Who We Are
Pocket FM is the world’s largest audio-series platform, where powerful stories travel effortlessly across languages, cultures, and continents. From India and the US to Europe and beyond, we are redefining how stories are created, discovered, and experienced globally—without screens.
At our core, we are an AI-powered entertainment company with a deeply human-first philosophy. We believe technology should amplify creativity. Our proprietary AI systems work alongside writers, voice artists, and creative teams to help stories scale globally—faster, smarter, and with cultural depth and emotional integrity intact.
Today, Pocket FM is home to a vibrant community of 250M+ listeners, 300,000+ creators, and 100,000+ audio series, with over 140 billion minutes streamed annually. We operate at massive global scale, but with a startup mindset: curious, fast-moving, and deeply owner-driven. At Pocket FM, teams are encouraged to think boldly, move with intent, and build for long-term impact as we shape the future of audio-first storytelling worldwide.
Role Overview:
- The Associate Director, Licensing will own the end-to-end acquisition, licensing, and deal execution process for IP that powers Pocket FM’s original and adapted audio series across all genres.
- This is a hybrid scouting + acquisition + deal-making + deal operations role. You will be responsible for identifying high-potential IP early, evaluating its commercial and creative viability, and independently leading negotiations through to signed agreements and internal handoff.
- You will operate as both a market-facing dealmaker and internal operator, managing relationships with creators, agents, publishers, and platforms while also owning the systems, pipelines, and documentation that ensure deals move efficiently from discovery to production readiness.
- This role is ideal for someone who combines strong creative taste, sharp commercial instincts, and exceptional operational discipline in a high-volume, fast-moving environment.
Responsibilities:
Licensing, Scouting & Deal-Making:
- Source and evaluate IP opportunities across books, web novels, digital fiction platforms, creator communities, and other narrative ecosystems.
- Identify breakout stories, creators, and emerging formats early based on market demand and adaptation potential.
- Lead end-to-end negotiations and close licensing deals, including rights scope, territories, formats, exclusivity, and commercial terms.
- Build and manage relationships with authors, agents, publishers, studios, and digital platforms.
- Develop a strong point of view on what IP is worth acquiring based on both creative strength and monetization potential.
Deal Operations & Pipeline Ownership:
- Own the full deal lifecycle from first outreach through contract execution, onboarding, and internal handoff.
- Maintain and manage CRM systems and deal tracking tools to ensure accurate visibility across all active and signed deals.
- Track pipeline health, deal velocity, and conversion metrics, providing clear updates to leadership.
- Manage documentation including contracts, amendments, renewals, expirations, and rights tracking.
- Ensure compliance and consistency across licensing agreements and IP usage terms.
Cross-Functional Execution & Onboarding:
- Partner closely with Legal, Editorial, Creative Development, Production, and Finance to move deals from negotiation to execution efficiently.
- Own the onboarding process for newly signed rights holders, ensuring smooth transition into production workflows.
- Serve as the central coordination point for all internal stakeholders tied to licensed content execution.
- Ensure internal teams have clear creative, legal, and commercial context for each acquired IP.
Market Intelligence & Strategy:
- Monitor trends across publishing, digital fiction, web novels, and adaptation ecosystems to inform acquisition strategy.
- Identify emerging genres, creators, and platforms shaping the future of serialized storytelling.
- Translate market insights into actionable acquisition priorities and deal strategies.
- Continuously refine sourcing and evaluation frameworks to improve hit rate and deal quality.
Qualifications:
- 3–7+ years of experience in licensing, content acquisition, business affairs, partnerships, or rights management.
- Proven ability to independently source, negotiate, and close IP licensing or partnership deals.
- Strong experience managing deal pipelines, CRM systems, documentation, and reporting workflows.
- Background in publishing, digital storytelling platforms, or adaptation-driven content ecosystems strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of IP rights, contract structures, and licensing frameworks.
- Experience working directly with creators, agents, publishers, or platform partners.
- Strong creative judgment with the ability to assess narrative quality and commercial scalability.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple concurrent deals.
- Strong communicator who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous, and high-volume environments.
- Experience in fast-growing or early-stage content platforms (e.g., Wattpad, Substack, Beehiiv, microdrama or audio platforms) is a strong plus.
Why Join Pocket Entertainment?
You’ll sit at the front edge of global storytelling—where discovery meets dealmaking. This is a rare opportunity to directly shape the IP that powers one of the fastest-growing audio entertainment platforms in the world. You’ll work at a massive scale, across genres and markets, combining creative instinct with commercial execution to bring breakthrough stories to life for millions of listeners globally.
Location:
Remote
Language:
English
Employment Type:
Full-Time
Salary:
$100,000 – $120,000