Sr. Category Manager, Brand Partnerships

Overview

The Sr. Category Manager, Brand Partnerships will partner closely with Design, Product Development, Merchandising, Marketing, Planning, and regional teams to bring partnerships to life. This individual will translate partnership and category strategies into product roadmaps, seasonal assortments, and launch plans while balancing consumer demand, brand priorities, and business goals.

The ideal candidate has strong product and merchandising instincts, a passion for culture and consumer trends, experience supporting licensed businesses, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams in a fast-paced global environment.

What You'll Do

• Manage licensed product assortments and directly lead all aspects of product strategy, assortment planning, product development, and commercialization for assigned strategic partners. This includes partner portal and product line manager maintenance.
• Develop seasonal and long-range product roadmaps that translate partnership strategies into actionable product plans supporting growth, consumer relevance, and business performance.
• Partner with the Sr. Manager, Global Partnerships to support category, franchise, and partnership strategies that drive sustainable growth.
• Manage end-to-end product execution, including product briefing, line planning, cross-functional alignment, and commercialization across assigned categories and global markets.
• Use consumer, competitive, and business insights to inform product decisions, find opportunities and risks, and support revenue, margin, and efficiency goals.
• Serve as the product point of contact for assigned partners, aligning partner objectives with Crocs business goals and coordinating collaborators across Build, Product Development, Merchandising, Marketing, and regional teams.
• Analyze business performance and consumer insights to recommend product actions, mitigate risks, and inform future product decisions.
• Build strong relationships with licensors and external partners to understand brand priorities, key initiatives, and future opportunities.
• Support the identification and evaluation of new partnership opportunities across entertainment, sports, gaming, lifestyle, and emerging cultural platforms.
• Coordinate across Marketing, Design, Product Development, and Merchandising to deliver compelling partnership product.
• Align collaborators on priorities, timelines, opportunities, and risks throughout the product creation process.

What You'll Bring to the Table

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Product Management, or equivalent experience.
• 3 years of experience in licensing, brand partnerships, product management, merchandising, or category management.
• Experience supporting entertainment, sports, gaming, lifestyle, or consumer brand partnerships.
• Solid understanding of product creation, merchandising, assortment planning, and commercialization processes.
• Ability to build arguments, develop forecasts, and use data to support decision making.
• Experience coordinating complex cross-functional initiatives in a matrixed environment.
• Strong presentation, communication, and storytelling skills with the ability to influence cross-functional collaborators and external partners.
• Ability to balance creativity, consumer insights, and commercial objectives.
• Highly organized with strong project management and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and move priorities forward while maintaining cross-functional alignment.
• Ability to use business and sales insights to anticipate needs, find opportunities and risks, and recommend product and commercial actions.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.
• Experience within footwear, accessories, apparel, or consumer products industries.
• Experience supporting global product strategies across multiple regions and channels.
• Passion for pop culture, consumer trends, storytelling, and brand building.