Vera Bradley is an iconic American lifestyle brand built on color, pattern, creativity, and self-expression. Entering a new chapter of transformation, we are building on our rich heritage through product innovation, cultural relevance, and meaningful partnerships to attract new generations of customers and expand across categories and channels.
The Director of Brand Partnerships, Collaborations & Licensing is a newly created, entrepreneurial role responsible for originating, negotiating, and securing partnerships, collaborations, and licensing agreements that drive revenue and cultural relevance.
You will own three core pillars:
Strategic Partnerships & Business Development: Build a framework to originate and secure deals with complementary brands, businesses, IP owners, and cultural partners.
Licensing Growth & Transformation: Scale our existing licensing business in partnership with IMG while building the internal capabilities to evaluate bringing licensing in-house within three years.
Commercial Execution: Partner cross-functionally with Design, Merchandising, and Marketing to translate agreements into compelling, profitable product drops and brand activations.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Partnerships & Deal Origination
Develop and execute a multi-year partnerships strategy aligned with brand positioning and revenue goals.
Proactively prospect, cultivate, and close agreements with consumer brands, designers, lifestyle businesses, and entertainment properties.
Leverage an established network of senior-level industry relationships to convert prospective leads into signed contracts.
Build a disciplined framework to evaluate partners based on brand fit, cultural relevance, audience reach, and financial returns.
Identify emerging trends, white spaces, and new categories for collaboration.
Lead deal structuring and negotiations—covering financial terms, revenue sharing, royalties, minimum guarantees, exclusivity, distribution rights, and IP usage—in partnership with Legal.
Maintain a robust pipeline, balancing high-profile brand builders with scalable commercial partnerships.
2. Licensing Strategy & Transformation
Drive a 3-year licensing growth strategy to expand into complementary categories, channels, and customer segments.
Manage the primary relationship with IMG, setting strategic targets, performance expectations, and scorecards (royalty revenue, guarantees, profitability).
Partner with Design to ensure licensed products align with quality standards and brand identity.
Build a 3-year transformation roadmap developing internal capabilities, financial visibility, and processes to assess an in-house or hybrid licensing model.
3. Commercial Execution & Business Accountability
Own partnerships from initial opportunity through launch and post-review, establishing clear success metrics.
Partner with Design and Marketing to translate agreements into product concepts, storytelling, and integrated customer experiences.
Work with Merchandising on product opportunities, pricing, distribution, and launch timing.
Track financial performance, pipeline conversion, and ROI, providing regular updates to senior leadership.
Qualifications & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred.
8–12+ years of progressive experience in strategic partnerships, business development, licensing, or commercial brand management (fashion, accessories, beauty, lifestyle, or consumer products).
Proven track record of personally originating, negotiating, and closing high-value commercial agreements with measurable results.
Deep fluency in licensing and collaboration economics (royalties, minimum guarantees, advances, exclusivity, and IP rights).
Established network of senior-level relationships across consumer brands, agencies, and entertainment properties.
Strong financial acumen: experience modeling deal profitability, forecasting revenue, and assessing ROI.
Exceptional communication,…