Licensing & Collaborations Manager

Maison Margiela is a Paris-based fashion house founded in 1988 by Belgian designer Martin Margiela. Celebrating unconventional aesthetics and embracing the philosophy that fashion is an art of expression rather than a cult of personality, Maison Margiela offers haute couture, ready-to-wear for women and men, contemporary line MM6, footwear, interior design, and accessories, including leather goods, fine jewelry and fragrance.
John Galliano was named Creative Director of the house in 2014, bringing his sense of spectacle and creative mastery to the unique ethos of Maison Margiela. Whilst developing his own vision for the house, John Galliano has entirely respected the Martin Margiela state of mind, creating a fascinating organic process.
In 2002, the French house became part of OTB. Along with sister brands of the group, Maison Margiela continues pushing the boundaries of modern fashion while preserving its distinctive identity and heritage.

Job mission:

Functionally reporting to Group Licensing and Collaborations Manager, strictly complying with assigned BRANDs' strategical guidelines in close collaboration with assigned BRANDs' CEOs and key stakeholders, the Licensing & Collaborations Manager is responsible of assigned BRANDs' Licenses and Collaborations partnerships' management, as key actor in view of maximizing and securing Licenses & Collaborations Projects' economic goals through all involved business channels & models, while actively contributing in this role to mid-term and long-term assigned BRANDs' equity enhancement strategy.
He/She will represent key internal point of contact to assigned BRANDs' creative, merchandising, marketing, sales departments with reference to Licenses/Collaborations Projects and, at the same time, 1st layer spokesperson within assigned BRANDs' organizations for Licensees' and Collaborations Partners.
He/She will be fully responsible in view of assigned BRANDs' Licenses portfolio development, Licenses' & Collaborations Projects' internal reporting & analytics (including market trends' analysis as well as competitors' intelligence) while securing an end-to-end collections' coordination in close liaise with assigned BRANDs' creative, merchandising, marketing, sales departments.
Being a Fragrances' professional, under the guidance of Group Licensing & Collaborations Manager, he/she will also have a management primary role within both existing and new Beauty/Cosmetics/Fragrances' Licensing projects related to the entire Group direct owned brands' portfolio.

Job responsabilities & activities :

The Licensing & Collaborations Manager will directly manage assigned BRANDs' Licensing & Collaborations Projects key activities such as:

BUSINESS

• Licenses/Collaborations Collections go-to-market strategy setup in liaise with Group Licensing & Collaborations Business Unit, BRANDs' CEOs and Licencees/Business partners
• Collaboration Collections' business plans setup within all involved business channels (retail, e-commerce, wholesale) and all involved business counterparts (assigned BRANDs' & third parties, if any) in terms of both overall sales targets as well as sales strategy by product category, sell-in/sell-out performances' monitoring & analytics (from sales campaign kickoff to sell-off period)
• Licenses performances' monitoring & analytics at wholesale level (monthly, quarterly, yearly base) as per Licensing Agreements' provisions (including quarterly forecasts)
• Preparation of Licenses' & Collaborations business reviews to Group Licensing & Collaborations Business Unit, BRANDs' CEOs, Group Committees, third parties' meetings
• Participate in Group Licenses & Collaborations Business Unit yearly budgeting process, constantly tracking ACT performances' adherence all across relevant financial year
• New Licensing/Collaborations partners scouting, screening and benchmarking, in order to submit relevant proposals to Group Licensing & Collaborations Business Unit and BRANDs' CEOs
• Regular Business trips to key markets, visiting business partners as well as attending major international licensing exhibition/fairs/events

MERCHANDINSING & MARKETING

• Supporting assigned BRANDs' creative and merchandising teams with reference to Licences/Collaborations collections' briefings setup, collections' development calendars setup, collections' product offer/pricing matrix setup, always in liaise with relevant Licencees'/Business Partners' teams
• Monitoring both Licencees/Collaborations Partners and assigned BRANDs' creative, merchandising, marketing teams activities' adherence to projects' calendars (end-to-end) actively regrouping, if necessary, with all involved counterparts
• Collect & analyze Licensed/Collaborations products market feedbacks at wholesale/retail level (regions/country managers/key clients & partners, etc...) within all involved business channels
• Assigned BRANDs' competitors intelligence with reference to collaborations' products - marketing - sales strategies
• Monitoring both preparation and activation of marketing plans (ATL/BTL) & relevant calendars by assigned BRANDs' marketing & communication teams with reference to Licensing/Collaborations projects, in close liaise with Licencees/Collaborations partners
• Monitoring A&P planned activities deployment and connected budget spending flows (ATL/BTL, etc...) with reference to Licensing/Collaborations projects, in close liaise with assigned BRANDs' marketing teams and Licencees/Collaborations partners
• Support to assigned BRANDs' marketing/communication teams in managing third party agencies' activities with reference to Licences and/or Collaborations Projects/Products

OTHER

• Proactively supporting assigned BRAND's legal teams with reference to Licenses/Collaborations Projects drafting agreements process, so to facilitate a smooth agreement closing flow within all involved counterparts
• Supporting assigned BRANDs' legal & financial teams while dealing with trademark/financial issues or legally/financially relevant tasks related to Licences/Licensed Products and/or Collaborations partners

Skills & Experiences :

• EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree or above in Business, Marketing discipline or equivalent
• EXPERIENCE: Minimum 5 years of brand management business experience in Fragrances Licensing within Licensing Groups or Companies, fashion/designer high-end brands and/or luxury brands. (Any merchandising experience track within fashion brands as a plus).
• IT SKILLS: good knowledge of Microsoft Office 365 package
• LANGUAGE(S): fluent oral/written English - Italian as a plus
• OTHER: business acumen in matrix with fashion/product sensibility, autonomy, proactivity and accuracy in organization/execution, solid teamwork attitude are core bases to accomplish job mission; consistency in words and actions, integrity, professionality and full respect of Group & assigned BRANDs' ethical codes.

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