Director, License Management (Football)

New Era Cap, LLC. is an international lifestyle brand headquartered in Buffalo, NY with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 100 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for MLB, official sideline cap for NFL, and official on-court cap for NBA, New Era Cap is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era Cap encourages people to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products.

Since 1920, this family-owned business has hired employees who are masters of their craft. We are innovators, architects of culture, experts, and forward thinkers. We demand excellence because we pride ourselves on the quality of our products and the authenticity of our brand.

Interested in working with us? Check out this exciting opportunity at New Era Cap's Headquarters (HQ) building located in downtown Buffalo, NY. This role is 100% on-site, encouraging employees to collaborate and connect in person five days a week. HQ offers an inviting atmosphere, complete with an on-site cafe, fitness center, and Flagship store.

Apply to join New Era's team!

The Director, License Management (Football) focuses primarily on managing relationships with clubs and leagues to drive licensing business growth. 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.

Responsibilities

• Relationship Building: Establish and nurture collaborative relationships with the NFL 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 the NFL 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

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• 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 pro-actively manage change with urgency and persistence
• High energy, well-rounded leader with functional experience across all dimensions of retail, wholesale and e-commerce
  

Education and Experience

• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in the marketing/product field with a high profile, globally branded organization; experience in sports marketing preferable
• Bachelors Degree in Marketing or a business related field or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Past 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

Travel Requirement

• The location for this position is 100% on-site in Buffalo, NY
• Up to 20%; domestic and/or global

New Era Cap, LLC is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that believes in inclusion and does not discriminate against any candidate or employee on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

The salary range for this posted position is $140,000 - $175,000 (plus bonus & benefits) and pertains to candidates located in Western New York. Actual compensation will fall within this range and is determined by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, education, essential job duties and requirements, and necessary experience.

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