Job Title:
VP, Strategic Initiatives & Business Affairs - DC Comics
Job Responsibilities:
- Lead the department to manage all enterprise-wide deal negotiations for exclusive talent, IP, and distribution rights.
- Oversee the development, prioritization, and operationalization of DC’s key enterprise strategic initiatives, ensuring organizational focus on priorities.
- Partner with other Senior Leaders to develop a strategic roadmap and commit to a plan to operationalize within DC.
- Assess new enterprise-level business opportunities, including the structure and negotiation for significant partnership deals and exclusive talent contracts.
- Structure and negotiate significant third-party agreements, talent agreements, and media and merchandise rights agreements with support from other departments, Finance, and Legal.
- Develop long-term strategic initiatives that support DC Comics’ business goals by working with key stakeholders to identify and align on objectives and opportunities.
- Drive the prioritization of strategic initiatives and oversee assessment across key metrics such as opportunity size, execution ease, realization time, risk, and ROI.
- Oversee team and taskforce responsible for creating the roadmap and plan to operationalize initiatives, aligning Senior Leaders and stakeholders for support and accountability.
- Lead or partner with other Senior Leaders to manage new enterprise-wide businesses initially, integrating and transitioning them into core operations once matured.
- Evaluate enterprise-level business development opportunities, assessing integration complexities and making recommendations to the General Manager.
- Oversee the evaluation and recommendation of discretionary bonuses and character equity grants to writers and artists.
- Inspire, develop, mentor, and lead a high-performing team focused on excellence, teamwork, and innovation, ensuring effective operations within the team.
- Serve as a member of and trusted advisor to DC’s senior leadership team.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Education and Experience Information:
Work Experience:
- At least 10 years of experience in Strategic Management or Planning, Operations, Business Affairs, and/or Business Development required.
- At least five years of experience leading a team required.
- At least five years of experience developing deal structures required, with deal negotiation and distribution experience preferred.
- Relevant media/entertainment, comics/publishing industry, and/or digital product experience required.
- Experience in law firms, consulting, and/or digital business development preferred.
Education, Professional Training, Technical Training or Certification:
- Bachelor’s degree in business, business development, or a related field required.
- Master in Business Administration (MBA) and/or Juris Doctor (.) degree from an ABA accredited law school strongly preferred.
Knowledge and Skills:
- Strong interpersonal skills, including effective and tactful communication (both verbal and written) with individuals across all organizational levels and externally.
- Strong negotiation skills, sound judgment, and the ability to balance risk/reward in deal-making.
- Ability to lead, develop, mentor, motivate, and coach a team of professionals.
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with business partners.
- Ability to organize, work well under time constraints, meet deadlines, and manage multiple tasks and project elements simultaneously.
- Ability to pay close attention to details and handle/maintain confidential material.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) and Adobe Acrobat required.
- Knowledge of and contacts in the publishing/comic book industry preferred.
Other Requirements:
- Flexibility to respond to occasional off-hours (nights and weekends) business needs.
- Ability to travel as needed, approximately 15% of the time.
Salary Information:
The salary range for this position is $203, - $377, per year. Actual salaries will vary based on factors such as external market data, internal equity, location, skill set, experience, and performance. Base pay is just one component of the total compensation package, which may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, a variety of benefits are provided, including health insurance coverage, an employee wellness program, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays, sick time, and vacation.
