Strategic Partnerships & Licensing Specialist

New York Road Runners•New York, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Development and Strategic Partnerships team secures and manages mission-aligned partnerships providing revenue, value-in-kind and strategic support for advancing NYRR's mission. The team collaborates across NYRR departments to maximize partnership value and runner engagement through strategic programming. Additionally, the department oversees licensing of NYRR IP rights, including production of co-branded product and apparel. Reporting to the Head of Licensing and Strategic Partnerships, the Specialist is a key project manager on the team, supporting corporate and licensee management, vendor relationships, partnership collaborations and other organizational and departmental initiatives. The Specialist assists in all day-to-day operations of the department including licensee relationship management; development, approvals and marketing of co-branded product; planning and executing licensee deliverables; vendor management, and budget tracking. In addition to working with NYRR’s partner licensees, the Specialist collaborates with NYRR’s Human Resources, Development and Events departments to manage orders for all staff uniforms, and race/event premiums. The position requires some work on evenings and weekends, to supervise partner-sponsored programs at the NYRR RunCenter featuring the New Balance RunHub and NYRR races and special events. The ideal candidate can multi-task effectively; is an organized project manager; has experience managing licensee accounts and related cross functional projects, has strong communication skills and possesses a strong understanding of product licensing and brand compliance.

Requirements

Minimum 3+ years of work experience in Licensing or related Product background in areas such as managing Merchandising, Planning, or Sourcing with a sports authority, agency, corporate gifting group, licensing department or brand team
Proven licensing project management experience, including overseeing planning, budgeting, timelines, ordering, quality control and vendor management
Experience managing development of promotional products, branded merchandise, or retail programs
Experience writing purchase orders and overseeing financial tracking and analysis
Outstanding organizational skills including impeccable attention to detail, time management, and a strong sense of personal accountability
Ability to work independently, using good judgement, resourcefulness and the ability to sustain productivity under pressure
Comfortable with data and demonstrates the ability to make recommendations based on data analysis
Exposure to procurement process around product development
High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information
Entrepreneurial spirit with ability to handle significant responsibility
Highly organized and efficient in multi-tasking
Adaptable to change, the team operates with high agility
Influence and skillset in account or partner management
High level of competency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), as well as Outlook
Ability to display positive attitude and remain flexible
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
All staff are required to work the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon, RBC Brooklyn Half Marathon, and the TCS NYC Marathon
Ability to work outdoors for long-periods of time (standing and/or sitting)
Operate on a hybrid basis, working in-office at our midtown Manhattan headquarters a minimum of 2 days per week
Work evening and weekend events as required

Nice To Haves

Two or four-year degree in Marketing, Communications, Business or related field, or three+ years of related experience in Licensing management/product development preferred, but not required

Responsibilities

Serve as the licensing relationship owner for an assigned portfolio of licensees including NYRR's largest licensee, the exclusive footwear and apparel (F&A) partner
Manage licensed merchandise programs and co-branded products from concept through final approval and production
Maintain timelines and requirements for the creation of product development schedules
Ensure all licensed product complies with brand guidelines, approval processes and brand quality standards
Demonstrate knowledge of intellectual property licensing and showcase effective problem solving and ideation during development process with NYRR and partners
Partner closely with NYRR’s marketing team to coordinate marketing plans for co-branded product lines; support execution of marketing efforts across all NYRR owned channels
Manage licensor submissions, artwork approvals, sample reviews, and product presentations
Maintain records of product samples, logos, artwork approvals, and inventory
Manage submissions of all purchase orders and collaborate with NYRR finance team to track orders and budgets
Contribute feedback and input during the development of new product assortments
Co-manage value-in-kind product distribution across the organization
Assist with royalty reporting, contract compliance, and licensing administration activities
Lead cross-functional meetings and communicate status updates
Analyze program performance and licensee data and prepare post-event recaps, identifying key learnings
Assist in potential partner vetting, support partner proposal process, contract terms & negotiations
Assist in new licensee onboarding
Oversee ordering and distribution of all promotional items, race premiums, staff apparel, and event giveaways or NYRR; this requires managing detailed order and production timelines across multiple internal and external groups, and detailed budget tracking
Write and manage all purchase orders, invoices, budgets, and support vendor contracts
Maintain approval calendars, launch timelines, and licensing deliverables to ensure key deadlines are met
Monitor inventory levels via proactive communication across NYRR departments, and forecast ordering needs for races and programs
Work with internal NYRR teams to manage distribution of product as applicable, for internal and external-facing events
Ensure sponsorship deliverables for licensing partners are executed on time, which may include signage, email inclusions, etc
Lead status calls with licensee partners and own note taking and management of action items
Assist in coordination of licensee presence at NYRR race expos, includes supporting logistics planning with NYRR licensing team and events team