Director, License Management

NEW ERA CAP LLC • Buffalo, NY

21d • $140,000 - $175,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Director, License Management focuses primarily on managing relationships with clubs and leagues to drive licensing business growth within NFL, NBA, and College Football. The position strikes a balance between strategic vision and operational/service details. Its mission is to maximize revenue and brand impact from licensed sports/entertainment merchandise, ensuring that each partnership delivers strong financial returns and enhances the company’s and partners’ brand positioning. A core responsibility of this role is to translate partnerships into tangible financial results. This involves proactive revenue generation, financial planning, and constant ROI evaluation to ensure each partnership justifies its investment.

Requirements

• Demonstrated ability to profitably manage and grow a business/category
• Ability to leverage financial principles and systems to maximize business results and EBIT
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including meeting facilitation and presentations required
• Ability to clearly articulate goals and objectives
• Ability to work in a constantly changing environment and make creative calls as necessary, knowing when to escalate issues to executive management
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a diverse group
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to identify gaps and recommend improvements on current business processes
• Demonstrated leadership through clear and authentic communication style
• Ability to positively and proactively manage change with urgency and persistence
• High energy, well-rounded leader with functional experience across all dimensions of retail, wholesale and e-commerce
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in the marketing/product field with a high profile, globally branded organization required; experience in sports marketing preferable
• Bachelor's degree in marketing or a business-related field preferred; additional experience in lieu of degree considered
• Proven success in a senior level management position with proven ability to provide direction to other managers
• Knowledge of sportswear or apparel industry, specifically marketing, sports/ marketing, preferred
• Ability to manage creativity and bottom-line business needs
• Proven ability to negotiate, influence and collaborate with other key decision makers internally and externally

Responsibilities

• Relationship Building: Establish and nurture collaborative relationships with leagues and key clubs. Regularly engage with league and club executives to align goals, share performance insights, and explore new opportunities
• Merchandise Strategy & Assortment Planning: Validate the strategic merchandise plan for each major partner. This includes determining the ideal product mix and aligning it with sports calendars and key events
• Negotiation & Contracts: Support and inform negotiations for licensing agreements and renewals with clubs and leagues. Ensure contracts reflect favorable terms for revenue growth, brand rights, and exclusive product opportunities. Be an expert in league rights and commitments
• Business Planning: Work closely with partners to develop joint business plans and seasonal strategies. Set shared objectives for product launches, marketing campaigns, and retail activations around the sports calendar (such as opening day, playoffs, finals, and other key moments)
• Budgeting & Forecasting: Develop annual and multi-year budgets for the clubs/leagues business, incorporating expected royalties, minimum guarantees, marketing investments, and projected sales
• Revenue Growth Initiatives: Identify and drive new revenue opportunities within existing partnerships and new ones. This could involve proposing expanded product lines, exclusive fan experiences, or new licensing deals with emerging leagues or high-potential clubs
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Coordinate internally with marketing, product development, e-commerce, and merchandising teams to execute partnership initiatives
• License Expert: A resident expert in their specific license(s) who is passionate about the sport/license they manage and is knowledgeable about all activities, games, players, standings and key moments, trends
• Keep all sensitive matters confidential
• Other duties as assigned

Benefits

• New Era Cap, LLC's casual work environment celebrates individuality and encourages employees to showcase their personal style.
• We pride ourselves on offering a comprehensive benefits package designed to promote health, financial stability, and personal growth, along with a generous PTO policy.
• As an employee, you'll enjoy a range of perks, including paid parking, exclusive discounts on apparel and headwear, and professional development opportunities right here on-site.
• We can't wait for you to experience all that our dynamic workplace has to offer!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees