Story Development & Editorial Manager (Licensed IP)

Moonbug Entertainment•New York, NY

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Moonbug Entertainment, an award-winning global entertainment company, is seeking a creative leader for the Story Development & Editorial Manager (Licensed IP) role. This position, based onsite in the New York office, will be instrumental in inventing new ways for families to experience stories and pushing franchises beyond expectations into new experiences. Sitting within the Franchise division and focusing on the Consumer Products & Experiences (CP&E) Publishing division, the role serves as a core consultative and editorial bridge across the entire business. The goal is to ensure a unified, authentic, and compelling voice across all IPs in books, game scripts, podcasts, product descriptions, and character bibles, tailored to specific audiences. This high-impact role requires an expert storyteller adept at both high-level franchise strategy and granular manuscript editing.

Requirements

Proven track record of managing, writing, or editing for major, top-tier global entertainment franchises and licensed properties.
Extensive experience in structural editing and copyediting across diverse formats: story and chapter books, comic books, interactive game dialogue, and script writing.
Experience in developing stories for children aged 0-7 is preferred.
Experience creating stories for different markets, with a focus on US and UK markets.
A portfolio demonstrating the ability to write and judge copy for both physical products (Publishing/Consumer Products) and digital experiences (Gaming/Audio).
Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to push back on external partners or defend narrative decisions to C-suite executives and creative directors.
An understanding of how narrative drives consumer behavior, product sales, and global brand loyalty.
Ability to coordinate seamlessly across multiple international time zones (particularly UK and US - NY & LA).

Nice To Haves

Additional Languages

Responsibilities

Act as the central editorial powerhouse, driving storytelling excellence across six key business pillars: Publishing, Audio (Books & Podcasts), Wider Consumer Products, Brand (Character Bibles), Studio & Production, and Gaming.
Oversee global fiction, non-fiction, and comic/graphic novel narrative content development for publishing, including originating stories, writing manuscripts, ensuring lore accuracy, and approving final print text.
Provide editorial direction on podcast scripting, audio drama narratives, and audiobook development and adaptation.
Work with existing licensees to guide audiobook development and originate audiobook stories aligned with print stories.
Influence storytelling and narrative in the Moonbug podcast catalogue.
Partner with toy, apparel, and lifestyle teams to weave narrative into physical products.
Partner with the existing creative team to ensure consistency across Character Bibles and into all narrative content, supporting and guiding the development of comprehensive Character Bibles.
Work cross-functionally with Studio & Production teams to share narrative content and influence stories used in content for a cohesive IP ecosystem.
Collaborate on world-building, dialogue trees, game lore, and in-game text for gaming.
Scale stories across multiple categories seamlessly, ensuring a unified 'canonical' universe while respecting different media formatting needs.
Review and approve narrative copy from external global partners and licensees to protect brand integrity.
Champion bold, original storytelling ideas and identify opportunities to expand Moonbug franchises into new formats, platforms, and consumer experiences.
Act as a creative catalyst, proactively bringing forward innovative concepts that strengthen brands and unlock new opportunities.
Pioneer next-generation approaches to franchise storytelling and audience engagement.