Licensing Manager
3 days ago
Westbury
Licensing Manager Maxima Apparel • Long Island, NY A product-first licensing compliance role. This manager is the operational owner of how every licensed SKU moves through licensor approval — not a contracts or royalties role. Position Overview The Manager, Licensed Product Compliance & Approvals is the operational owner of Maxima Apparel's licensed-product approval process. This role ensures every licensed SKU moves through required licensor approval gates — concept through final — and keeps Design, Merchandising, Product Development, and Production aligned on guidelines, submission deadlines, and licensor feedback. The Manager is the connective tissue between the creative teams and the licensing function: protecting brand integrity, keeping the production calendar on track, and maintaining audit-ready records across every licensed program. This is a product-first role for an operator who's lived inside licensor approval portals, knows style guides cold, and can push back on Design when needed without breaking the relationship. Reports to: Director of Licensing Department: Licensing Location: Long Island, NY — Full-time onsite Travel: Minimal Key Responsibilities Approval Workflow Management • Shepherd every licensed product through each approval stage: concept, artwork, pre-production sample, pre-pack / packaging, and final., • Maintain the master approvals tracker; flag at-risk items against production calendar milestones., • Drive daily follow-up on open submissions to keep the pipeline moving., • Own approval turnaround SLAs and report weekly on pipeline health. Style Guide & Guideline Enforcement • Audit designs, graphics, trims, and packaging against licensor style guides before any submission., • Build and maintain internal cheat sheets that translate licensor guidelines into actionable rules for each team., • Conduct pre-submission reviews with Design and PD to reduce rejection rates. Cross-Functional Coordination • Design: artwork placement, logo usage, color accuracy, character/property rules., • Merchandising: assortment against contract-approved categories, channels, and territories., • Product Development: construction, materials, trims, and sample accuracy., • Production: labeling, country-of-origin, hangtags, care labels, and packaging execution. Submission & Portal Management • Manage submissions through licensor portals (Brand Comply, MediaBox, Flywheel, and licensor-specific systems)., • Route licensor comments and revisions back to the appropriate internal team and track to closure., • Maintain organized digital records of submissions, approvals, and rejection history for each SKU. Contract Scope Compliance • Ensure royalty-bearing categories, distribution channels, and territories stay within contract scope., • Partner with the Director of Licensing on any contract gray areas or scope questions before product goes to market. Hologram Compliance & Factory Authorizations • Manage licensor-required hologram sticker and security tag programs for customs clearance and anti-counterfeiting across all licensed product., • Coordinate with licensors and authorized hologram vendors on quantities, specifications, and delivery timing to factories., • Ensure every shipment has the required hologram application before it leaves the factory and clears customs on import., • Maintain factory authorization records for every licensor — submit new factories for approval, track expirations, and manage renewals before they lapse., • Ensure licensed production only occurs at licensor-authorized factories; flag any production risk at unauthorized facilities., • Partner with Sourcing and Production on factory onboarding, authorization packets, and compliance verification., • Maintain the master list of authorized factories by licensor and communicate changes promptly to Sourcing, Production, and PD. Training & Education • Lead onboarding and refresher sessions so Design, PD, and Merch internalize each licensor's rules., • Communicate style guide updates, new licensor policies, and common rejection reasons across teams. Documentation & Audit Readiness • Own approval records, rejection logs, and audit-ready files for each licensed program., • Support licensor audits with organized documentation and SKU-level traceability, in partnership with Finance and the Director of Licensing. Qualifications Required • 5–7+ years in licensed-product approvals, product development, or product compliance within apparel or softlines., • Hands-on experience with licensor approval portals (Brand Comply, MediaBox, Flywheel, or equivalent)., • Proven experience enforcing licensor style guides and managing submission workflows for major IP (sports leagues, collegiate, entertainment, or character)., • Strong cross-functional project management skills — comfortable pushing back on creative teams when needed., • Detail-obsessed, organized, and calm under calendar pressure., • Excellent written and verbal communication; able to translate licensor feedback into clear action items for internal teams., • Bachelor's degree in Fashion Merchandising, Apparel Production, Business, or a related field. Preferred • Direct experience with pro sports league or collegiate / NIL licensor approvals., • Hands-on experience managing hologram / security tag programs and customs-related licensing requirements., • Prior experience with factory authorization processes — submissions, renewals, and licensor audits of approved factories., • Experience with PLM systems (Centric, Bamboo Rose, FlexPLM, or similar)., • Prior experience at a sports-licensed apparel company (e.g., '47 Brand, New Era, Fanatics, Mitchell & Ness, Outerstuff, FOCO, G-III, or similar). Success Measures (First 12 Months) • Master approvals tracker live, accurate, and trusted across Design, Merch, PD, and Production., • Measurable reduction in licensor rejection rates and rework cycles., • Clear, documented pre-submission review process adopted by Design and PD., • All licensed programs audit-ready with complete approval documentation., • Every internal team has a current, easy-to-use cheat sheet for the licensors they work with most.