Director of Licensing, Emerging Growth Categories

About the role

The Director of Licensing, Emerging Growth Categories is responsible for accelerating the growth of Levi's licensing portfolio. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing new category opportunities and strengthening emerging businesses.
• Creating category growth strategies that expand the Levi's brand into new consumer spaces.
• Serving as the primary business owner for emerging categories and working closely with various teams.
• Leading the strategy and growth roadmap for emerging licensed categories and future category expansion opportunities.
• Identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing new licensing opportunities that align with Levi's strategic priorities and brand standards.
• Building category business cases, growth strategies, and commercialization plans to support investment decisions.
• Managing end-to-end partner sourcing processes, including market mapping, prospecting, RFP development, partner evaluation, negotiation, and onboarding.
• Partnering with Design, Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, Legal, Product Development, and Commercial teams to bring licensed products from concept through commercialization.
• Negotiating and managing licensing agreements, royalty structures, contract renewals, and key commercial terms.
• Monitoring category performance, identifying risks and opportunities, and driving actions that improve business results.
• Leading and developing a high-performing team while helping build the capabilities, processes, and operating model required to scale Levi's global licensing business.

Requirements

Qualifications include:

• 10+ years of experience in licensing or brand licensing, consumer products, merchandising, category management, or related commercial leadership roles.
• Experience identifying, launching, and scaling new product categories, partnerships, or growth initiatives.
• Experience with sourcing, negotiating, and managing strategic partnerships and licensing relationships.
• Experience developing licensing strategies, category roadmaps, and commercial growth plans.
• Experience with licensing agreements, royalty structures, partner economics, and contract negotiations.
• Experience influencing and leading cross-functional teams across product, merchandising, marketing, legal, finance, and commercial organizations.
• Ability to evaluate market trends, consumer opportunities, competitive dynamics, and category white-space opportunities.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including business case development, forecasting, and investment analysis.
• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to represent a brand internally and externally.
• Experience within apparel, accessories, footwear, lifestyle, beauty, home, consumer products, entertainment licensing, or related industries.

Skills

Desired skills include:

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Experience with data analysis and reporting.
• Knowledge of industry best practices and trends.

Benefits

Levi Strauss & Co. offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Base pay and incentive plans.
• 401(k) matching.
• Paid leave.
• Health insurance.
• Product discounts.

Pay

The expected starting salary range for this role is $167,300 - $245,400 per year. The actual salary may vary based on location and other factors.

Schedule

This is a hybrid work schedule based in the San Francisco, CA headquarters. You will be expected to be in the office 3 days per week typically Tuesday-Thursday. The amount of time in the office can vary depending on business needs.