Director, Licensing

At Fanatics Commerce, we’re more than just a leader in licensed sports merchandise – we’re a team united by a relentless passion for our fans and a commitment to innovation. We live by our BOLD Leadership principles: We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.

Role overview

Fanatics Licensing Management (FLM) International is a leading in-house licensing agency managing a diverse portfolio of rights holders across global football, multi-sport properties, entertainment, and lifestyle brands. As Licensing Director, you will own and grow a portfolio of client licensing programmes from strategy to execution, operating as the senior point of accountability across commercial, creative, and operational dimensions.

This is a high-impact leadership role for a commercially sharp operator who thrives across the full licensing value chain: from IP positioning and category architecture through to licensee recruitment, deal structuring, digital product strategy, and P&L ownership. You will lead a team, manage senior client relationships, and drive meaningful revenue growth across a varied book of business.

How you will make an impact:

Portfolio Leadership

• Own the licensing strategy across your assigned portfolio of clients, spanning sports properties, federations, leagues, clubs, and entertainment brands
• Define category architecture, market positioning, and revenue roadmaps for each property, tailored to audience profile and commercial opportunity
• Lead annual business planning with clients, translating brand objectives into actionable licensing programmes with clear KPIs
• Serve as the primary strategic advisor to senior rights holder executives, building long-term, trusted partnerships

Commercial Development

• Drive licensee recruitment across all categories, including core product (apparel, accessories, collectibles), digital goods, gaming, and experiential
• Lead deal negotiations from term sheet to execution, working with Legal on contract structure, guarantees, royalty rates, and audit provisions
• Identify and pursue white-space opportunities within existing portfolios, including new categories, geographies, and distribution channels
• Track market trends including DTC licensing, social commerce, digital collectibles, and brand collaborations to bring fresh thinking to clients

Licensee Management

• Maintain high-quality relationships with licensees across your portfolio, resolving issues proactively and ensuring contractual compliance
• Oversee royalty reporting cycles in partnership with Finance, flagging anomalies and ensuring accurate P&L tracking
• Partner with the approvals team to uphold brand standards across product development pipelines
• Conduct regular licensee business reviews to assess performance, address underperformance, and explore growth opportunities

Digital & Innovation

• Lead licensing strategy for digital and emerging categories including gaming integrations, licensed digital content
• Collaborate with clients to build cohesive physical-to-digital licensing strategies that reinforce brand consistency
• Evaluate new platforms and partnerships (retail apps, streaming integrations, social commerce) and advise clients on prioritisation

People & Operations

• Line-manage and develop a team of licensing managers and executives, setting clear performance expectations and providing regular coaching
• Communicate portfolio strategy to your team and ensure execution is aligned to commercial objectives
• Represent FLM at major licensing trade shows (Licensing Expo, BLE, LIMA events) and client-facing industry forums
• Partner with internal functions, Finance, Legal, Marketing, and Operations, to deliver seamless client service
• Contribute to FLM's new business pipeline by providing market insight and supporting pitches for prospective rights holders

What you bring to the team:

What’s in it for you:

FLM manages one of the most varied and ambitious brand portfolios in global licensing. You will work across sports properties at all levels, from global tournaments to emerging clubs and federations, alongside entertainment and lifestyle clients that are reshaping what licensed product can be. You will have real autonomy, a strong team behind you, and direct access to senior leadership.

We move fast, think commercially, and take pride in the quality of our work. If you want a role where your decisions directly shape revenue and brand outcomes for some of the world's most recognisable properties, this is it.

Culture: Join a team where you're surrounded by top-tier talent, driven by a shared passion to relentlessly enhance the fan experience. With a focus on collaboration, support, and continuous development, you’ll be empowered to help shape our culture that celebrates both individual and team successes. 

Benefits: At Fanatics, we’re dedicated to supporting you in all aspects of work and life; as such we offer a range of competitive benefits tailored to each country in which we operate. Specific details regarding the benefits package applicable to your location will be shared and discussed during the interview process.