Vice President, Consumer Products

Major League Soccer•New York, NY

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is part of the leadership team in the MLS Consumer Products department. This specific VP will oversee the department Fanatics relationship, including the soft and hard goods product creation and sublicensees, Licensee account management, omnichannel strategy and retail marketing. This VP will also oversee the Consumer Products management for select SUM Properties i.e. Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup, and Concacaf. The VP will drive the development and execution of commercial strategic plans for the business, including but not limited to, the following sub-categories: Apparel, Accessories, Bedding & Furniture, Footwear, Headwear, Home & Décor, and Domestics and Hardgoods across key omni channels of distribution. The VP will deliver financial targets (revenue, profitability, and growth ambition) as well as MLS brand objectives. This leadership position will mentor and support a team while developing a culture of curiosity, accountability, problem solving and long term commercial planning. This position will report to the SVP of Consumer Products and work closely on the strategic business planning, partnership, product development and financial management of the league’s Consumer Product business broadly.

Requirements

A bachelor’s degree in commerce, Business, or related field, (advanced degree a plus)
12+ years of forward-thinking experience in consumer-packaged good's licensing, marketing, sales or retail environment.
Strong commercial mindset—expert sales and deal process skills, starting from sourcing and evaluating opportunities, negotiating, and closing contracts are required!
Action orientated, ambitious professional with demonstrable intuition for business and ability to tell a story through products.
Demonstrated success leading, monitoring, training, and developing to drive team that flourishes with success.
Strong analytical and financial skills.
Clear verbal and written communication skills including active listening ability.
Superb presentation skills paired with creativity, enthusiasm, and passion.
Passion for bringing new ideas to the business.
Ability to prioritize and operate in a past paced & highly fluid environment
Command of contracts and experience working with legal professionals
Strong communication and presentation skills to interact with both MLS partners and MLS senior leadership
High-quality interpersonal and influencing skills to work cross-functionally in a complex organization
Comfortable in both large, matrixed organizations, and in lean, “start-up like” environments
Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint
Ability to travel and to work non-traditional hours, including evenings, weekends, and holidays

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of the Spanish Language (business proficiency)
Knowledge of the sport of soccer

Responsibilities

Drive the management and maximization of the enterprise Fanatics relationship including, the development and execution of the soft and hardgoods strategic plan, and category segment strategies using marketing and Licensee plans to drive growth.
Conduct top-to-top meetings, quarterly business reviews to ensure the business is meeting the agreed upon OKRs.
Lead the team’s partnership management, nurturing profitable long-term relationships with licensees and collaborators to ensure the strategic, commercial and fan engagement objectives of the league are being met.
Identify and negotiate opportunities with new licensees whose manufacturing strengths, brand interpretation capabilities, and distribution strengths support key MLS initiatives.
Collaborate cross functionally to integrate and amplify Fanatics strategics initiatives across broadcast, events, international and the Clubs.
Lead the development and implementation of processes and strategies that support Clubs’ local efforts.
Lead Fanatics annual budget planning and quarterly forecasts updates.
Manage and deliver financial targets to the agreed budgeted phasing with focus on quarterly targets.
Lead all aspects of quarterly financial planning reviews with licensees to confirm that predetermined growth targets will be met.
Act as a partner with finance to guarantee Fanatics royalty reporting and financial payments are received in a timely manner.
Grow US 3rd party retail presence, increase footprint and door count across key channels of distribution e.g. Mass, Value, Mid Tier through:
The development relationships with key buyers and merchandise managers.
The understanding of retail buying calendars, decision-making timeframes and decision influencers.
The identification of merchant’s strategies/initiatives and new opportunities for MLS.
The delivery of highly desirable Licensed product.
Drive reach and revenue growth through the creation, implementation and optimization of product launches and marketing campaigns across Ecommerce and Venue retail.
Utilize data to identify new opportunities, measure success, and recommend strategic changes to build omni channel growth and penetration.
Understand and effectively communicate the drivers of each category, (consumer needs, buying patterns, competitive set and macro market opportunities / threats); performance of existing innovative sports and entertainment properties and future property launches.
Develop intimate knowledge of competitive properties at retail.
Stay current with industry trends and developments through networking, attending trade shows and industry functions.
Provide mentorship and management for team through the development of a curious, hard-working team culture.
Build succession planning, by advocating and acting as a coach for key talent, driving their career planning.
Recruit, develop and retain a professional and successful team.
Additional responsibilities as assigned.