JOB SUMMARY:

The Strategic Planning Manager (UK Project) will lead strategic long-range planning and analytics to support the successful launch of the new UK park retail business. This project-based role will focus on building the foundation for future retail planning functions — including consumer insights, assortment strategy, financial modeling, supply chain planning and process design — to ensure a consumer-centric, scalable, and operationally sound merchandise planning framework.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Strategic Planning: Develop long-range merchandise planning scenarios for new projects, grounded in consumer insights, brand affinity, and category performance expectations, to optimize revenue, item productivity and refresh rates, while enabling innovation and cross-functional initiatives.
• Process Development: Build and implement new merchandise planning tools, procedures, and reporting frameworks to support scalable business growth.
• Financial Planning: Support budget and Open-to-Buy (OTB) development, helping establish baseline metrics for the UK park’s year-one sales and inventory targets.
• Data & Analytics: Develop forecasting models, planning templates, and dashboards to evaluate product performance, space planning, and inventory optimization. Monitor item-level productivity (sell-thru, margin) and make recommendations to optimize assortment, pricing and inventory flow.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Category Management, Consumer Insights, Finance, Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure cohesive planning strategies across all park initiatives.
• Systems Enablement: Partner with IT and Global Planning teams to ensure planning, reporting, and inventory management systems are correctly configured for the UK location.
• Market Insight Integration: Leverage consumer research and trend analysis to guide assortment breadth, pricing architecture, and key category focus areas.
• Project Leadership: Track milestones, document decisions, and prepare executive updates on planning progress, risks, and dependencies related to launch readiness.
• Supply Chain Readiness: Coordinate with global sourcing and logistics partners to ensure alignment on supply timelines, vendor setup, and UK compliance requirements.
• Understands and actively participates in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UO policy, procedures, training and team member involvement activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management, or related field;
• MBA preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• 7+ years of experience in merchandise planning, strategy, or retail operations.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional initiatives or new market entries
• Knowledge of global supply chain processes, vendor management, and import logistics.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Collaborative innovator focused on building scalable, future-proof solutions.
• Passion for theme park or entertainment retail and understanding of consumer experience-driven environments.
• Comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced environments with evolving strategic priorities.

Universal Products & Experiences Overview:

Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation, and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, and Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. https://www.universalproductsexperiences.com/

Your talent, skills and experience will be rewarded with a competitive compensation package.

Universal is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Universal Orlando via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from Universal Orlando HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Universal Orlando. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Universal Orlando as a result of the referral or through other means.

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