Licensing Manager, Hard Goods

The Licensing Manager, Hard Goods will be responsible for managing the day-to-day relationships with hard goods licensees, maximizing existing licensees revenue, pursuing new licensees to complement MLBPI’s existing partner portfolio, exploring potential new business opportunities, and enhancing the presence and sales of all hard good licensed products across all channels of retail distribution while protecting players’ rights, and enhancing their images.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Managerial/Relationship

• Create and implement an annual category business plan for hard goods licensees, defining category objectives, financial projections, and identifying market trends and trade opportunities, business strengths, and weaknesses.
• Develop strategic and tactical plans to meet these objectives.
• Draft license agreements, deal memos, amendments, and other relevant documents
• Ensure licensee compliance with license agreement terms and conditions
• Develop long-term senior-level executive relationships with key hard goods partners, including regular communication to maximize hot market business opportunities
• Travel to attend category expos, road shows, trade events, and business meetings to maintain optimized business relationships and ensure products remain top of mind for existing licensees
• Manage the existing Quality Assurance Coordinator assigned to your category

Strategic

• Lead execution partnership strategy in hard goods portfolio areas including established verticals such as bobbleheads, pins and posters as well as emerging categories.
• Identify partnerships with marketplaces, tools, and platforms to create best-in-class experience for baseball fans to access and engage with the company's licensed products
• Grow relationships with partners’ marketing teams to create programs and go-to-market campaigns that build awareness and drive demand for licensed products
• Effectuate prioritization of potential partnerships that maximize revenue-generating impact and differentiate company's offerings
• Lead development of systems and methods to track and measure success of various hard good products and avoid portfolio cannibalization

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with excellent academic performance
• Highly motivated, detail-oriented individual with at least 5+ years of similar experience in hard goods and licensing, and, preferably, sports
• Accomplished deal negotiator with a proven track record of hitting revenue targets
• Strong strategic, analytical, organizational, oral and communication skills
• Highly organized multi-tasker with an ability to meet strict deadlines
• Must maintain network of contacts across the hard goods landscape
• Passionate sports fan with keen knowledge of athletes is a plus
• Out-of-town travel, including to expos, road shows, trade events