Brand Manager, Brand & Collaborations

• Location 7676 Interactive Way,Indianapolis, IN, 46278,United States
• Job Category Corporate
• Employee Type Full Time Exempt

About Our Company

At Lids Sports Group, we don’t just sell hats — we fuel fandom. As the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, we bring sports, fashion, and culture together in more than 1,300 stores nationwide. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lids delivers premium, fan-driven products and unforgettable retail experiences.

Our stores feature officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional teams, alongside top brands like Champion, Nike, New Era, Lululemon Athletica, and Mitchell & Ness. We’re also the industry leader in on-demand customization, offering in-store embroidery that turns everyday gear into one-of-a-kind statements.

From specialty concept stores for the NBA and NHL to iconic clubhouse destinations for the Yankees and Dodgers, we create immersive retail experiences that celebrate the teams fans love. Through collaborations with brands like Marvel, Peanuts, and The Walt Disney Company, Lids continues to redefine how fans represent their teams — in style.

The Brand Manager, Brand & Collaborations will help shape how Lids shows up at the intersection of sports, culture, fashion, entertainment, and fandom. This role is responsible for developing and executing brand-led collaboration programs, talent partnerships, ambassador initiatives, influencer campaigns, and live-event moments that build cultural relevance and drive consumer engagement across Lids channels.

This person will partner closely with internal teams across merchandising, marketing, creative, retail, e-commerce, social, PR, and external partners to bring collaborations and cultural activations to life from concept through execution. The ideal candidate understands the sports lifestyle consumer, has strong instincts for emerging trends and talent, and can manage multiple complex projects with creativity, urgency, and attention to detail in a fast paced, high-volume environment.

• Lead day-to-day planning and execution for ambassadorships, special projects across sports, fashion, music, entertainment, and creator communities.
• Lead day to-day management and internal and external partner communication for marquee brand moments that fall under brand and collaborations umbrella including Fitted Fest, Fanatics Fest collaboration programs, launch events, ambassadorships, seeding initiatives, and other tentpole activations.
• Manage the updating and maintaining of brand and collaboration calendars.
• Manage cross-functional collaboration timelines, deliverables, product needs, marketing assets, event requirements, launch plans, and partner communications.
• Manage regular and campaign driven seeding initiatives for ambassadors, influencers, and brand partners.
• Partner with merchandising and product teams to support collaboration assortment strategy, storytelling, product positioning, and go-to-market readiness.
• Develop influencer, ambassador, and activation plans that translate collaboration concepts into clear consumer-facing narratives across retail, digital, social, PR, and experiential channels.
• Manage the day-to-day communication with external PR agency
• Support the strategy, recruitment, onboarding, and management of P1 talent, brand ambassadors, influencers, athletes, creators, and culture drivers.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of relevant talent across sports, streetwear, music, lifestyle, and local-market communities.
• Develop influencer and ambassador briefs, deliverable trackers, content guidelines, product seeding plans, and activation recaps.
• Coordinate talent appearances, content shoots, social posts, event…