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Position Summary The Head of Sports and Collegiate Partnerships is responsible for leading and scaling Spirit Jersey®'s growth across collegiate, professional sports, and related licensed partnerships. This individual will drive sales, secure and manage licensing relationships, and ensure brand alignment across all sports and collegiate channels. This role is a hybrid of business development, licensing strategy, and account management, focused on maximizing revenue while fostering long-term brand and partner equity. Success will be measured by growth in licensed sales, new partner acquisition, account profitability, and market expansion.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

+ Lead and execute the sales and licensing strategy for collegiate and sports partnerships, aligned to company financial and brand goals.

+ Own the end-to-end sales pipeline for collegiate and professional sports accounts - from prospecting to onboarding to retention.

+ Manage and expand licensing relationships with organizations that could include but are not limited to the NCAA, individual universities, bowl games, NIL groups, and professional leagues.

+ Oversee the licensing submission and approval process in collaboration with cross functional teams, ensuring on-brand, on-time execution.

+ Partner closely with internal teams (design, product development, legal, and planning) to deliver compelling, compliant product assortments.

+ Provide monthly and quarterly forecasts, sales reporting, and performance analysis to inform business decisions.

+ Lead negotiations of licensing contracts, renewals, and key commercial terms.

+ Monitor and respond to evolving trends in the collegiate and sports landscape, including NIL opportunities, fan engagement, and regional product needs.

+ Develop seasonal and annual sales strategies to drive growth in each tier of accounts (top universities, regional partners, conference-specific deals, etc.).

+ Drive visual merchandising, event activations, and partner-specific marketing in alignment with Spirit Jersey® branding and retail execution.

+ Help drive influencer and affiliate programs that amplify licensed product launches and support key retail initiatives.

+ Travel to key industry events, campus meetings, conferences, and trade shows to build and strengthen partnerships.

+ Mentor and manage sales team members or account representatives supporting the sports and collegiate segment.

+ Ensure compliance with all licensing agency guidelines and royalty obligations.

+ Responsible for creating and meeting projected sales and profitability goals

+ Provide ambitious but realistic plans and accurate forecasts on customer performance; maximize net sales results by setting clear targets and action points; monitor results and analyze risks and opportunities

+ Maintains strong communication with cross-functional teams strictly according to corporate process & systems, which may change & evolve.

+ Keen understanding of brand ethos, product, assortments and positioning

Other Duties Please note Essential Functions and Responsibilities are not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competencies

+ 8-10+ years of progressive experience in sales, licensing, or brand partnerships, with at least 3 years in collegiate or sports sectors.

+ Deep understanding of collegiate licensing landscape, licensing agencies (e.g., CLC, Learfield), NIL trends, and brand management.

+ Proven track record in sales strategy, key account management, and revenue growth within a licensed or branded environment.

+ Strong negotiation skills and experience managing licensing agreements.

+ Excellent cross-functional communication, organizational, and leadership skills.

+ Passion for sports culture, collegiate branding, and Spirit Jersey's core aesthetic.

+ Proficiency in Microsoft Office; familiarity with PLM systems is a plus.

+ Must be a self-starter with strong initiative and ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders.

Supervisory Responsibilities Manages dedicated sports/college account reps, licensing coordinators, or cross-functional teams assigned to support this channel.

Physical demands The physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

Travel Ability to travel up to 40% for meetings, events, and trade shows.

Qualification To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The skills and experience described are representative of those duties that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $130,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year

Benefits:

+ Dental insurance

+ Flexible schedule

+ Health insurance

+ Paid time off

+ Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

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