Manager of Strategic Business Development and Partnerships

Job Summary: The Manager of Strategic Business Development and Partnerships role drives Trends International's growth by securing new content partnerships, intellectual property opportunities, and strategic alliances. Reporting to the President & CEO, this position collaborates across departments to turn new relationships into revenue-generating programs across retail and digital channels. Candidates should bring 10+ years of relevant experience and strong relationship-building, negotiation, and financial skills.

General Responsibilities: Identify and develop new strategic content partnerships and intellectual property opportunities. Build senior-level relationships with content owners, entertainment companies, sports organizations, and brands. Maintain a pipeline of strategic partners and commercial opportunities. Collaborate with Licensing to expand existing and prospective content relationships. Identify new markets, product categories, and distribution channels. Develop strategic alliances that generate incremental revenue and competitive advantages. Lead commercial discussions and negotiations with prospective partners. Develop business cases to evaluate partnership revenue, profitability, and strategic value. Coordinate cross-functional teams to turn partnership opportunities into commercial programs. Manage ongoing partner relationships to identify additional growth opportunities.

Skills and Abilities: Strategic business development and partnership-building skills. Ability to establish and maintain senior-level relationships with content owners, brands, and industry leaders. Understanding of intellectual property commercialization, licensing structures, and consumer product business models. Ability to identify emerging content trends, new markets, and revenue opportunities. Strong negotiation skills for complex commercial relationships and strategic alliances. Financial acumen to evaluate revenue potential, profitability, and partnership economics. Ability to develop compelling business cases, proposals, and executive presentations. Strong communication, presentation, and relationship-management skills. Ability to collaborate across Sales, Licensing, Marketing, Product Development, Digital, and Finance. Ability to manage a partnership pipeline and advance opportunities from initial concept through commercialization. Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate independently and pursue opportunities beyond traditional sales channels. Ability to align strategic opportunities with organizational priorities and deliver measurable business results.

Education/Experience: 10+ years of experience in strategic business development, content partnerships, entertainment, consumer products, or related industries. Demonstrated success building senior-level relationships with major brands, content owners, entertainment companies, or sports organizations. Experience developing and negotiating complex commercial relationships, strategic alliances, and partnership agreements. Experience with intellectual property commercialization, licensing, and consumer product business models. Proven ability to identify new business opportunities and convert them into revenue-generating programs. Experience evaluating partnership economics, developing business cases, and assessing revenue and profitability potential. Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring new products, content, or commercial programs to market.

Physical Requirements: Ability to perform computer-based work, including preparing proposals, reviewing financial information, and managing communications, with or without reasonable accommodation. Ability to participate in meetings, presentations, and business discussions in person or virtually, with or without reasonable accommodation. Ability to travel to partner meetings, industry events, and company locations as required, with or without reasonable accommodation. Trends International, LLC complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA). Per the ADA, Trends International, LLC will make reasonable accommodation for known physical or mental disabilities of a qualified and disabled applicant or employee. Trends International, LLC may decline to accommodate the request should it cause an undue hardship on the operations of the company. It is the responsibility of the employee or applicant to request accommodation. The individual should identify what accommodation they believe is needed to successfully perform the functions of the job above. Employees may be asked to provide medical evidence to support the need for the requested accommodation. Please contact the People & Culture department with any questions or requests for accommodation.