Job Description

We have a new opportunity for an experienced Head of Licensing & Partnerships to join our Brand team on a 6-month fixed term basis to cover a period of parental leave. 

Reporting to the Brand Marketing Director, the Head of Licensing and Partnerships will be responsible for establishing and developing Penguin’s merchandise programme, extending the Penguin brand’s cultural influence beyond publishing through carefully curated licensing opportunities and strategic shared-value partnerships.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop and deliver the Penguin merchandise strategy, defining the roadmap, priorities, growth opportunities and commercial objectives required to establish a scalable, long-term merchandise programme.
• Lead programme planning, forecasting and performance management, building robust business cases and commercial frameworks to demonstrate value, support investment decisions and drive sustainable growth.
• Identify, negotiate and secure strategic licensing partnerships and collaborations, developing a portfolio of high-impact opportunities that extend Penguin’s cultural influence, audience reach and commercial performance.
• Create compelling partnership propositions and pitch materials, tailoring opportunities to prospective partners and securing best-in-class collaborations across relevant categories.
• Monitor consumer, retail and cultural trends to identify opportunities for brand extension, audience engagement and merchandise innovation.
• Lead merchandise and product development, working with Brand and Creative teams to ensure products, collaborations and storytelling reflect Penguin’s heritage, values and contemporary relevance.
• Oversee the successful delivery of merchandise launches across retail, direct-to-consumer and partner channels, working closely with Brand, Marketing, PR and Commercial teams to maximise impact.
• Work closely with Legal and Finance teams to manage commercial structures, contracts, rights, trademarks and governance, ensuring all activity protects and enhances Penguin’s intellectual property and brand reputation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, external partners, licensees and agencies, leading collaborative ways of working and ensuring the successful delivery of shared objectives.
• Act as a champion and ambassador for the Penguin brand, fostering a commercially focused, audience-centred approach internally and representing Penguin externally with partners and industry contacts.

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

• Proven experience of developing licensing, partnerships or brand extension programmes, ideally from inception, across all categories.
• Strong understanding of intellectual property, trademarks, rights management and licensing business models.
• Demonstrable experience of building and launching an MLM programme from the ground up, including developing the strategy, operating model, partner network and commercial framework.
• Experience negotiating and managing strategic partnerships and licensing agreements.
• Experience managing budgets, forecasts and commercial performance.
• Experience working with consumer brands and translating brand equity into commercial opportunities.
• Strong project management and programme leadership capability.
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and inspire partners.
• Keeps a close pulse on evolving consumer trends and cultural movements.
• Established network across brands, retailers, agencies and licensing communities, with the ability to open doors and cultivate high-value partnerships.
• Passion for brand building and protecting brand integrity.

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and Cover Letter outlining your reasons for interest in this role by 23:59 on Tuesday 4th August 2026.

Disability Confident 

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section.

There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

AI

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Salary

The salary band for this opportunity is c.£70,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus benefits.

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important.

For this role we expect that you will work from the Embassy Gardens office in London at least 2 days per week (Tuesday & Thursday), and be available to attend on other days as required by the business.

Additional Information

Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here.

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address. 

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here.
 

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