Senior Release Manager

Music is Universal. It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music who help make us the world’s leading music company. From A&R to finance, legal to digital, sales to marketing, Universal Music is the place to grow and develop your career within a truly commercial and innovative business that leads in everything it does. Everyone is welcome to apply for our roles, and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment because of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, age, marital status, background, pregnancy, or caring responsibilities. We also recognise the importance of diversity of thought within our teams and are fully committed to embracing the talents of people with autism, dyslexia, ADHD, and other forms of neurocognitive variation. We will always seek to make appropriate adjustments to recruitment, workplaces, and work processes to be fully inclusive to people with different needs and working styles.

Main Purpose of Role: Universal Music Group is the world’s leading music company. In everything we do, we are committed to artistry, innovation and entrepreneurship. We own and operate a broad array of businesses engaged in recorded music, music publishing, merchandising, and audiovisual content in more than 60 countries. The Senior New Release Manager will be responsible for managing an allocated label portfolio of all new release activities end-to-end for all physical and digital formats. From product inception through to the catalogue hand‑over 4 weeks post‑release date, they will create, manage and maintain all master‑data in our production and planning systems to aid the successful execution of the new release critical path. They will also take ownership and responsibility of master‑data accuracy (project and BoM), asset collection and hand‑off to our physical and digital partners, procurement (components, finished goods), and delivery tracking for a successful on‑time delivery into our customers. They will participate in ad hoc projects outside of their day-to-day activities and will join supply chain meetings as well as regular meetings with the team’s key stakeholders including labels, suppliers and customer services.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage, support, mentor and lead a team of New Release Managers.
• Point of contact to the label, suppliers, digital accounts and wider Supply Chain Group for daily release planning and execution.
• To manage and own the end‑to‑end management of Universal releases & projects for both Physical and Digital formats.
• Manage all relevant masterdata in UMGI physical and digital systems including release dates, territorial rights, exclusivity periods, campaigns and terms of use.
• Liaise with key internal stakeholders including marketing, sales, digital accounts, A&R, customer services and finance on a daily basis.
• Update all relevant parties as to the progress of the release schedules.

Personnel Management:

• Responsible for overseeing the team of New Release Managers.
• Play an essential role in leading and delivering change within supply chain.
• Know when to escalate and troubleshoot issues guiding the team of new release managers.

Project Initiation:

• Lead supplier and label scheduling meetings.
• Collaborate with Labels, Commercial Affairs and Marketing to assist with gathering new release information to improve planning accuracy and product availability.
• Schedule releases with all relevant stakeholders and advise on lead‑times to meet intended pre‑order and/or release dates.

Project Creation:

• Set, manage and update campaigns for all digital releases.
• Ensure delivery to all applicable partners & territories.
• Create product, bill of materials, territory restrictions, product pricing, retail exclusivity and embargo requirements for all releases.
• Source, process (QC, approval and ingestion) and upload all relevant audio & artwork images, working closely with A&R and marketing.
• Advise on changes to product outfit to reduce package costs or escalating to senior management for approval.
• Manufacturing transfer and retail pricing set‑up and compliance.

Project Hand‑Off and Execution:

• Manage approval and sign‑off of completed artwork, audio and barcode validation.
• Ensure delivery of audio, video and graphics to printers and manufacturers in a timely manner and communicate this information via systems and meetings.
• Ensure timely new release milestone management, monitoring planning accuracy (critical path forecast vs actual).
• Canvass and forecasting management: create and manage canvas to ensure forecast and purchase order accuracy and purchase at optimal inventory levels.
• Collaborate with key internal stakeholders (label/commercial affairs) to reduce inventory risk on high‑value product.
• Procurement: test pressing, components and finished goods.
• Ensure POs are placed at correct suppliers considering supplier commitments and optimal quantities.
• Monitor delivery of releases to applicable business partners, distribution & territories within Universal & business partner’s external systems.
• Post initial order management: monitor sales and trends to ensure always stock on‑hand to service sales.
• Catalogue hand‑off (lifecycle management and SKU status maintenance).
• Manage and maintain catalogue digital releases across platforms and deliver updates, expand or take‑down where required.

Reporting:

• Produce and distribute daily reporting to assist team with planning tasks.
• Produce and distribute regular stakeholder reports.
• Perform special projects and ad-hoc analysis as requested by management or their accounts.

Person Specification:

• Leadership skills.
• Ability to influence key stakeholders.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively, often regarding complex issues with people at all levels, persuasive skills.
• Excellent organisational skills and time/project management skills.
• The ability to work as part of a close‑knit team in a high‑pressure environment and provide support to colleagues where needed.
• Experience in a production and planning role with a particular emphasis on scheduling, master‑data management, project management, manufacturing planning and inventory replenishment.
• Knowledge, interest and experience of the current digital music sector, including an understanding of current streaming, mobile and subscription deals.
• Ability to take direction and follow processes efficiently while remaining proactive.
• Solutions and results driven, conscientious, with a desire to see a job through to conclusion whilst managing numerous projects simultaneously.
• End‑to‑end understanding of physical and digital supply chain.
• Analytical. Attention to detail.
• A good understanding of new technologies and general developments within the music industry and the ability to adapt and change accordingly.
• Flexibility to pick up colleague’s projects at short notice.
• To be innovative and offer creative input to design and marketing.
• Good all‑round understanding of Reprographics and Pre‑Press.
• To be aware of and contribute ideas towards new workflows, processes and products when called upon.
• To be proactive and reactive in a constantly evolving environment.

Technical Skills:

• Good all‑round Mac experience and knowledge of MS Office packages.
• Good working knowledge of the following: Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Excel, SAP.
• Knowledge of digital transmission carriers WamNet, FTP, Aspera.
• All‑round knowledge of chart rules and DVD certification guidelines for International markets.
• Systems: DART, SAP, CPRS, SPW, MS Business Objects, DiGS, RWS, iTC, DWS, R2, GRS, Scatman, ASPEN.

Bonus Tracks: Your Benefits:

• Group Personal Pension Scheme (between 3% and 9%).
• Private Medical Insurance.
• 25 paid days of annual leave.
• Interest Free Season Ticket Loan.
• Holiday Purchase scheme.
• Dental and Travel Insurance options.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Salary Sacrifice Cars.
• Subsidised Gym Membership.
• Employee Discounts (Reward Gateway).