Principle Product Line Manager

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

Nike Global Product Licensing is a fast-growing, entrepreneurial team responsible for shaping and executing Nike’s long-term trademark licensing strategy across footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories. We work closely with internal partners and external licensees to deliver brand-right, innovative products to consumers worldwide.

You will lead and drive alignment across Product, Design, Merchandising, Brand, Legal, Finance, and Geo/Territory teams, along with our external licensees, to accelerate strategic growth and deliver best‑in‑class licensed product.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We’re seeking a strategic, consumer-obsessed Product Licensing Manager skilled in product creation leadership, cross-functional alignment, and managing complex external partnerships. You bring strong product and process knowledge, uphold brand standards, and thrive in a fast-moving, matrixed environment.

• Bachelor's degree in business management, product management, merchandising, or related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience and training.

• 8+ years of relevant experience

• Deep expertise in product creation, merchandising, franchise management, and consumer insights, applied to set strategic direction and drive enterprise‑level growth.
• Proven ability to lead, influence, and align cross‑functional leadership teams, driving outcomes through vision, clarity, and accountability rather than direct authority.
• Executive‑level communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate strategy, synthesize complexity, and influence decision‑making through written, verbal, and presentation forums.
• Demonstrated success navigating ambiguity and complexity, managing competing priorities and leading effectively within a highly matrixed, global organization.
• Strong strategic rigor and operational discipline, paired with exceptional organizational skills and the ability to influence outcomes at scale.
• Track record of building trusted relationships and driving alignment across diverse teams, functions, and senior stakeholders to accelerate execution.
• Highly developed product vision and style sensibility, ensuring brand‑right, consumer‑relevant, and commercially impactful outcomes.
• Ability to travel up to 25%

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

Enterprise Product & Partner Leadership

• Own and set product strategy direction for licensee partners at an enterprise level, ensuring assortments are consumer‑right, brand‑aligned, and commercially scalable across categories and geographies.

• Exercise decision rights over seasonal product strategies, that balance brand vision, innovation, speed, and financial outcomes.

• Provide executive leadership and governance across partner product creation, briefing, line planning, and gate processes, ensuring consistent application of Nike brand standards.

• Serve as an enterprise product authority, leveraging deep category and franchise expertise to guide senior‑level decisions and long‑term growth opportunities.

Strategic Category & Marketplace Alignment

• Align senior cross-functional leadership and Licensee leadership around consumer targets, brand positioning, assortment architecture, and distribution strategy at scale.

• Sponsor and lead high‑visibility initiatives tied to major brand moments, innovation platforms, and strategic collaborations, with accountability for outcomes and impact.

Cross‑Functional Enterprise Influence

• Leverage Consumer & Marketplace insights to guide and drive alignment across Senior cross-functional leadership on product, design, materials, innovation, storytelling, and packaging.

• Ensure enterprise compliance and brand integrity by partnering with Product Safety, Tech Development, Materials, Packaging, Brand Marketing, Legal, and Athlete Representation.

Operating Model & Governance

• Own governance of the end‑to‑end product approval ecosystem, ensuring Nike standards are upheld while enabling speed, scalability, and partner accountability.

• Lead enterprise communication of strategy and decisions, aligning GPL, sourcing, finance, legal, systems, and operations teams.

• Drive operating excellence and continuous improvement, establishing scalable processes, best practices, and ways of working across GPL, licensees, and categories.

• Maintain executive oversight of seasonal readiness, including approvals, assortment integrity, and sample governance.

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.