Licensing Manager, Apparel & Lifestyle Products

General Motors is seeking a Licensing Manager for their Apparel & Lifestyle Products. This role is responsible for growing and managing GM’s apparel and lifestyle licensing portfolio across various brands, ensuring that all licensed products drive revenue and brand love.

Responsibilities:

• Own the apparel and lifestyle soft goods categories (e.g., clothing, headwear, outerwear, bags, small accessories, home & lifestyle) across brands
• Translate brand strategies into licensing briefs to inform licensing partner direction, portfolios and collaboration opportunities
• Use consumer insights, cultural trends, and competitive scans to inform silhouettes, graphics, color stories, distribution partners and price architecture, ensuring GM plays as a lifestyle brand vs. purely logo merchandise
• Synergize with Merchandising Manager who leads owned-channel strategy while Licensing Manager leads external licensing partner strategy and licensed category growth
• Grow and manage a portfolio of apparel and lifestyle licensees (e.g., fashion, streetwear, fanwear, accessories), from onboarding through ongoing business management ensuring GM has the best licensee partners in the top categories
• Lead regular business and portfolio reviews with partners to assess performance, refresh assortments, identify white-space opportunities, implement growth plans and recommend expansion into new programs, channels, or audiences
• Partner with legal and finance to support contract renewals, amendments, and new partner evaluations, ensuring structures (royalty rates, guarantees, territories, channels) align with category strategy
• Hold licensees accountable for brand vis ID alignment, commercial plans, marketing activation, and on-time execution across key moments (launches, campaigns, events calendar, collaborations)
• Drive seasonal product development with licensees, from concept to final production, ensuring apparel and lifestyle products reflect brand guidelines and vehicle storytelling (e.g., nameplates, heritage marks, motorsports liveries)
• Partner with design and brand teams to create briefs, graphics, trims and labels that feel premium and on-brand for each collection and collaboration
• Review and approve product concepts, samples, and marketing assets via established approval tools and workflows; ensure compliance with brand, legal, and quality standards
• Continuously monitor retail feedback to identify opportunities to refresh fits, fabrics, and collections, and to retire underperforming SKUs, platforms or partners
• Develop and manage annual and seasonal financial plans (royalty revenue, unit volume, margin) for apparel & lifestyle categories across assigned licensees and channels
• Analyze royalty data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; recommend adjustments to assortments, pricing, and distribution to achieve targets
• Ensure on-time and accurate submission of royalty reports, product submissions, and marketing plans from apparel & lifestyle licensees
• Maintain accurate records of contracts, approvals, and assortment details in shared systems; support governance routines for partner performance and portfolio optimization

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required; in business, marketing, merchandising, fashion, or related field preferred
• 7+ years in apparel, fashion, or lifestyle merchandising, licensing, or brand management, with direct responsibility for soft goods categories and/or licensed product lines
• Strong product 'eye' and understanding of apparel construction, fits, and materials
• Demonstrated success developing and managing apparel and lifestyle assortments from concept through commercialization (line planning, costing/positioning, go-to-market, and in-market optimization)
• Experience managing external partners with clear performance expectations and accountability
• Strong analytical skills with experience using fashion trends, sales and royalty data to make decisions
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, matrixed environment and manage multiple seasons, partners, and programs simultaneously
• Background in lifestyle, sports, or entertainment licensing or branded apparel (fanwear, streetwear, collaborations)
• Familiarity with licensing contract structures (royalties, guarantees, territories, channels) and operational workflows (approvals, compliance, reporting)