Licensing Director

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 — spanning IP positioning, category architecture, licensee recruitment, deal structuring, digital product strategy, and P&L ownership. The Licensing Director, FLM International delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

HOW WILL YOU DRIVE IMPACT

Success is measured by the ability to deliver results through BOLD capabilities and measurable outcomes.

Team & Leadership Impact (Build Championship Teams)

Cross-Functional Leadership:

• Partner with Finance, Legal, Marketing, and Operations to deliver seamless client service across FLM's portfolio, ensuring commercial objectives are translated into aligned execution
• Represent FLM at major licensing trade shows — including Licensing Expo, BLE, and LIMA events — and contribute to the new business pipeline by providing market insight and supporting pitches for prospective rights holders

People Leadership:

• Line-manage and develop a team of licensing managers and executives, setting clear performance expectations and providing structured coaching and career development
• Communicate portfolio strategy clearly to your team, ensuring execution is consistently aligned to commercial objectives and client commitments

Fan & Customer Impact (Obsessed with Fans)

• Serve as the primary strategic advisor to senior rights holder executives, building long-term trusted partnerships and translating brand objectives into actionable licensing programmes with clear KPIs
• Lead annual business planning with clients across sports properties, federations, leagues, clubs, and entertainment brands, ensuring programmes are tailored to audience profile and commercial opportunity
• Maintain high-quality relationships with licensees across your portfolio, resolving issues proactively, ensuring contractual compliance, and conducting regular business reviews to assess and accelerate performance
• Collaborate with clients to build cohesive physical-to-digital licensing strategies that reinforce brand consistency and deepen fan engagement across channels

Innovation & Problem Solving (Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit)

• Lead licensing strategy for digital and emerging categories including gaming integrations, licensed digital content, and social commerce, advising clients on platform prioritisation and new partnership opportunities
• Identify and pursue white-space opportunities within existing portfolios — new categories, geographies, and distribution channels — bringing fresh commercial thinking to each property
• Track market trends including DTC licensing, digital collectibles, and brand collaborations, and proactively introduce relevant innovation to client programmes
• Evaluate new platforms and partnerships — retail apps, streaming integrations, social commerce — and build recommendations that position FLM clients at the forefront of the licensing landscape

Ownership & Execution (Determined & Relentless Mindset)

• Own the licensing strategy and P&L across your assigned client portfolio, defining category architecture, market positioning, and revenue roadmaps tailored to each property's commercial opportunity
• Drive licensee recruitment across all categories — including core product, digital goods, gaming, and experiential — and lead deal negotiations from term sheet to execution, working with Legal on contract structure, guarantees, royalty rates, and audit provisions
• Oversee royalty reporting cycles in partnership with Finance, flagging anomalies and ensuring accurate P&L tracking across your portfolio
• Partner with the approvals team to uphold brand standards across product development pipelines, ensuring licensee output consistently meets the quality and integrity expectations of each rights holder

AI & DIGITAL CAPABILITY

We are building a future-ready organization. This role is expected to:

• Apply AI and technology to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes
• Use data and digital tools to inform decisions and enhance performance
• Demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in adopting new technologies and ways of working
• Contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement

CAPABILITIES & EXPERIENCE YOU BRING

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience in licensing, with at least 3 years in a senior client-facing or management role, including demonstrated ownership of complex, multi-property licensing programmes
• Sharp commercial instinct with hands-on P&L ownership experience and a proven track record of driving revenue growth across diverse brand portfolios
• Experience across both sports and lifestyle or entertainment licensing, with deep understanding of global licensing markets, category dynamics, and retail distribution
• Confident negotiator comfortable with complex, multi-territory deal structures, including experience working with Legal on guarantees, royalty rates, and audit provisions
• Proven people leader with a track record of developing talent, building high-performing teams, and operating effectively across cross-functional stakeholder environments
• Familiarity with digital licensing, gaming, and emerging product categories, including DTC licensing, social commerce, and digital collectibles
• Willingness to travel internationally for client meetings, licensing trade shows, and licensee visits

Education:

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent preferred.

WORK LOCATION

Hybrid: The primary place of performance of this role is the Company's office located in Paris, subject to the Company's current hybrid work policy. This role currently requires in-office presence3 days per week.