Director, Merchandising Partnerships

Location: New York

WORK OPTION:
The NBA currently provides eligible employees the option of working remotely one day per week._________________

Summary:

The Director, Merchandising Partnerships is responsible for managing and growing a portfolio of WNBA licensing and merchandising partnerships, driving strategic initiatives that support revenue growth, product innovation, and brand expansion across key consumer product categories. This role serves as the primary day-to-day contact for partners, overseeing business planning, relationship management, and the execution of partnership objectives while identifying new opportunities to maximize the value of league and team intellectual property.

Success in this role requires a combination of strategic thinking, strong relationship management skills, operational excellence, financial acumen, and a deep understanding of the licensing, merchandising, and consumer products landscape.

Major Responsibilities:

Lead the development and execution of merchandising and licensing strategies, including new product development, retail expansion opportunities, marketing activations, and partner growth plans.

Oversees all aspects of licensing operations, including product approvals, marketing collateral reviews, contract and deal memo development, compliance management, and partner reporting.

Analyze business performance, prepare financial forecasts and revenue projections, monitor industry trends, and develop actionable insights to inform strategic decision-making.

Collaborates closely with internal stakeholders across Finance, Legal, Marketing, Events, and Basketball Operations to ensure seamless execution of partnership initiatives and alignment with broader business objectives.

Plays a key leadership role in marquee league events and tentpole moments, including All-Star, Draft, Finals, and other strategic initiatives, ensuring merchandising and retail strategies maximize fan engagement and commercial impact.

Responsible for developing category-specific analytics and reporting, identifying emerging market opportunities, supporting direct-to-consumer initiatives, and driving cross-category collaboration to enhance the overall consumer products business.

Partner with Team brand and retail leads to ensure merchandise strategies are effectively integrated into broader league and team marketing efforts.

Support the group lead with strategic initiatives and special projects related to the overall merchandising business and growth across the NBA and WNBA.Oversee the end-to-end management of game-worn product acquisition, including coordination with team equipment managers, partner delivery and overall revenue performance.

Required Skills/Knowledge:

Strong strategic planning and business development capabilities, with the ability to identify growth opportunities and translate insights into actionable business strategies.

Deep understanding of licensing, merchandising, retail, consumer products, and partnership ecosystems, including emerging industry trends and marketplace dynamics.

Exceptional relationship management and negotiation skills, with the ability to build credibility and influence senior-level internal and external stakeholders.

Strong financial acumen, including experience with budgeting, forecasting, revenue planning, royalty analysis, and business performance evaluation.

Proven ability to lead multiple complex initiatives simultaneously while balancing short-term execution with long-term strategic objectives.

Excellent communication, presentation, and executive storytelling skills, with the ability to effectively convey business recommendations and performance insights.

Highly analytical and data-driven mindset with experience leveraging market intelligence, consumer insights, and performance metrics to inform decision-making.

Strong leadership and people development skills, with a track record of building collaborative, high-performing teams and fostering a culture of accountability and growth.

Passion for sports, apparel, trading cards, and collectibles, with an understanding of the evolving women's sports landscape and fan marketplace.

Experience Needed:

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
8–12+ years of progressive experience in licensing, consumer products, merchandising, partnerships or a related field.

Demonstrated success managing and growing complex licensing and merchandising partnerships, including responsibility for revenue generation, contract negotiations, and strategic…