Retail Business Development Manager; m​/f​/d

Overview

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.

The role is a sales & business development role, that includes developing, selling, and executing retail activation programs with retailers (retail buyers, retail marketers, licensing coordinators), with the aim of ensuring Warner Bros. licensees increase presence and sell through for Warner Bros. properties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The position acts as a bridge between commercial strategy, licensee programs and in-store execution, ensuring that category plans translate into impactful retail performance.

• Retailer & Account Management
  • Take full ownership of a defined portfolio of key retail accounts.
  • Build strong multi-level relationships (buyers, retail marketing, digital, licensing).
  • Negotiate visibility and activation opportunities across physical and digital touchpoints (stores, e-commerce, flyers, catalogues, social media).
  • Develop and implement Joint Business Plans (JBPs) to grow Warner Bros. properties across all relevant categories.
  • Drive sell-through performance by ensuring best-in-class product placement and promotional execution.
  • Plan and lead retail roadshows and activation programs for 365 and event-driven franchises.
• Category Collaboration & Communication
  • Act as the main interface between Category Management and Retail, ensuring category strategies are fully executed at retail level.
  • Translate category insights into actionable retail plans and provide structured feedback from the field to inform future assortments and strategies.
  • Support Category Managers in defining channel-specific opportunities and product mixes.
  • Facilitate smooth information flow between Retail, Category, Marketing, and external licensees.
• Cross-divisional Coordination
  • Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to create integrated retail activation campaigns.
  • Engage key licensees to secure support, funding, and co-marketing for activations.
  • Ensure consistent messaging and execution across Warner Bros. divisions and retail channels.
• Operational Excellence
  • Monitor and report retail activation results, providing data-driven insights and improvement recommendations.
  • Manage and optimize the trade marketing budget to maximize ROI.
  • Lead post-mortem analyses and translate learnings into future action plans.
  • Provide strong local retail support for global key accounts.

• At least 3-5 years of experience in Key Account Management / National Accounts Sales Management preferably in the FMCG, Drugstore, Retail Industry.
• Excellent knowledge of the marketing mix and media, trade marketing and sales promotions experiences.
• Very good knowledge of the local and European retail markets with a clear understanding of how entertainment characters works at retail.
• Experience with in licensing industry an advantage.
• Strong understanding of the retail environment in Germany, Austria and Switzerland preferably within the FMCG category with a solid network attached to it.
• Strong planning ability to organize and analyze data and information when developing actionable recommendations.
• Excellent negotiation skills to being able to sell ideas and concepts to businesses e.g. retailers and licensees.
• Working experience within an international working environment.
• Excellent communicator and negotiator with the ability to influence people at all levels within organization.
• Ability to work within a matrix organization and the flexibility to cope with changes.
• Excellent…