The Opportunity:
Kidlandia seeks a gifted merchant to drive SKU development for an exciting venture-backed consumer products and
entertainment startup. We seek a driven individual who seeks to get in on the ground floor of a company redefining
a major consumer market. The ideal candidate with also have cross-functional skills in project management and design.
Kidlandia targets the white-hot personalization market and provides major retailers and media companies a solution
to their need for a personalization strategy. Personalized gifts alone are $27B market, and personalization is
growing share across multiple consumer categories. The company has a proven first product that kids love, deals
with many of the biggest names in retail and media, and an unparalleled opportunity to grow its list of uniquely
personal and entertaining product offerings. Working with talented engineers, artists, writers, and game designers,
the Product Merchant will leverage the proprietary software platform into a wide range of personalized consumer
products.
The Team:
Kidlandia’s culture is creative and entrepreneurial. The founder and CEO, Brian Backus, has been illustrating
maps and fanciful monsters since he was a child. Brian, a serial entrepreneur and former Producer at Disney, is
a 17 year veteran of digit media. He holds an MFA from USC Film School, and a BA and MBA from Harvard.
Kidlandia’s talented team includes engineers and artists with leadership experience at creative companies
including Electronic Arts, Disney, Viacom, and Broderbund among others. Funders and Advisors include successful
two venture firms and media entrepreneurs and experts chosen for their ability to directly address specific
company needs. A portion of company stock is set aside for the benefit of charities serving the educational and
health-related needs of children.
The Role:
The Product Merchant reports directly to the CEO, and will serve as the primary architect and driver of
Kidlandia’s product merchandising, including specification, pricing, and sourcing. In addition, the position
includes an active role in project management and design. This is an extraordinary opportunity to develop and
manage a product line utilizing world-class licenses and sold through the largest national retailers as well as
Kidlandia’s own site and specialty shops.
Responsibilities:
• Lead all aspects of SKU development, including defining, pricing, and sourcing
• Develop and implement a metric-driven framework for prioritizing SKUs
• Work closely with engineering and art direction
• Develop and manage schedule for SKU release
• Match character IP to appropriate SKUs and channel partners
• Manage vendor network and ensure quality control
• Because this is an early-stage startup, the role requires flexibility and cross-functional skills in project management and design (wearing “many hats”).
Qualifications:
• 4+ years of relevant experience required, with media and internet background preferred
• An impressive track record of developing successful SKUs based on solid metrics
• Organized and detail oriented
• Proven ability to manage multiple SKUs and vendors
• Positive, optimistic attitude, high degree of intrinsic motivation and ability to operate with high energy and flexibility
• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills
• Exemplary analysis and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently and manage priorities as well as work well in teams
• Comfortable in a dynamic startup environment and industry
• Deft understanding of the latest trends and players across online video, digital media and the internet
• BA/BS degree required
The Company:
Kidlandia, Inc
(www.kidlandia.com) is a San Francisco media
startup whose mission is to inspire, educate, and delight children and their families through products
that put the child in the product story. The first product, personalized kingdoms, harnesses the power
of map imagery as a way to convey rich meaning. The product line began as commissioned works of illustrated
art in 2004, and developed into a software platform. Within weeks of the software launch (June 2009), the
Company secured a distribution partnership with one of the world’s premier retailers, and many more
partnerships are signed or in the pipeline. The company works with both its own characters, and with top
licenses.
Next Steps:
Please send your CV to jobs@kidlandia.com. We will review every resume, and will contact you if there is a match.