Director, Licensing – Brand & Product Management
Earthbound
New York City, NY (Hybrid)
$125K/yr - $150K/yrIn-houseFull-timeDirector/executive10+ years exp.
2 months ago
Director, Brand Licensing
New York, USA (Hybrid)
$90K/yr – $98K/yrFull time
Posted 6 months ago
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Job Description
NYBG Job Description
Title
Reports to
Director, Brand Licensing
Vice President, Retail & Brand Licensing
Position Summary:
The Director, Brand Licensing will play a pivotal role in expanding the reach of one of the world’s leading cultural and scientific institutions. NYBG’s licensing partnerships allow the institution to share the Garden’s beauty and mission with global audiences while supporting vital work in plant research and conservation, horticulture, and education.
The Director, Brand Licensing will oversee the day-to-day management of NYBG’s licensing business, ensuring that licensed products and partnerships uphold the Garden’s standards of excellence while driving growth, while serving as a point of contact for NYBG’s exhibition content licensing initiatives. Reporting to the Vice President, Retail, this role manages licensed product development workflows, partner relationships, contract administration, and category growth initiatives, and supports NYBG’s Exhibitions team with outbound pitches for Garden developed content. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, creative, and entrepreneurial, with a strong background in licensing, brand management, and product development.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities:
Brand Stewardship & Product Development
Some related domestic and international travel will be required
Qualifications:
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to, at minimum, stand; walk; sit for extended period. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and work outdoors under a variety of weather conditions. Work under low, moderate or loud work conditions.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
Baseline Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. This role is eligible for NYBG’s hybrid work policy.
Salary: Commensurate with experience within the range of $90,000-$98,000.
Title
Reports to
Director, Brand Licensing
Vice President, Retail & Brand Licensing
Position Summary:
The Director, Brand Licensing will play a pivotal role in expanding the reach of one of the world’s leading cultural and scientific institutions. NYBG’s licensing partnerships allow the institution to share the Garden’s beauty and mission with global audiences while supporting vital work in plant research and conservation, horticulture, and education.
The Director, Brand Licensing will oversee the day-to-day management of NYBG’s licensing business, ensuring that licensed products and partnerships uphold the Garden’s standards of excellence while driving growth, while serving as a point of contact for NYBG’s exhibition content licensing initiatives. Reporting to the Vice President, Retail, this role manages licensed product development workflows, partner relationships, contract administration, and category growth initiatives, and supports NYBG’s Exhibitions team with outbound pitches for Garden developed content. The ideal candidate will be highly organized, creative, and entrepreneurial, with a strong background in licensing, brand management, and product development.
Specific Duties & Responsibilities:
Brand Stewardship & Product Development
- Become an expert in NYBG’s brand guidelines, institutional archives, and creative assets, as well as NYBG’s prior and future exhibition content
- Manage product development workflows from concept through launch, ensuring milestones and deadlines are met.
- Oversee product, packaging, and marketing submissions from licensees using NYBG’s proprietary approval systems.
- Participate in product innovation and trend reviews, identifying white space opportunities and category expansion.
- Serve as the primary liaison between NYBG and licensing partners, maintaining consistent communication and follow-ups.
- Create and manage project timelines, coordinating with internal teams and external partners.
- Support day-to-day client and licensee relationship management, driving successful collaboration.
- Work closely with licensees to expand product, territory, and retail opportunities.
- Work closely with NYBG Shop, Exhibitions team, and Marketing team to ensure licensing partners are supported, merchandised and marketed within our owned retail channels.
- Coordinate photoshoots, activations, sponsorship projects from strategy to execution with internal and external partners.
- Support leadership in negotiating commercial terms and finalizing contracts with NYBG’s legal department.
- Manage internal contract workflows and licensee governance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
- Track, monitor, and analyze royalty reports, preparing internal financial updates, forecasts, and quarterly budgets.
- Research market and retail trends, monitoring the competitive landscape and consumer feedback to inform strategy.
- Collaborate with internal and external marketing teams to ensure smooth and successful product launches.
- Contribute to creative campaign development and execution aligned with NYBG’s licensing goals.
- Work with various teams to develop pitch decks and proactive sales outreach for licensing opportunities.
- Represent NYBG at select product licensing and content/exhibition licensing events and conferences.
Some related domestic and international travel will be required
Qualifications:
- 6-8 years of experience in licensing, product development, brand management, or related fields.
- Strong understanding of licensing processes, museum exhibitions, licensed product development, and contract management.
- Working knowledge of cultural intuitions, museums and botanic gardens in the United States and around the world is ideal.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong relationship-building skills and a professional, collaborative demeanor.
- Proactive problem solver, resourceful, and able to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Computer fluency and well as proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite.
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or commensurate work experience.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to, at minimum, stand; walk; sit for extended period. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and work outdoors under a variety of weather conditions. Work under low, moderate or loud work conditions.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
Baseline Work Schedule:
Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. This role is eligible for NYBG’s hybrid work policy.
Salary: Commensurate with experience within the range of $90,000-$98,000.
New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden has been a connective hub among people, plants, and the planet since 1891. We’re rooted in the cultural fabric of New York City, here in the heart of the Bronx—its greenest borough. For more than 130 years, we’ve invited millions of visitors to make the Garden a part of their lives, exploring the joy, beauty, and respite of nature. NYBG’s 250 acres are home to renowned exhibitions, immersive botanical experiences, art and music, and events with some of the most influential figures in plant and fungal science, horticulture, and the humanities. We’re also stewards of globally significant research collections, from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library collection to the plant and fungal specimens in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest such collection in the Western Hemisphere.At NYBG, we’re plant people—dedicated horticulturists, enthusiastic educators, and scientific adventurers—committed to helping nature thrive so that humanity can thrive. We believe in our ability to make things better, teaching tens of thousands of kids and families each year about the importance of safeguarding our environment and healthy eating. Our expert scientists work across the city, the nation, and the globe to document the plants and fungi of our world—and find actionable, nature-based solutions to our planet’s dual climate and biodiversity crises. And our eyes are always looking forward as we train the next generation of botanists, gardeners, landscape designers, and environmental stewards, ensuring a green future for all. At NYBG, we know that it’s nature—or nowhere.
