Strategic Partnerships Manager, North America

VEJA NORTH AMERICA INC•New York, NY

5d•$125,000 - $135,000•Remote

About The Position

We are looking for a dynamic and style-forward Strategic Partnership Manager of North America to enhance VEJA through all channels via brand collaborations and projects, ambassadorship and market development. Strategic Partnerships include initiatives that shape VEJA’s brand positioning, business growth, and cultural relevance. This role acts the creative and strategic radar for the North American market, to identify, spearhead and manage strategic partnerships between VEJA and external brands, creators, and cultural movements for the region. The demands market vision, commercial expertise, business acumen, and strong cross-functional communication to align internal and external stakeholders across all stages of brand engagement.

Requirements

Commitment to the VEJA Project and vision; passionate about fair-trade brands with the ability to speak confidently about the VEJA Project, both internally and externally.
7+ years in similar role with partnerships, business development, marketing, and/or brand collaborations in the streetwear, fashion or lifestyle industry.
Deep understanding of the region's fashion, culture, and consumer landscape, with a sharp eye for emerging trends, brands, and influential creators.
Highly networked in the streetwear, fashion and/or lifestyle community, with strong digital engagement and in-person presence. Must have a network of Tier 0/1 wholesale partners.
Proven track record of securing and managing strategic partnerships with measurable ROI.
Ability to define KPIs of strategic projects, i.e. sales, visibility, brand impact, and present to leadership.
Highly balanced mindset between creative, commercial and business objectives.
Excellent interpersonal communication with the ability to navigate cross-functional teams across multiple countries and hierarchies.
Proactivity, creative sensibility, strategic thinking, and organizational expertise are essential.
Solid knowledge of product development, commercial operations, and communication workflows.
Ability to travel up to 40% of the year, both domestically and internationally.
Bachelor’s degree required in marketing, business and/or communications.

Nice To Haves

French, Spanish, and/or Portuguese language skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

Define the strategic partnership roadmap that delivers business and brand results in all channels: Wholesale, Retail, eCommerce, Communications.
Identify and evaluate relevant brands, designers, talents, and cultural movements in North America and propose high-potential opportunities aligned with VEJA’s vision.
Select, approach, and negotiate with potential partners to define strategic partnership objectives.
Monitor market trends and competitive landscapes to anticipate opportunities on a continual basis. Act as the go-to expert for North America for market expertise and best practices.
Partner with Head of Sales to foster key retail partnerships with Tier 0 / 1 accounts, i.e. Leisure Centre, Feature, Lost & Found, Laps, KITH, Maxfield, etc., and coordinate commercial distribution strategy for both global and local impact.
Partner with Retail General Manager to build local partnerships and enhancements for the retail boutique community driving traffic and customer acquisition.
Partner with Communications to maximize strategic brand initiatives and events via digital, public relations and influencer communities.
Build, develop, and actively manage long-term partner relationships, ensuring they consistently generate value for both parties.
Represent VEJA at internal and external events, pop-ups, activations, openings, launches, etc.
Build long-term relationships with local communities, influencers, and retail partners driving engagement, brand education, and authentic connections.
Provide consistent market feedback on consumer trends, preferences, and competitor activity including opportunities to expand the VEJA business, brand and Project.
Serve as the key point of contact between VEJA global and the North American partners, ensuring alignment and smooth communication across all partnership and project touchpoints.
With a North American lens, lead the internal validation process of each strategic project with the Commercial and Studio teams.
In partnership with global, oversee timelines, budgets, and deliverables to guarantee success.
Collaborate with North America and global communication teams to support launch strategies, i.e. events, activations, digital, sales and communications tools, etc. as needed.
Stay connected to the end-to-end execution of partnerships and projects: from first contact to launch on the market, and post-mortem analysis.