Director, Franchise Planning

Welcome to Warner Bros. Discovery… the stuff dreams are made of.

Who We Are…

When we say, “the stuff dreams are made of,” we’re not just referring to the world of wizards, dragons and superheroes, or even to the wonders of Planet Earth. Behind WBD’s vast portfolio of iconic content and beloved brands, are the storytellers bringing our characters to life, the creators bringing them to your living rooms and the dreamers creating what’s next…

From brilliant creatives, to technology trailblazers, across the globe, WBD offers career defining opportunities, thoughtfully curated benefits, and the tools to explore and grow into your best selves. Here you are supported, here you are celebrated, here you can thrive.

WB Games is a leader in the games industry across all game platforms and mobile devices. Our diverse and inclusive workforce creates and brings to life the most beloved characters, franchises, heroes, and wizards in the world. We are fans of what we make and proud of what we do. We have studios and offices across the globe.

The Job

The Director, Franchise Planning is responsible for organizing, shepherding and driving the ongoing development of franchise strategy for WB Games’ collection of gaming brands.  The Director will serve as a central point to drive collaboration and alignment across multiple functions developing and continually iterating a long-term vision for each of WB Games’ key franchises which will expand audience reach, deepen player engagement and drive commercial success.

The Daily

• Establishes templates and processes to support the overall franchise planning process across WB Games.  Leveraging existing work and collaborates with others to expand resources.  Organizes and sets cadence of meetings and communication vehicles for planning, decision-making and reporting performance.  Manages and maintains overall franchise calendar(s) to ensure visibility and awareness of initiatives across the portfolio.
• Works with Research, Sales Analysis, Usability, Data Analytics, IP owners, and other groups to collect information that will inform commercial plans and investment decisions.  Works collaboratively across the organization to support leaders in their efforts to identify gaps and market opportunities for internally published and licensed products.  Packages and shares information with applicable stakeholders. 
• Communicates goals and works with stakeholders in Product, Marketing, International, Licensing, Research, IP owners, etc. to assign and collect inputs for franchise planning.  Coordinates efforts in pulling together materials, perspectives and insights for shaping recommendations for holistic franchise plans spanning self-published and partner titles. 
• Facilitates leadership meetings targeted at sharing information and making franchise decisions.  Documents agreed plans and ensures awareness across necessary groups inside WB Games.  Ensures clarity regarding responsibility and timing for communications with stakeholders outside of WB Games.  Monitors action items and tracks follow-through by responsible parties. 
• Provides regular reporting on franchise health and the effectiveness of product, marketing and licensing plans in service of the overall franchise goals.  Contributes franchise-related inputs to the greenlight process.
• Provides brand guidelines, style guides and other resources to stakeholders to ensure clarity regarding use of IP.  Serves as an internal expert and resource to help teams develop their own brand assurance processes. As needed, serves as a resource to leaders dealing with IP owners or external licensing partners.
• Maintains connections with franchise groups across WBD to stay abreast of overall franchise plans, priorities and trends and to ensure WB Games’ integration into company-wide franchise programs.  As needed, liaises with other business units and key international territory franchise leads to ensure global relevance for WB Games slate and franchise plans.

The Essentials

• Deep competitive understanding of the game industry.
• Proven ability to bring structure and clarity to highly complex initiatives.
• Must have strong interpersonal skills, diplomacy and be able to build consensus.   
• Comfortable navigating, interpreting and working with research and data resources.
• Effective communication and presentation skills required.
• Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills coupled with financial acumen and commercial instincts are needed.
• High level of proficiency with PowerPoint, Excel, Word, etc.

The Nice to Haves

• Prior experience coordinating major programs across matrixed resources is desired.
• Prior global experience and perspective is desired.