Director, EMEA Licensing

Job Summary

Penske Media Corp (PMC), the parent company of Rolling Stone, Variety, Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, SXSW, The Golden Globes and many more brands, is looking for a Director, EMEA Licensing based in Dubai or London. The role is the primary executive generating licensing revenue for PMC brands in the EMEA region, tasked with deal making across many industries and deal types.

The director will work closely with the Global VP Head of International and key brand stakeholders to negotiate partnerships from conception through full agreement execution.

• Based in UAE or UK, oversee the development of Europe, Middle East, and Africa as key markets.
• Focus on Events, IP, Brand Extension, Branded Hospitality, Media, and more.
• Leverage relationships to source, negotiate, and execute new partnerships and business ventures for PMC.
• Prospect, develop leads, negotiate deals, and redline contracts with Legal and partnership management at a senior level.
• Work across internal stakeholders for PMC brands (Executive Management, Sales, Marketing, Editorial) to build support and consensus for new initiatives, markets, and licensing opportunities.
• Measure success via annual licensing revenue and net new business revenue.
• Stay abreast of industry trends to identify new opportunities for growth.
• Attend industry events to prospect for new partnerships and business opportunities.
• Develop large strategic multi‑year revenue programs rather than smaller one‑off opportunities.
• Renegotiate and extend existing content licensing deals and other Biz Dev partnerships when needed.

• 10 years of business development experience, with at least 5 years of licensing experience at a media/entertainment company.
• Deep understanding of industry revenue models and business terms (e.g., revenue guarantees, royalties, rights, permissions).
• Track record of leading and negotiating complex deals while managing competing priorities.
• Exceptional prioritization skills and attention to detail.
• Established network of prospects and partners.
• Extensive experience building and executing innovative non‑advertising partner programs that generate recurring revenue.
• Sophisticated contract review skills and ability to work closely with Legal to close deals.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong communication, proactive, extroverted demeanor, and sense of urgency.
• Experience optimizing partnerships through deal execution and beyond.
• 20–25% travel required (client meetings, trade shows, PMC offices).
• Language:
  English native speaker; proficiency in Arabic is a bonus.