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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead strategic planning for global attractions and connect teams across regions.
- Company: Join a leading global entertainment company focused on joy and connections.
- Benefits: Enjoy 33 days holiday, free attraction access, and competitive pay.
- Why this job: Shape growth strategies and influence millions of guests' experiences.
- Qualifications: Proven leadership in marketing with a data-driven mindset.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Overview
Global Insights & Strategy | London | B2| 12 Month FTC
Our purpose Bring joy, create connections, and make memories.
Our vision To be the global leader in branded entertainment destinations and the greatest place to work and play.
The opportunity We’re looking for a Global Planning Director to lead strategic planning and alignment across Merlin’s diverse portfolio of world-class attractions and brands. Sitting within our Global Insights & Strategy team, this role plays a critical part in shaping how our Growth function plans, prioritises and delivers impact across regions, brands and channels. You’ll act as the central connector between global Centres of Excellence (Brand, Marketing, Indirect Sales, Customer Proposition) and our regional and cluster go-to-market teams – with a particular focus on International markets. Your work will ensure our planning cadence is joined up, insight-led and aligned to key governance forums including CPC, CIC, Executive Team and Main Board agendas. This is a highly visible role for a strategic, data-driven leader who thrives in complex, fast-paced environments and knows how to turn long-term vision into executable plans that drive growth.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Strategic planning & alignment
- Lead the global go-to-market calendar, ensuring synergy across brands, regions and specialisms
- Own the annual and multi-year go-to-market planning process, integrating global trends, insights and customer feedback
- Align go-to-market strategies with Merlin’s wider business objectives and growth ambitions
- Collaboration & leadership
- Act as the central hub for regional and local go-to-market teams, driving alignment and sharing best practice
- Partner closely with commercial, operations, digital and insights teams to optimise go-to-market motion and delivery
- Governance, rhythm & performance
- Coordinate global activity across key seasons, campaigns and product launches, ensuring timely, high-quality execution
- Own the planning and trading rhythm, leading weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews
- Track changes to plans and actions, ensuring visibility through digital tools and clarity for senior stakeholders
- Monitor KPIs, challenge assumptions and recommend strategic course-corrections where needed
Who you’ll work with
You’ll Collaborate Extensively Across Merlin, Including:
- Global, regional and local go-to-market leaders
- Global Brand teams
- E-commerce and Digital Marketing
- Communications, Partnerships and Sponsorship
- External media agencies
- Insights, Strategy, Commercial and Finance teams
Qualifications & Experience
What we’re looking for
- Proven experience in a senior marketing or planning leadership role within a global or multi-regional organisation
- Strong strategic planning and programme management capability
- Deep understanding of brand, digital marketing and campaign analytics
- Experience leading complex stakeholder groups across cultures and geographies
- A data-driven mindset with the ability to translate insight into action
- Background in entertainment, tourism, hospitality or adjacent sectors
- Degree-level education (or equivalent) in business, analytics or a related field preferred
Skills & Capabilities
What we’re looking for
- Ability to lead global planning cycles, from annual calendars to multi-year roadmaps
- Strong influencing skills at executive and senior stakeholder level
- Collaborative leadership style that brings global and regional teams together
- Commercial acumen, connecting plans to revenue growth and ROI
- Curious, innovative thinker who keeps pace with evolving planning tools and methodologies
- Proven people leader who develops capability and builds high-performing teams
How we lead at Merlin
At Merlin, Our Leaders Are:
- Soulfully Curious – always learning, exploring new perspectives and asking great questions
- Results Focused – clear on goals, accountable for outcomes and unafraid to course-correct
- Extraordinary Teammates – collaborative, generous with knowledge and contributors to enterprise-wide success
- Developers of People – coaches, mentors and champions of growth in others
Why join us?
This is a rare opportunity to shape how a global entertainment business plans for growth, connects teams across continents and brings bold strategies to life. You’ll have real influence, global exposure and the chance to help millions of guests create unforgettable memories.
Benefits
We’re growing fast and alongside a fun and friendly environment, we offer a fabulous package and amazing prospects – ideal if you’re already fantastic and want to become even better (our magic can help here). Benefits include Pension, Life Assurance, discretionary company bonus, 33 days’ holiday including bank holidays, a Merlin Magic Pass which gives you and your friends and family free admission to all of our attractions worldwide, an Enjoy the Ride pass which entitles you and 5 loved ones unlimited entry into your regional attractions, 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants and 40% discount on LEGO, plus lots more!
Pay Range Competitive
Global Planning Director employer: Merlin Entertainments
Contact Detail:
Merlin Entertainments Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Global Planning Director
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend events, and connect with potential colleagues on LinkedIn. The more connections we make, the better our chances of landing that Global Planning Director role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company inside out. Understand their brands, values, and recent projects. This way, we can show how our experience aligns perfectly with their goals and vision.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors to refine our answers and boost our confidence. We want to be ready to impress when discussing our strategic planning skills.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure our application gets noticed. Plus, it shows we’re genuinely interested in being part of the Merlin team.
We think you need these skills to ace Global Planning Director
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Global Planning Director role. Highlight your experience in strategic planning and how it aligns with our vision at Merlin. We want to see how you can bring joy and create connections through your work!
Showcase Your Data-Driven Mindset: Since this role is all about turning insights into action, don’t forget to include examples of how you've used data to drive decisions in your previous roles. We love a candidate who can back up their strategies with solid analytics!
Demonstrate Collaborative Leadership: We’re looking for someone who can connect teams across cultures and geographies. Share experiences where you’ve successfully led diverse groups or projects, showing us your collaborative leadership style. It’s all about teamwork here at Merlin!
Apply Through Our Website: For the best chance of success, make sure to submit your application through our official website. This way, we can easily track your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Merlin Entertainments
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Global Planning Director, you'll need to demonstrate your data-driven mindset. Brush up on key metrics and KPIs relevant to the role. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to influence strategic decisions in previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Strategic Vision
Prepare to articulate your long-term vision for global planning. Think about how you would align go-to-market strategies with business objectives. Use examples from your past experiences to illustrate how you've successfully executed similar plans.
✨Emphasise Collaboration Skills
This role requires extensive collaboration across various teams. Be prepared to share specific examples of how you've led cross-functional teams in the past. Highlight your ability to connect diverse groups and drive alignment towards common goals.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in complex environments. Prepare for scenario-based questions where you might need to outline how you'd handle unexpected changes in planning or stakeholder management. Think through your approach and be ready to discuss it.
