Strategic Partnerships & Licensing Specialist

About NYRR

New York Road Runners (NYRR) was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people, and has grown from a local running club into the world’s premier community running organization.  NYRR’s mission is to help and inspire through running, aiming to empower people of all ages and abilities to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.

NYRR’s year-round offerings of races, community events, programs, and training resources provide hundreds of thousands of people with the motivation, know-how, and opportunities to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top professional runners and committed amateurs alike, while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for New York City.  NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire children in underserved communities in New York City, nationwide, and around the world.

Headquartered in New York City, NYRR is a 501(c)(3) organization.  To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.  

At New York Road Runners, we are committed to building an inclusive, diverse workplace by finding the best candidate for the job. We understand that skills come from a variety of different backgrounds. Checking off every single requirement on our job description is not necessary to apply. If you think you are a good fit and have a passion for the work we do, please submit your application. We are eager to learn about your experience and skills! You may be the right candidate for this or other open positions.

New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer

About the Department

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.

About the Position

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.  

Job Responsibilities (primary and secondary duties): 

Licensing & Promotional Merchandise 

• 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 

Ordering 

• 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 

Partnership Management 

• 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 

Job Requirements: 

Experience: 

• Minimum 3+ years of work experience in Licensing or related Product background in areas such as managing Merchandising, Planning, or Sourcing with a sports authoruty, 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 

Skills and Attributes: 

• 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

Education & Certifications:

• 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

Other Requirements: 

• 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

Salary: 76K