Director - International Campaign Management – Merch & D2C

Music is Universal. It’s the passionate and dedicated team at Universal Music that helps 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.

Position Summary: We are seeking a results-driven, operationally experienced eComm and merchandise lead to manage the planning & execution of global merchandise campaigns across D2C and other channels. The role will be cross-functional, leading across our frontline label CFT managing the delivery of all eCommerce campaign functions including store design/build, launch and merchandise production and operational execution. You will lead and coach a team of 3 leads and be the lead relationship manager with UK Direct To Fan/Commerce Directors and US label CFT leads. You will work across the Direct to Fan organization, with store management operations, product development and music/merch supply chain teams, retail & licensing and international commerce teams. The role will be pivotal in supporting the growth of UK & international artists merchandise revenue with the following responsibilities:

• Lead and coach the eCommerce campaign management team, overseeing the planning, launch and execution of international merchandise campaigns in line with D2C campaign strategy best practice.
• Management of merchandise P&L and revenue forecasting.
• Work across Account/Brand Management, N1C and Product Development & Supply Chain teams to co-coordinate the development of artist merch ranges.
• Manage a team of leads embedded in label cross-functional teams.
• Drive adherence of launch timelines, checklists, templates and best practice and implement core KPIs to ensure successful international launches.
• Build label relationships, report sales trends & operational metrics, serve as escalation point for the team and identify campaign pitfalls while sharing learnings to inform future campaigns.
• Navigate internal and external politics with tact while protecting realistic delivery plans and operational integrity.
• Oversee campaign management and ownership of key milestones across the full lifecycle including planning, product and merch development, content and asset readiness, launch, and ongoing performance and inventory management.
• Foster a culture of high performance, innovation, collaboration for team members.

Work with key stakeholders: Work with label & US CFT leads to implement profitable product P&L’s ensuring pricing and approval for international releases prior to launch. Work across CRM & Paid Marketing CFT team leads to develop integrated product/marketing campaigns for artists. Work closely with Sales, Licensing and Touring departments to develop product lines and ensure the artist strategy is executed. Work with e-Commerce Ops and Fan Experience teams to resolve issues on inbound and outbound supply chain, optimise fulfilment and measure the customer feedback loop, ensuring customer satisfaction.

Think strategically and create scalable playbooks and strategies: Develop campaign strategies across the merchandise channel to drive revenue, engagement and acquisition and hit label goals. Manage local retail activations, e.g., pop up and experiential retail with all relevant teams (retail/production/ops). Design and map all process flows for international inbound campaigns, develop RACI charts, documentation and oversee process mapping to drive efficiency. Drive process adoption of campaign planning tools and milestone management across the group. Develop processes to deliver engaging ecommerce experiences, driving revenue and chart performance and a great customer experience for fans. Design, refine, and scale workflows and playbooks for Campaign Management, grounded in channel-specific requirements. Continuously iterate and improve processes based on team feedback and business trends to increase speed and quality of campaign launches. Partner with Operations, Technology, and Data teams to ensure tools, systems, and dashboards support efficient planning and execution.

Implement KPIs and improvements: Conduct regular performance reviews with label teams and senior stakeholders, and oversee project delivery, ensuring timelines, milestones. Foster a culture of high performance, continuous learning, creativity and open knowledge sharing. Find new ways to streamline processes & lean on tools/automation to allow us to work smarter and in a more efficient way.

Must have / Skills & Experience: Significant experience of managing merch & music campaigns, ideally seven years or more, preferably in music or entertainment across eCommerce, tour, and/or retail channels. Significant leadership experience, building and developing a high-performing team culture, driving accountability, with clear coaching experience. Experience of designing and developing store setup and product project management boards. Development and management of process flows and milestone management tools. Experience of developing calendar planning processes and executing eCommerce launches. Proven merchandising P&L experience, covering product and channel P&L’s and revenue forecasts. Exceptional client service skills, working across labels, operational teams to deliver results and set the bar in super-serving both artists, labels, and their fans. Experience in campaign, production, operations, or program management in music, entertainment, merch, or consumer eCommerce. Experience in managing teams for five years in a high-volume, fast-changing environment, ideally including cross-functional teams of around five people across multiple departments and stakeholders. Examples of collaboration with leadership on headcount, budget, and flexible resourcing models required. Deep understanding of the music and merchandise ecosystem, including labels, management, touring, retail, and licensing. Demonstrated strength in process design and optimization, turning complex workflows into clear, scalable systems. Strong client-facing presence and stakeholder management skills; comfortable working with senior label, artist, and internal leadership. Excellent judgment under pressure and a calm, solutions-oriented approach to escalations. A leadership style grounded in cross-functional respect, clarity, and empowerment—not just administration. Strong analytical and critical thinking and confident using data to inform decisions. Working knowledge of Shopify & Adobe Suite. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and presentation skills. Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as Monday.com, Excel and PowerPoint. Some experience of experiential retail and pop ups would be desirable. Experience in music or entertainment is helpful but not essential. Working knowledge in marketing campaign performance across social, programmatic, SEO and CRM channels.

Key Behaviours: Champions a fan first mindset who advocates the best for Fan Experience and is mindful of operational excellence at all times. Leads with collaboration, clarity and confidence. Has the ability to work cross-functional across teams and business units. Fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, with the ability to form trust and meaningful relationships with all partners. Balances structure with creativity to solve problems effectively. Develops high-performing, empowered teams. Communicates with impact and purpose. Adapts positively to change and brings others with them. Acts with integrity, inclusivity and respect.

Just So You Know… The company presents this job description as a guide to the major areas and duties for which the jobholder is accountable. However, the business operates in an environment that demands change and the jobholder's specific responsibilities and activities will vary and develop. Therefore, the job description should be seen as indicative and not as a permanent, definitive, and exhaustive statement.