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POSITION SUMMARY

The Sr. Licensing Manager leads the licensing function, setting direction for the approval and royalty process, leading and developing direct reports, and serving as the senior point of contact for licensors, internal leadership, and account managers. This role owns the approvals workflow end to end, leads the partnership with Finance on royalty reporting and audits, owns licensor relationships, and is accountable for contract and manufacturer agreement compliance across all BDA properties.

This role carries financial/budgetary and strategic planning responsibility and requires the ability to interpret extremely detailed guidelines and corporate standards, anticipate issues, and drive thoughtful business solutions with a high degree of independence. Limited travel may be required.

This role requires a proven record of managing complex analytical and financial details. Years of proven people management and development experience are required, including a demonstrated ability to coach, grow, and retain team members. Prior experience in the ad specialty, advertising, or promotions industry is preferred but not required.

LOCATION

This role follows a hybrid schedule, with 4 days onsite and 1 day remote each week.
To be considered, candidates must reside within commuting distance BDA's office in Woodinville, WA or New York, NY (Bryant Park area) as regular in-person collaboration is an essential part of the role.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Approvals

Own and oversee the licensing approval request process (Creative, Royalties, Campaigns, Key Initiatives), setting standards for accuracy and turnaround, including but not limited to:
QC Forms and Tracking — oversight of submission, tracking, and follow-up on forms and art submitted for all leagues
Ownership and governance of the Licensing portal
Serve as the escalation point for all Licensing business and account managers throughout all phases of the approval process

Reporting

Lead the partnership with Finance on monthly and quarterly compilation and reconciliation of all royalty-related projects, lead annual audit preparation, and use error reporting to drive coaching and training
Deliver royalty and approval performance reporting and insights to senior leadership

Brand Expertise

Serve as the senior subject matter expert on licensor guidelines, maintaining reference materials, advising leadership and account teams on complex scenarios, resolving escalated issues, and recommending thoughtful business solutions

Relationship Management

Own licensor relationships, leading ongoing weekly calls and serving as the escalation point for licensors' day-to-day needs

Contracts

Oversee contract and manufacturer agreement compliance, keeping agreements up to date and supporting renewals in partnership with appropriate departments

Process Improvement

Assess, analyze, and evolve processes and procedures to increase results and ease of process throughout BDA, leading cross-functional improvement initiatives

Team Leadership

Lead, coach, and develop direct reports, setting priorities and performance expectations for the licensing team

Qualifications

10+ years in process and organizational development
10+ years of marketing or operations experience
11+ years of data entry experience
8+ years of financial experience
3+ years of proven people management and development experience
Proven record of successful management of analytical detail
Prior experience with ad specialty, advertising, or promotions industry preferred but not required

Key Competencies

Detail-oriented, highly organized individual with exceptional fluency in Microsoft Excel and online data entry systems like SharePoint