Licensing Manager (Creatives) in London

The role plays a crucial part in delivering the creative output that drives our EU Licensing business, with a focus on our Softline retail programmes and B2B marketing creative. Working at the intersection of brand identity, fashion and retail trends, and licensee needs, this position leads the creation of high impact style guides and creative assets that strengthen Pokémon’s presence across apparel and wider Softline categories with strong storytelling narratives. A deep understanding of the Pokémon brand, its characters, evolutions, and fan culture is essential to ensuring all creative work resonates authentically with our audiences, engaging both new and current audiences alike.

Other responsibilities include:

• supervising the creation of trade ads, benchmarking, etc.

The role partners closely with Creative Services, Brand Services, Licensing, Legal, and external agencies to deliver best in class materials that inspire partners, fuel commercial growth, and uphold a fan first approach across every touchpoint.

Agency Management

• Lead pitch and tender processes for new creative style guide agencies, ensuring alignment with EU Licensing strategy and best-in-class creative which works for the Pokémon brand, supported by the Ops Licensing Manager.
• Evaluate agency proposals, including Pokémon brand understanding, retail landscape awareness, costing structures, project timelines, and collaboration workflows.
• Onboard selected agencies, driving strong brand immersion in partnership with the Brand Services team.
• Manage style guide and creative budgets and implementing statements of work (SOW), agency contracts, and purchase orders are accurate and maintained on time.
• Delivery quarterly and yearly review sessions with agencies, to ensure deliverables are being met, workflows are smooth and quality is at the forefront of what we deliver.

Style Guide Development

• Implement and evolve the creative style guide strategy for the EMEA Licensing Team, identifying new strategic opportunities to elevate the brand, build retail listings and engage new and current fans.
• Write clear, insight driven creative briefs for agencies, incorporating retailer and licensee feedback with a forward looking, Softline focused mindset.
• Acts as a guardian of brand quality, ensuring all creative output reflects brand guidelines, character integrity, and fan first standards.
• Oversee the creation of multiple style guides per annum across multiple audiences e.g., Boys 6–12, Adults.
• Deliver trend boards, seasonal stories, and concept decks beyond core guides.
• Create bespoke style guides for halo collaborations (e.g., Natural History Museum), ensuring differentiation and unlocking new fan experiences within our Tier 1 retailers.
• Has a solid grasp of how creative assets translate across product and retail, from CAD design, materials and colour application through to adapting artwork into varied asset types for partner use.
• Strong knowledge and integration of the Pokémon brand throughout style guide and asset creation, varying from mass market popularity to deep fan understanding, ensuring clear storytelling and themes throughout each guide.

Project Management

• Continuously improves creative workflows, documentation, and processes to support efficiency and global alignment.
• Drive all feedback and approvals with strong and clear project management, ensuring alignment across Brand Services, Licensing, Legal, Marketing, and senior stakeholders.
• Keeping the EU Licensing team thoroughly informed across the status of all creative and trade marketing, with regular updates within the Operations meetings.
• Leading creative updates in a bi-weekly creative meeting with the US and EMEA Licensing teams, with clear agendas, actions and output.
• Ensure SharePoint folders and systems are up to date and in a logical order, for easy access to assets.

Trends & Competitive Insights

• Maintain strong awareness of creative and licensing trends across key EMEA markets (UFIGS).
• Conduct regular comp shops and share actionable insights with the wider licensing team.
• Review emerging trends across Softline and Hardline to identify new opportunities.
• Tracks performance indicators for style guide usage, partner engagement, and trend adoption to inform future creative planning.
• Compiling all retailer photos of activations and SKUs from across the licensing team.
• Keep up to date on Pokémon trends and activations, digging into social listening, and emerging character popularity.

Concept Creation

• Collaborate with agencies and where possible, or basic Photoshop to create concept visuals, mock ups, and pitches that support licensing conversations and business development.

Trade Show Creative

• Brief and manage the internal Creative Services team on trade show assets (e.g., BLE, Bologna, Co-Brandz), including booth design, video reels, award submissions, and B2B advertising.
• Working with the Licensing Manager, Operations to ensure all B2B creative is in line with a focused B2B licensing strategy.
• Project manage these deliverables, ensuring the Licensing Manager for each country is informed and aligned, and that all assets are delivered on time.
• Working with the internal events team and Licensing Associate to deliver large scale events e.g. BLE.

People Leadership & Team Culture

• Support fellow teammates across EMEA Licensing strategic projects.
• Act as a creative voice within, introducing fresh ideas, trends, and concepts, encouraging innovation across the licensing department.
• Lead by example, championing a growth mindset and collaborative working culture.
• Create and follow through on your personal development plan to expand creative, strategic, and leadership capabilities.
• Assist the Licensing Associate and Licensing Manager on key projects during team absence.

What you’ll bring

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of relevant professional experience or a demonstrated equivalent level of expertise, either at an in-house product development licensing team or design agency.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field or a demonstrated equivalent level of applicable experience.
• Proven track record of success with a strong understanding of Softline licensing programmes.
• Strong Pokémon brand knowledge, including familiarity with the franchise's history, characters and products is a significant advantage.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to interact well with a variety of work groups.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively, with adaptability.
• Entrepreneurial spirit with a positive, can-do attitude.
• Strong communication skills, able to clearly translate creative direction, timelines, and expectations across internal teams and external partners.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and tight deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Detail-oriented with strong organisational skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop.

Base Salary Range: For this role, new hires generally start between £54,200.00 - £72,000.00 per year. The full range is £54,200.00 - £97,500.00 per year. This range is applicable for the labour market where the role is intended to be hired. The final base salary is directly related to the candidate’s qualifications and professional experience uniquely.

What you’ll be successful

• Passion for Pokémon: Develops an understanding of the Pokémon brand, the impact it has on our people, culture, business, fans, and communities, and applying that knowledge and passion to everything you do.
• Challenging the Expected: Approaches challenges with curiosity and creativity, embracing the possibility of failure as an opportunity to learn something new, develop innovative ideas, solve complex problems and identify unique opportunities.
• Integrity and Respect: Demonstrates integrity and respect by leading with empathy, listening to others, seeking out different perspectives, and taking personal responsibility for decisions, actions, and results.
• Dedicated to Quality: Takes ownership to maintain and promote high standards, looks for new ways to learn and improve, and embraces a growth mindset to seek and apply feedback from others in an effort to continuously improve.
• Building Relationships: Develops and strengthens relationships, adopting a “team first” mentality and working collaboratively to solve problems and meet shared goals.
• Delighting Customers: Listens and understands the interests and needs of our customers and stakeholders, making them feel heard and important, and embracing these learnings to continue delivering a unique Pokémon experience.

What to expect

• An innovative culture driven by impact, delivering meaningful outcomes.
• Company events that celebrate the spirit of Pokémon.
• Competitive cash-based compensation programs.
• 100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for you.
• Generous paid family leave.
• Employer-paid life insurance.
• Employer-paid long and short-term income protection insurance.
• US Employees: 401k Employer Matching.
• UK/IRE/MX Employees: Pension Employer Contributions.
• Fitness reimbursement.
• Commuter benefit.
• LinkedIn learning.
• Comprehensive relocation package for certain roles.
• Hybrid work environment.

The Pokémon Company International is committed to the inclusion of all qualified applicants for consideration in our job application process. If you require reasonable accommodation to complete a job application, pre-employment testing, or a job interview, or to otherwise participate in the hiring process, please contact the Talent Acquisition team.