Vice President Licensing

About the role

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter's Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter's, OshKosh B'gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

How you'll make an impact

The Vice President Licensing is responsible for building and scaling a profitable, brand-aligned inbound and outbound licensing program that extends the company's intellectual property across new product categories, channels, and geographies. This leader will develop and execute a comprehensive licensing strategy that complements both direct-to-consumer (DTC) and wholesale business models, driving revenue growth, brand awareness, and customer engagement.

This role requires a strategic, commercially driven leader who can balance brand stewardship with revenue optimization, manage external partnerships, and collaborate cross-functionally with merchandising, design, marketing, legal, wholesale and supply chain teams.

Licensing Strategy & Growth 30%

• Develop and execute a multi-year licensing strategy aligned with overall brand and business objectives
• Identify new licensing opportunities across product categories, channels, and global markets, prioritizing categories close to the core of the brand
• Establish revenue targets, royalty structures, and financial forecasts for the licensing portfolio
• Evaluate and prioritize partnerships that enhance brand equity while driving incremental revenue
• Monitor competitive licensing programs, market trends, and consumer insights to identify opportunities and risks
• Conduct periodic business reviews of licensees to assess performance, identify growth opportunities, and optimize partnership models

Financial Management 30%

• Own the P&L for the licensing business, including revenue, margin, and expense management
• Track and analyze royalty income, partner performance, and category profitability
• Identify opportunities to improve financial outcomes through renegotiation, portfolio optimization, or new deals
• Ensure licensee compliance with royalty reporting, audit requirements, and contractual financial obligations

Brand Stewardship and DTC Integration 20%

• Ensure all licensed products align with brand positioning, quality standards and regulatory requirements as well as customer expectations
• Lead cross-functional alignment across merchandising, supply chain, finance, retail, eCommerce, sales, and marketing teams to support licensing initiatives and category growth
• Maintain consistency of brand voice and identity across all licensed categories and channels through clear brand guidelines and product-approval workflows

Partner Development & Management 20%

• Identify, negotiate, and onboard best-in-class licensing partners and agents
• Lead contract negotiations, including key terms such as royalties, minimum guarantees, advances, and distribution rights
• Manage ongoing partner relationships to ensure performance expectations, brand standards, and contractual obligations are met
• Collaborate with partners to optimize product assortments and go-to-market strategies

Experience & Education

• 12-15+ years in consumer products, licensing, brand management, or retail, with a clear progression into program-level leadership and P&L ownership
• Demonstrated record of building or materially scaling a licensing / brand-extension program - not solely administering existing agreements
• Experience with consumer / lifestyle brands; apparel, children's products, or character / entertainment licensing is a strong plus
• Exposure to both the brand-owner and the licensee / agency side of licensing is highly valued
• Track record spanning wholesale and DTC (retail + eCommerce); international market expansion preferred
• Proven people-leadership experience managing a team, and success operating in a complex, matrixed organization
• Bachelor's degree required (business, marketing, merchandising, or related); MBA or equivalent commercial depth preferred

Competencies & Attributes

• Commercial deal-making & negotiation - Structures and closes royalty, guarantee, territory, and distribution terms that are durable and advantageous for both sides
• P&L and financial acumen - Forecasts royalty income and margin, applies retail math, and manages royalty reporting, audit, and compliance
• Brand stewardship - Protects brand voice, positioning, and product quality across every licensed category and channel
• Partner selection & management - Vets partners on brand fit, financial soundness, and execution capability; optimizes or exits underperforming deals
• Cross-functional influence - Drives alignment across many functions without direct authority over most of them
• Strategic & commercial judgment - Balances revenue optimization against brand equity and knows which deals to walk away from
• Entrepreneurial, disciplined, and consumer-curious - Pursues growth while holding a firm line on brand and financial standards, staying close to the family shopper and the child

Note

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.