Manager, Marketing Relationship

New Era Cap, LLC. is an international lifestyle brand headquartered in Buffalo, NY with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 100 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for MLB, official sideline cap for NFL, and official on-court cap for NBA, New Era Cap is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most interesting people around the globe. New Era Cap encourages people to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products.

Since 1920, this family-owned business has hired employees who are masters of their craft. We are innovators, architects of culture, experts, and forward thinkers. We demand excellence because we pride ourselves on the quality of our products and the authenticity of our brand.

Interested in working with us? Check out this exciting opportunity at New Era Cap's Headquarters (HQ) building located in downtown Buffalo, NY. This role is 100% on-site, encouraging employees to collaborate and connect in person five days a week. HQ offers an inviting atmosphere, complete with an on-site cafe, fitness center, and Flagship store.

Apply to join New Era's team!

The Marketing Relationship Manager is an essential role in the Licensed Marketing Team's development and execution of integrated marketing strategies and initiatives supporting the growth of all licenses in North America across all relevant products, licenses, channels, and consumers. This role will be primarily focused on activating athlete and ambassador contracts and day to day relationship management of these partners.

Responsibilities

Ambassador Ownership & Contract Compliance:

• Manage the execution of athlete and influencer partnerships, ensuring all contractual deliverables are met, content assets are utilized effectively, and performance is tracked to maximize brand impact
• Serve as the primary point of contact for agents, representatives, and external partners, managing relationships and ensuring alignment with brand objectives
• Track and measure the effectiveness of partnerships, providing insights and recommendations for continuous improvement and optimization

Activation Lead:

• Attend and facilitate ambassador-facing events and social posts (photo shoots, retail appearances, partnership events) to provide a complete and quality experience throughout for talent and representatives
• Develop all in-person event/post preparation materials (runs of show, arrival maps, scheduling, approvals) in conjunction with internal team and external agencies
• Manage logistical details including travel, necessary props, product and promotional materials

Image and Asset Ownership:

• Initiate, curate and maintain functional database of all approved and useable athlete content (sourced or owned). Database should be updated regularly according to legal and copyright timelines; Proactively present to all departments and regions to maximize visibility and exposure; secure internal and external approvals

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Work closely with internal teams (marketing, retail, legal, sponsorship) to drive cohesive marketing strategies and successful activations leaning into how our ambassadors can improve relationship and product sell-through with partners and stakeholders

Product Seeding Strategy:

• Develop and manage a structured cadence for product seeding, ensuring strategic placements that increase brand awareness and credibility

General Relationship Management:

• Lead and execute the plan to enact year-round engagement with all ambassadors including holidays, birthdays, milestones, gifting; following outlined budget and timing

Sports Industry Insight:

• Stay up to date with industry trends, athlete movements, and emerging talent to identify future partnership opportunities

Confidentiality & Professionalism:

• Maintain confidentiality on all sensitive matters and uphold brand integrity in all external communications
• Other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proven success building and maintaining external corporate relationships at a senior level
• Brand Management: must have a passion for brand building and have demonstrated experience building a brand POV for their assigned category within a constantly changing and evolving consumer marketplace
• Passion for the sport and a strong working knowledge of league calendars. Incumbent must be able to connect the dots between on-field and off-field category opportunities with New Era's retail partners and new opportunities for growth
• Integrated Marketing: must have a strong working knowledge and experience guiding multi-platform and multi-channel campaigns across all aspects of the marketing mix, with emphasis on digital marketing and media trends
• Enthusiastic, positive person who embraces work with a sense of urgency and persistence with a solution-based mentality

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration or related field required; MBA preferred
• Five (5) to Seven (7) of experience successfully leading brand marketing and brand development strategies for brands in sports, lifestyle and youth culture; including but not limited to: headwear, apparel, footwear, accessories, retail, gaming, music/entertainment and sports in North America and globally
• Communicating & Influencing: Strong cultural marketing and relationship-building skills. Ability to make decisions in real-time and effectively problem solve independently.
• Annual marketing plan development and execution: Demonstrated experience leading the development of an annual marketing plan, and corresponding budget, across multiple product launches, channels of distribution and multiple marketing functions of direct and indirect budget authority

Travel Requirement

• The location for this position is 100% on-site in Buffalo, NY
• 5% - 30%; domestic and/or global depending on need

New Era Cap, LLC is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer that believes in inclusion and does not discriminate against any candidate or employee on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetics, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws.

The salary range for this posted position is $70,000 - $90,000 (plus bonus & benefits) and pertains to candidates located in Western New York. Actual compensation will fall within this range and is determined by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, education, essential job duties and requirements, and necessary experience.

Our casual work environment celebrates individuality and encourages employees to showcase their personal style. We pride ourselves on offering competitive compensation, a generous PTO policy, along with world-class benefits designed to promote health, financial stability, and personal growth.

As an employee, you'll enjoy a range of perks, including paid parking, exclusive discounts on apparel and headwear, and professional development opportunities right here on-site. We can't wait for you to experience all that our dynamic workplace has to offer!