Director, Retail Development

Location: New York

Salary: $135,000 - $150,000

Hybrid work: Employees work in a hybrid model balancing collaboration in our office and remote work. 

Overview

Join our Peanuts Worldwide team within WildBrain today to become part of the story! From Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+ to interactive experiences worldwide, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats from traditional to digital. Peanuts Worldwide, is a division of WildBrain Ltd., a global kids media and content company headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide. 

About the Role 

As Director of Retail Development, you’ll not only drive retail strategy for Peanuts across key channels but will also have a significant impact on the brand's growth and presence in the U.S. and Canada. The Director of Retail Development will lead communication and relationship management with US and Canadian retailers included the following channels:  Ecom, Specialty, Off-Price, Craft, Drug, and Home Improvement, acting as a brand champion for the Peanuts brand. This role is responsible for building direct relationships and gaining support for brand initiatives and marketing tentpoles with retailers, liaising with category executives and licensees to identify and drive programs at the retail level.   

• Architect and implement consumer product strategies across the following tiers of distribution – Ecom, Specialty, Off-Price, Craft, Drug, and Home Improvement, to drive category opportunities and create meaningful consumer touch points.  

• Create and implement broader ecom strategy for the Peanuts brand across Amazon and retail marketplaces. 

• Collaborate with NA Category managers and licensees to align with retail strategies, pitch development, and presentations to retailers. 

• Develop and maintain relationships with key buyers and senior level executives. 

• Conduct regular store visits and complete competitive analysis reports for retail landscape for positioning against competitors. 

• Monitor and provide analysis of licensees’ retail distribution, retail promotions and sales results. 

• Identify ‘whitespace’ product categories and product opportunities based on research and analysis or retail landscape and licensee analysis.  

• Attendance at industry trade shows and social functions where applicable. 

• Proven experience in Licensing and/or Retail Development, particularly with Character/Entertainment IP at retail.

• Experience managing e-commerce platforms (especially Amazon and other marketplaces) to drive consumer engagement and sales.

• Excellent track record of working with top-tier retail channels such as E-commerce, Specialty, and Home Improvement.

• Exceptional communication skills, with experience presenting to senior-level executives and key retail partners.

• Strong leadership potential with a passion for developing strategies that drive business growth.

• Highly organized, with a keen eye for detail and an ability to manage multiple high-priority projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field (or equivalent experience).

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel and PowerPoint). Experience with retail systems or eCommerce tools is a plus.

• Willingness to travel as needed for trade shows, retailer meetings, and other key events.

What We Offer 

Working at WildBrain is more than a job — it’s the opportunity to join forces with extraordinary, insightful and imaginative people who will recognize your talents and encourage your professional growth and development in a work environment that promotes creativity and individuality.

Our Commitment  

Diversity and Inclusion are in our DNA. As a global leader in kids and family entertainment, we strive to reflect and honour the diversity of our audiences around the world. We believe that creating diverse and inclusive content & brands begins with fostering a culture of belonging at WildBrain. To us, a culture of belonging is one where we celebrate and welcome the diversity of all employees, stakeholders, and external partners and strive to create an environment where every individual feels valued, respected, and brings their authentic self to work.

We demonstrate our commitment to this by striving to provide a supportive work environment and a corporate culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. We recognize that people bring experience and talent that goes beyond the technical skills and requirements of a job. If you possess similar experience that is close to what we’ve listed here, we encourage you to please still consider applying. We strongly believe that diverse experience, transferable skills, and passion are key! WildBrain accommodates people with disabilities throughout the recruitment and selection process. Applicants are encouraged to make their needs known in advance if accommodation is required. 

About WildBrain 

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° franchise management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands around the world. With approximately 14,000 half-hours of kids’ and family content in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart. 

Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Camp Snoopy; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let’s Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered approximately 1.5 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most loved family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide. 

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com. 

About Peanuts 

The characters of Peanuts and related intellectual property are owned by Peanuts Worldwide, which is 41% owned by WildBrain Ltd., 39% owned by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., and 20% owned by the family of Charles M. Schulz, who first introduced the world to Peanuts in 1950, when the comic strip debuted in seven newspapers. Since then, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang have made an indelible mark on popular culture. In addition to enjoying beloved Peanuts shows and specials on Apple TV+, fans of all ages celebrate the Peanuts brand worldwide through thousands of consumer products, as well as amusement park attractions, cultural events, social media, and comic strips available in all formats, from traditional to digital. In 2018, Peanuts partnered with NASA on a multi-year Space Act Agreement designed to inspire a passion for space exploration and STEM among the next generation of students. 

About WildBrain:  a parent company of Peanuts Worldwide

At WildBrain we inspire imaginations through the wonder of storytelling. As a leader in 360° IP management, we are experts in content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, cultivating and growing love for our own and partner brands with kids and families around the world. With approximately 13,000 half-hours of filmed entertainment in our library—one of the world’s most extensive—we are home to such treasured franchises as Peanuts, Teletubbies, Strawberry Shortcake, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Caillou, Inspector Gadget and Degrassi. WildBrain’s mission is to create exceptional entertainment experiences that captivate and delight fans both young and young at heart.  

Our studios produce such award-winning series as The Snoopy Show; Snoopy in Space; Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City; Sonic Prime; Chip and Potato; Teletubbies Let's Go! and many more. Enjoyed in more than 150 countries on over 500 platforms, our content is everywhere kids and families view entertainment, including YouTube, where our network has garnered over 1 trillion minutes of watch time. Our television group owns and operates some of Canada’s most-viewed family entertainment channels. WildBrain CPLG, our leading consumer-products and location-based entertainment agency, represents our owned and partner properties in every major territory worldwide.   

WildBrain is headquartered in Canada with offices worldwide and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: WILD). Visit us at wildbrain.com.