Senior Manager, National Geographic Brand & Franchise Management

The Senior Manager, National Geographic Brand and Franchise Management will shape and drive brand-defining initiatives, build high-impact partnerships and programs, and serve as a key connector between National Geographic and The Walt Disney Company.

Reporting to the Director of Brand & Franchise Management, the Senior Manager will work cross-functionally and cross-company to grow the brand, deepen audience engagement, and expand National Geographic’s mission. This role will be instrumental in driving brand visibility, the development of new brand initiatives, activating brand partnerships, and leveraging stakeholder relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive franchise growth through Global Brand Initiatives.

• Lead key initiatives, such as Nat Geo Kids or Travel Lifestyle.

• Align strategy across Verticals, LOBs and regions.

• Partner across matrixed organization to drive Nat Geo expansion outcomes.

• Support globalization of brand initiatives, creative processes and developing toolkits and brand materials for internal and external use.

• Collaborate with Corporate Brand, Marketing COEs, Consumer Products & Expeditions on growth activations.

• Identify and activate partners for brand-building activations.

• Elevate brand storytelling with high impact creative.

• Ensure brand consistency across creative and messaging.

Lead Global Brand Initiatives

• Support the development of a unified global National Geographic brand strategy that aligns with business vision, goals, and mission.

• Execute best in class campaigns in support of brand growth.

• Leverage audience data, market trends, and competitive intelligence (in collaboration with Disney Brand Research) to inform strategy, and measure impact, fostering a test-and-learn culture to continually optimize performance.

• Drive creative excellence, shape creative direction.

• Maximize brand reach and cut through working with National Geographic regional brand and franchise leads around the world to execute on unified global strategy.

Collaborate & Influence

• Align global strategy across Verticals, LOBs and regions, driving a one National Geographic consumer approach through collaboration National Geographic and Disney Consumer Products, Publishing, Travel and Expeditions, and Disney Parks.

• Establish key relationships with partners in each National Geographic segment to deeply understand nuances of each business to integrate brand strategies.

• Cultivate and develop existing distinct and ownable National Geographic franchises that will power multiple lines of businesses for holistic brand success.

Execute with Excellence

• Work closely with marketing, editorial, creative, communications, social, legal, and sales teams to shepherd brand campaigns from concept to launch, including aligning stakeholders around shared goals and ensuring delivery on KPIs and timelines.

• Own and drive the planning and execution of cross-platform campaigns that align with National Geographic’s editorial priorities, audience insights, and commercial goals.

• Identify ways to increase support for brand initiatives.

• Develop toolkits and brand materials for internal and external use.

• Ensure brand consistency across creative and messaging.

Team Leadership

• Foster a team culture of creativity, collaboration, high-trust and high-performance to deliver on business goals and expectations.

Basic Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in brand strategy, marketing, partnerships, or a related field at a comparable level.

• Proven success in leading cross-functional brand or commercial initiatives in complex stakeholder environments.

• Strategic & creative thinking with the ability to drive impactful execution with a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach.

• Proven ability to navigate in highly matrixed organizations through the successful development of collaborative relationships.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with strong storytelling and executive presence.

• Analytical thinker with expertise in turning insights and data into clear, actionable strategy.

• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Strong cross-cultural experience with a global mindset.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Brand Management, Business, or a related field.

• Knowledge of the media landscape, especially documentary or factual content.

• Demonstrated success in building and evolving global brands and teams.

• Proven experience in senior executive-level brand management roles, ideally with a focus on media and entertainment.

The hiring range for this position in Burbank, CA and Washington, D.C. is $126,800 to $170,000 per year and in New York, NY is $132,800 to $178,000 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.