Licensing and Strategic Partnerships Specialist
Description
About NYRR
New York Road Runners was founded in 1958 when a small group of passionate runners vowed to bring running to the people and has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization. NYRR’s mission is to empower everyone, of all ages and abilities—beginners and competitive athletes, the young and the elderly, adult professionals and underserved schoolchildren—to improve their health and well-being through the power of running and fitness.
NYRR’s races, community events, instruction and training resources, and youth programs give hundreds of thousands of people each year the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to start running and keep running for life. NYRR’s premier event, the famed TCS New York City Marathon, attracts the world’s top pro runners and committed amateurs alike while also raising millions of dollars annually for charity and driving economic impact for the City. But NYRR is equally committed to the runners of tomorrow, passionately providing youth fitness programs that educate and inspire more than 100,000 kids in underserved communities in New York City, all 50 states, and around the world.
Headquartered in New York City, NYRR implements a unique nonprofit model that teams contributed and earned income to make all its efforts possible. To learn more, please visit www.nyrr.org.
New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer
About the Department
The Strategic Partnerships & Runner Products Department consists of the Strategic Partnerships team, the Runner Products and Services team, and Professional Athlete Group.
The Strategic Partnerships team is responsible for developing revenue-generating partnerships from corporate and community-based organizations and managing those relationships. Partnerships vary from year-round engagement to specific races and events. They work closely with all of NYRR’s departments to develop programs that maximize revenue opportunities and ensure NYRR‘s partners’ objectives are being met. Our Licensing & Merchandising provides merchandising services, including staff clothing, weekly race premiums, and premiums for programs.
The Runner Products and Services team supports the training, racing and community experience of our runners—through classes, seminars, and customized training programs, and tailored customer service. The Runner Services team is the information source for our runners, serving for a conduit of information and an advocate for NYRR's runner-first philosophy both online and at the NYRR RUNCENTER. Our NYRR RUNCENTER also offers programming and serves as a hub of resources for our runners year-round. NYRR’s Charity Programs include more than 500 Official Charity Partners whose runners raise over $40 million annually. NYRR’s ITO Program operates in 100+ countries, and across six continents, and brings more than 15,000 international runners across the finish line at the TCS NYC Marathon.
The Professional Athlete group (PAG) develops and oversees programming related to the participation of professional and elite athletes, including wheelchair athletes, in NYRR events and initiatives, working closely with athletes, agents, coaches and federations while developing and implementing the recruiting strategy for professional athletes to compete in NYRR events.
About the Position
Reporting to the Director of Licensing and Strategic Partnerships, the Specialist is a key project manager on the team, supporting corporate and licensee management, race sponsorship execution, and organizational and departmental initiatives. The Specialist assists in all day-to-day operations of the department including licensee relationship management, development of co-branded product, planning and executing licensee deliverables, vendor management, and budget tracking. The position requires some work on evenings and weekends, to supervise partner-sponsored programs at the NYRR RunCenter featuring the New Balance RunHub and NYRR races. The ideal candidate can multi-task effectively; is an organized project manager; has experience in an account/client service such as in an agency, property, brand, or integrated marketing environment; and has background in live event production.
Job Responsibilities (primary and secondary duties):
- Support licensee relations for assigned portfolio, overseeing development of status call agendas, project plans, meeting notes and recaps
- Showcase innovative thinking and resourcefulness to solve problems and address business challenges
- Monitor licensees for compliance with contract terms, including royalty reporting, quality standards and brand guidelines
- Partner with NYRR finance team to track royalties, value in kind product and budget management
- Communicate and collaborate effectively with cross-functional departments to ensure sponsorship deal points are executed efficiently and on budget, including but not limited to:
- Marketing elements such as signage, media and other creative executions
- Hospitality assets such as race entries and VIP invitations
- Digital and social media integration
- Point-of-sale and other retail marketing materials
- Independently manage multiple projects from start to finish, including but not limited to:
- Setting objectives and timelines
- Running meetings
- Creating run of show and logistics documents
- Coordinating and tracking all deliverables
- Planning and executing on-site activations
- Creating event recaps
- Support licensing and merchandising operations of the department, including:
- Relationship management of large licensee partners and vendor portfolio
- Coordination, development and marketing of quality products
- Gather and maintain timelines and requirements for the creation of product development schedules including key milestones in process
- Write and track POs until they are delivered to their end destination
- Work closely with internal teams ensure licensed products align with brand standards and strategy.
- Lead communication with NYRR warehouse team to track and manage product inventory
- Identify new licensing opportunities to expand NYRR’s reach into new product categories
- Co-managing value-in-kind product distribution across the organization including staff uniforms and hospitality items
- Support identifying new licensing opportunities to expand the brand’s reach into new product categories
- Attend assigned races and partner/NYRR events and ensure partner deliverables are executed (may include signage, event sites, hospitality tents, product distribution, speaking opportunities); and help produce run of show
- Lead seasonal departmental and organizational initiatives as applicable
- Showcase a team-oriented approach and act as a role model for others
Job Requirements:
Experience:
- 3+ years of work experience with a sports property, agency, licensing department, brand team or integrated marketing agency
- Project management experience
- Live events or meetings production/hospitality experience preferred
Education & Certifications:
- Two or four-year degree in Marketing, Communications, Hospitality, Merchandising or related field, or three years of related experience preferred
Skills and Attributes:
- Knowledge of sports industry/property structure preferred but not required
- Outstanding organizational skills including impeccable attention to detail, time management, and a strong sense of personal accountability
- Ability to work independently, using good judgement, resourcefulness and the ability to sustain productivity under pressure
- Comfortable with data and demonstrates the ability to make recommendations based on data analysis
- High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information
- High level of competency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) as well as Outlook.
- Knowledge of Salesforce a plus.
- Ability to display positive attitude and remain flexible
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Sense of ownership, responsibility, and accountability
Other Requirements:
- Comfortable communicating with large groups of people and working in a live event capacity
- Ability to work outdoors for long periods of time (standing and/or sitting)
- Ability to lift at least 15 lbs.
Salary: $72k/year
NYRR requires all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 unless approved for a medical or religious exemption.
New York Road Runners is an Equal Opportunity Employer