Director, Distribution Business Planning

Summary of Position

The Director, Distribution Planning is responsible for developing and operationalizing business plans and portfolio-wide strategies to drive subscriber and revenue growth for Starz across all distributors (Linear and OTT) and will report to the SVP, Distribution.  S/he will lead the development of the annual distribution plan which will inform the fiscal budget and quarterly subscriber and revenue. Utilizing performance data across all distributors, this person leads the development of recommendations and plans to address areas of concern and identify opportunities for growth.

The successful candidate is an independent, analytical, and intellectually curious individual who can develop business plans and structure analyses and strategies and articulate findings to a wide range of business stakeholders, including senior leadership throughout Starz as well as distributors (eg Amazon, Hulu, YouTube, Apple, Charter, Comcast, Verizon).

Responsibilities

• Leads distribution strategic planning, working cross-functionally to frame strategy, outline key initiatives, and analyze financial plans.
• Develops annual distribution business plan, establishing growth targets and goals based on competitive information and Starz performance. Outlines strategies to achieve acquisition, engagement, and retention and maximize/deliver subscriber and revenue targets.  Partners with account teams to translate business plan to individual account plans.  
• Identifies and evaluates new opportunities to partner with distributors to drive incremental subs/revenue.  Partners with Business Development, Business Affairs, and Account team on negotiations. 
• Approval gate for all account offers, pricing, and initiatives (“should we do this”). Manages internal conversations with necessary teams and senior leadership for approval.
• Leverages data from internal teams and account management to establish and track portfolio-wide and partner-specific goals and KPIs, identifying areas of concern and opportunity and developing strategies to address. Ensures transparency with operating teams.
• Leveraging data from Analytics & Insights team, provides analysis and framework for distribution initiatives (eg promotions, offers, etc) with focus on highlighting learnings and strategic implications to maximize ROI.  
• Prepare presentations to provide analyses and recommendations to inform strategic decision-making and define plans for portfolio-wide initiatives (eg bundling strategy, discount strategy, deal negotiations).   
• Proactively partner with cross-functional stakeholders to identify business drivers, must be able to distill large amounts of information into key points and takeaways
• Collaborates across distribution and Starz stakeholders to execute initiatives and ensure internal teams have necessary information.

Qualification and Skills

• 7+ years of experience working in a strategy consulting, finance, investment banking, business development, or similar functions. Strong preference for experience in the media and entertainment or related technology industries
• Previous experience in distribution, including OTT, SVOD or 3rd party platforms
• Exceptional quantitative skills and financial acumen, including advanced financial modeling, and experience with SQL and Tableau (or its equivalent)
• Persuasive communication skills, written and verbal, particularly the ability to develop presentations and plans and present them concisely to a range of stakeholders
• Knowledge of emerging trends in video, social media, mobile, in international markets and their underlying business models and technologies
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally under tight deadlines
• A Bachelor’s degree from a top-tier university required; MBA from a leading business school strongly preferred

About STARZ

STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company, is a leading media streaming platform committed to delivering premium content that amplifies narratives by, about and for women and underrepresented audiences. STARZ is home to the highly rated and first-of-its-kind STARZ app that offers the ability to stream or download STARZ premium content, as well as the flagship domestic STARZ® service, including STARZ ENCORE, 17 premium pay TV channels, and the associated on-demand and online services. STARZ is available across digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. In February 2021, STARZ launched #TakeTheLead, a multi-faceted and innovative inclusion initiative expanding its existing efforts to improve representation on screen, behind the camera and throughout the company.

Business Unit Overview

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