer-exclusive product opportunities.
• Work closely with other managers within the regional licensing sales team to coordinate fashion ranges, seasonal launches and cross-category retail moments with licensees across categories.
• Address any legal matters affecting the country/region in collaboration with the legal team.
• Responsible for leading, managing, and developing a team to deliver high quality results and achieve departmental objectives

Required Qualifications & Skills

• A background in fashion buying, apparel product development, merchandising, licensing or commercial sales is required.
• Comprehensive understanding of the fashion industry and retail landscape, along with established connections within the market.
• Degree-level education in a related field or equivalent work experience.
• Experience in consumer products management, ideally within fashion, apparel, accessories or lifestyle categories.
• Demonstrated ability to foster effective relationships, lead and manage change, and collaborate across departments to meet financial goals and shared objectives.
• Ability to analyse data, draw practical conclusions, and implement recommendations to achieve business targets.
• Skill in being adaptable, identifying new opportunities, and targeting partners.
• Proficiency in using MS Word, Excel, and Keynote.
• Strong written and spoken English for professional use
• Knowledge of digital, social, brick-and-mortar and fashion retail marketing, including seasonal campaigns and product storytelling.
• Robust commercial and strategic approaches to problem-solving and innovation.
• Excellent planning and organization abilities.
• Effective influencing skills with the capacity to gain buy-in at all levels.
• Confidence in presenting to diverse audiences across various stakeholder levels both internally and externally.
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity.

The Perks

• 25 days annual leave
• Private medical insurance & dental care
• Free Park Entry: the opportunity to enter any of our parks with your family and friends for free
• Disney Discounts: entitled to discounts on designated Disney products, resort F&B and ticketing
• Excellent parental and guardian leave
• Employee Resource Groups – WOMEN @ Disney, Disney DIVERSITY, Disney PRIDE, our new disability & neurodiversity focused group - ENABLED, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Group, TRUST.

The Walt Disney Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to be a diverse workforce that is representative of our audiences, and where all can thrive and belong. Disney is committed to forming a team that includes and respects a variety of voices, identities, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.