Director, Brand Partnerships, Collaborations & Licensing

Vera Bradley•New York, NY

3d•$140,400 - $193,050

About The Position

The Director of Brand Partnerships, Collaborations & Licensing is a newly created, entrepreneurial role responsible for originating, negotiating, and securing brand collaborations and managing licensing opportunities to drive revenue and cultural relevance. The role owns strategic partnerships and business development, licensing growth and transformation, and commercial execution. It develops a multi-year partnerships strategy, expands licensing across complementary categories, channels, and customer segments, and works with licensing partners to assess the model for long-term growth. The Director collaborates with Design, Merchandising, Marketing, and Legal to turn agreements into compelling, profitable product launches and brand activations, and is accountable for partnership performance and business results. The role drives a three-year licensing growth strategy and transformation roadmap, manages the primary relationship with IMG, and sets strategic targets and performance scorecards. It owns partnerships from opportunity through launch and post-review, tracks financial performance and return on investment, and provides regular updates to senior leadership. The position requires a bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field, with an MBA or advanced degree preferred, and 8–12+ years of progressive experience in strategic partnerships, business development, licensing, or commercial brand management. The successful candidate has a record of originating and closing high-value agreements, fluency in licensing economics and intellectual property rights, senior-level industry relationships, financial acumen, and strong communication, presentation, and executive negotiation skills. Vera Bradley describes its compensation and benefits package as competitive and comprehensive. Benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage; flexible spending accounts; life and disability insurance; a 401(k) with company match; paid time off and holidays; bereavement leave; voluntary time off; wellness and employee assistance programs; leadership and skill development opportunities; product discounts; and various ancillary benefits. The base pay range is $140,400 to $193,050, with individual pay dependent on work location, skills, experience, and education. The posted range excludes bonuses, equity, and other incentives, if applicable.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field.
8–12+ years of progressive experience in strategic partnerships, business development, licensing, or commercial brand management in fashion, accessories, beauty, lifestyle, or consumer products.
Proven track record of personally originating, negotiating, and closing high-value commercial agreements with measurable results.
Deep fluency in licensing and collaboration economics, including royalties, minimum guarantees, advances, exclusivity, and IP rights.
Established senior-level relationships across consumer brands, agencies, and entertainment properties.
Strong financial acumen, including experience modeling deal profitability, forecasting revenue, and assessing ROI.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and executive-level negotiation skills.
Entrepreneurial, proactive, and highly accountable mindset.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced degree.
Commercial instincts and persistence to open doors and close valuable agreements.
Ability to identify partnerships that drive cultural relevance and reach new audiences.
Ability to balance compelling creative concepts with strong financial returns.
Ability to build trust quickly with external partners and internal cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a multi-year partnerships strategy aligned with brand positioning and revenue goals.
Prospect, cultivate, and close agreements with consumer brands, designers, lifestyle businesses, and entertainment properties.
Use senior-level industry relationships to convert prospective leads into signed contracts.
Create a disciplined framework for evaluating partners based on brand fit, cultural relevance, audience reach, and financial returns.
Identify emerging trends, white spaces, and new categories for collaboration.
Lead deal structuring and negotiations, including revenue goals, financial terms, royalties, distribution rights, and marketing agreements, in partnership with Legal.
Maintain a robust partnership pipeline balancing high-profile brand builders with scalable commercial partnerships.
Drive a three-year licensing growth strategy to expand into complementary categories, channels, and customer segments.
Manage the primary relationship with IMG and establish strategic targets, performance expectations, and scorecards for royalty revenue, guarantees, and profitability.
Partner with Design to ensure licensed products meet quality standards and align with brand identity.
Build a three-year transformation roadmap to develop internal capabilities, financial visibility, and processes for assessing the long-term licensing model.
Own partnerships from initial opportunity through launch and post-review, establishing clear success metrics.
Partner with Design and Marketing to translate agreements into product concepts, storytelling, and integrated customer experiences.
Work with Merchandising on product opportunities, pricing, distribution, and launch timing.
Track financial performance, pipeline conversion, and ROI, and provide regular updates to senior leadership.

Benefits

Medical plan options, including HDHP/HSA and PPO plans.
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
Flexible spending accounts.
Employer-provided life insurance equal to two times salary.
Accidental death and disability insurance.
Voluntary life insurance for employees, spouses, and children.
Short-term disability.
Long-term disability.
401(k) with company match and immediate vesting, subject to age and service requirements.
Up to three weeks of paid time off in the first year, with the opportunity to earn more.
Nine paid holidays per year.
Paid bereavement leave.
Voluntary time off to serve the community.
Financial, physical, and mental wellness resources.
Employee Assistance Program, including no-cost unlimited telephonic counseling.
Leadership development, skill development, and career advancement opportunities.
Employee discount on Vera Bradley products.
Bonus opportunity.
Identity protection.
Legal services.
Pet insurance.
Cell phone discount.
Employee referral bonus.
Annual birthday gift.
DailyPay.
Corporate fitness facility.
Individual policies through Aflac.