General Manager - Europe

Sesame Workshop is seeking a General Manager of Europe to grow and expand our existing business in the region, capitalizing on the successes of the past 2+ years, to help the next generation of children in Europe grow up smarter, stronger, and kinder. We are looking for a dynamic leader, based in our Munich, Germany office, to:

• Build Sesame Street into a leading children and family brand in Europe. Leverage the global history and awareness of the characters and brand while developing country-specific identities that appeal to the local audience.
• Expand the Sesame Street commercial business, ensuring long-term self-sustaining economic growth in key European markets, with an immediate focus on Germany, UK, the Netherlands and Spain. Generate new business models and secure strategic partners across key areas of our business ecosystem including Consumer Products, Content Production and Distribution, Themed Entertainment (theme parks, live events, etc.), and more.
• Identify early childhood issues relevant to key European markets and develop community outreach programs with local sponsors that utilize Sesame Street’s characters, educational assets, and whole-child approach to learning that maximize benefits to children and harness the full potential of the Sesame brand.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Sesame’s European strategic brand and commercial expansion, developing a comprehensive business plan to deliver long-term growth and sustainability
• Full P&L responsibility for Europe
• Oversee strategy and day-to-day management of all areas of the Sesame Street business in Europe. Secure and develop local strategic partnerships across Media Distribution, Consumer Products, and Themed Entertainment.
• Manage Sesame Street’s licensing activities and agencies in the region to drive revenue growth across all product categories and increase Sesame’s consumer reach and awareness via traditional retail and e-commerce solutions.
• Implement Sesame Workshop’s global social impact initiatives as relevant to key European markets, including but not limited to “Welcome Sesame” efforts to address the crisis in Ukraine, Emotional Wellbeing, Self Identity and Belonging, Foundational Knowledge and Skills, Creativity and Playful Problem Solving
• Cultivate government and strategic corporate relationships to engender a broad base of support for Sesame across the region
• Serve as the Director of Sesame Workshop Europe entity, successfully manage a current local team and build the team as needed
• Act as the official representative of Sesame Workshop at public events, conferences, media interviews, and senior-level meetings
• Directly support the EVP, Head of Global Enterprises based in Sesame Workshop headquarters in NY, regularly delivering updates and presentations to the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, etc.
• Engage and leverage global subject experts at Sesame Workshop HQ and international offices to inform the overall European regional strategy and ensure alignment with Sesame’s global goals and priorities.
• Work closely with regional General Manager peers across the world to create synergies, best practices, and efficiencies for the global business.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• BA required; Master’s degree preferred
• The ideal candidate has 12+years of brand and general management experience, with specific experience in content distribution, consumer products licensing, and themed entertainment, with kids’ media a plus
• Established contracts with a proven track record of generating new revenue streams and launching new initiatives
• Experience developing international IPs
• Experience with non-profit or socially-oriented for-profit companies a plus
• In-depth knowledge of European markets, with a focus on Germany, UK, Netherlands, and Spain; experience with the Middle East and North Africa a plus
• Self-starter with an entrepreneurial spirit who can work both independently and as a team member
• Persuasive, credible, and polished communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong relationship and interpersonal skills. Ability to balance a variety of internal and external stakeholders and deliver results and outcomes on strict deadlines
• Excellent management skills, with a proven record of successfully leading and developing teams
• Experience successfully working in a matrixed multi-national environment, collaborating with colleagues across the organization, geographies, and levels to drive results
• Negotiation experience and understanding of Sesame’s key business drivers:
  • Media ecosystem including TV, radio, digital, mobile, and production
  • Themed/location-based entertainment
  • Licensing and consumer products business
  • Social media and innovative technology
• Personal and professional integrity and positive attitude, with a passion for Sesame Workshop's mission
• Ability to travel regularly, domestically and internationally, and work across multiple time zones
• German and English fluency are required. Additional European languages are a plus

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Sesame Workshop is the non-profit media and educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We are educators, creators, researchers, moms, dads, caregivers, and friends. We are a community of 400+ people with an amazing network of global partners who are passionate about one thing: helping children.

We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of non-profit and commercial businesses across media, formal education, consumer products, themed entertainment, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs. Through our globally beloved characters, we provide almost two hundred million children with access to life-changing early education, critical health lessons, and helpful tools for tough situations.

Sesame has been a leading kids IP in Europe for over 50 years, with a particular focus on Germany – where we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of our local co-production Sesamstrasse this year – the UK, the Netherlands, and Spain. We established Sesame Workshop Europe – our first local European entity in the history of the Workshop – in 2022. Based in Munich, our local team oversees all our commercial efforts across Europe, working closely with our New York headquarters team.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity