Workplace: White City, London - 3 days a week in the office
The role
To lead the development and commercial success of brand-aligned, and emotionally resonant experiences inspired by our TV show properties. A strategic and creative leadership role requiring sharp commercial insight, exceptional brand stewardship, and a deep understanding of consumer behaviour and expectations.
The Director of Consumer Experiences will be instrumental in conceptualising, validating, and scaling new experiential propositions. Working globally across fixed attractions and branded live events to develop strategic partnerships that bring our shows to life in both innovative and lucrative ways. Developing, maintaining and refreshing a full portfolio of venues and promotions including, but not limited to, competitive socialising venues, adventure parks, bars, restaurants, set tours, themed holidays and cruise line offerings as well as ‘audience with’ stage tours and themed musicals.
The role
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT
1. Commercial Leadership: Responsibility for the P&L for ITV Studios fixed attractions including Set Tours, working closely with our Finance partner and external operating partner to develop robust business cases, pricing models, and revenue projections to ensure all propositions meet or exceed commercial targets. Working with finance partners to forecast trading and with operating partners to both mitigate any decline and launch new initiatives for growth.
2. Strategic Development: Support the VP Consumer Experience to deliver against the long-term roadmap for ITV Studio’s portfolio of events and attractions, identifying growth areas for both domestic and international markets.
3. Maximising Secondary Spend: Continuously identify opportunities to extend consumer spend through secondary spend in F&B, bolt-on experiences and consumer products/merchandise.
4. Innovation & Benchmarking: Stay on top of market trends and consumer insights, benchmarking competitors and best-in-class entertainment experiences (e.g. Friends Experience, Stranger Things: The Experience, Peaky Blinders: The Rise) to ensure innovation and relevance.
5. Negotiations: Confident leading of commercial negotiations over minimum guarantees, royalties and fixed venue fees.
6. Measurement: Setting KPIs, performance dashboard including NPS and review scores, mystery shops and health and safety compliance.
GO TO MARKET
7. Partner Management: Identify, approach and manage relationships with external partners (e.g. event producers, venues, promoters and agencies) to bring concepts to life efficiently and effectively.
8. Global Expansion of Successful Propositions: Identifying strong local operators, nurturing new relationships to extend commercial success in new territories
9. Experience Design Oversight: Translate TV show IP into best-in-class experiences that delight customers, stay true to the brand, and reflect the tone and values of each show.
10. Brand & Audience Alignment: Work closely with creative, marketing, and production teams to ensure all experiences align with core brand guidelines and resonate with target audiences.
11. Cross-Functional Leadership: Build exceptional relationships and a strong working cadence with production, legal, finance, marketing, and operational stakeholders to align on timelines, access to property and talent, compliance, budget adherence, and go-to-market strategies.
CREATIVE EXCELLENCE
12. Experience and design development understanding and developing an end-to-end customer journey that aligns with the show and delivers against customer expectations. A strong eye for detail, creative impact and consistency along with the ability to provide constructive feedback both internally and to creative agencies.
13. Brand Representation: Ensure all experiences live up to ITV Studios brand standards and positive consumers experiences lie at the heart of all new developments.
14. Briefing: Clear and insightful brief writing that inspires brilliant work and leaves no room for misinterpretation.
15. Brand Protection & Governance: Assessing compliance of the brand, keeping track of breaches of licensing rights.
Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)
16. Proven experience in a senior role within branded experiences, live entertainment, themed attractions, or consumer brand licensing. Ideally gained across high-profile immersive experiences.
17. Knowledge of international markets and ability to adapt experiences globally.
18. Demonstrable ability to collate and present complex information and business modeling to C-Suite level.
19. Deep understanding of propositional design practices. Comfortable using consumer insights, brand measurement and operational capabilities to develop go-to-market plans.
20. Demonstrable experience in briefing and interpreting research and insights (both qualitative and quantitative) as well as financial modelling to build compelling business cases.
21. Strong commercial acumen with a track record of delivering revenue-generating propositions, managing multimillion-pound budgets.
22. Demonstrated ability to turn creative ideas into viable business models, with excellent financial and strategic planning skills.
23. Deep understanding of experience design, consumer behavior and audience engagement strategies.
24. Passion for television and storytelling with a strong appreciation for fan culture.
25. Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills; able to influence and collaborate across multiple teams and disciplines.
26. Proven track record in launching new, commercially profitable experiences to market
27. Experience working in a matrixed media or entertainment company.
28. Capable of gathering insights including financial management and reportin.
29. Passion for best in class consumer experiences and love of the industry we work in.
30. Well versed in gold standard operational processes and customer practices for visitor attractions and events.
31. Good understanding of TV production practices.
Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)
32. A strong, charismatic communicator who can interface across all levels of an organisation
33. Entrepreneurial, forward thinking, tenacious and ‘can do’ mindset who makes things happen
34. Skilled at managing stakeholders ensuring timely, transparent and regular communication
35. Strong ambassador for ITV, its brands and its values
36. Team player - works well independently but also collaboratively as part of a wider commercial team
37. Consistently shows sound judgement and mentors others
38. Encourages both collaboration and ownership