Brand Manager, Brand & Collaborations

About Our Company

At Lids Sports Group, we don’t just sell hats — we fuel fandom. As the largest licensed sports retailer in North America, we bring sports, fashion, and culture together in more than 1,300 stores nationwide. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lids delivers premium, fan-driven products and unforgettable retail experiences.

Our stores feature officially licensed headwear and apparel from collegiate and professional teams, alongside top brands like Champion, Nike, New Era, Lululemon Athletica, and Mitchell & Ness. We’re also the industry leader in on-demand customization, offering in-store embroidery that turns everyday gear into one-of-a-kind statements.

From specialty concept stores for the NBA and NHL to iconic clubhouse destinations for the Yankees and Dodgers, we create immersive retail experiences that celebrate the teams fans love. Through collaborations with brands like Marvel, Peanuts, and The Walt Disney Company, Lids continues to redefine how fans represent their teams — in style.

General Position Summary

The Brand Manager, Brand & Collaborations will help shape how Lids shows up at the intersection of sports, culture, fashion, entertainment, and fandom. This role is responsible for developing and executing brand-led collaboration programs, talent partnerships, ambassador initiatives, influencer campaigns, and live-event moments that build cultural relevance and drive consumer engagement across Lids channels.

This person will partner closely with internal teams across merchandising, marketing, creative, retail, e-commerce, social, PR, and external partners to bring collaborations and cultural activations to life from concept through execution. The ideal candidate understands the sports lifestyle consumer, has strong instincts for emerging trends and talent, and can manage multiple complex projects with creativity, urgency, and attention to detail in a fast paced, high-volume environment.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

Lead day-to-day planning and execution for ambassadorships, special projects across sports, fashion, music, entertainment, and creator communities.

Lead day to-day management and internal and external partner communication for marquee brand moments that fall under brand and collaborations umbrella including Fitted Fest, Fanatics Fest collaboration programs, launch events, ambassadorships, seeding initiatives, and other tentpole activations.

Manage the updating and maintaining of brand and collaboration calendars.

Manage cross-functional collaboration timelines, deliverables, product needs, marketing assets, event requirements, launch plans, and partner communications.

Manage regular and campaign driven seeding initiatives for ambassadors, influencers, and brand partners.

Partner with merchandising and product teams to support collaboration assortment strategy, storytelling, product positioning, and go-to-market readiness.

Develop influencer, ambassador, and activation plans that translate collaboration concepts into clear consumer-facing narratives across retail, digital, social, PR, and experiential channels.

Manage the day-to-day communication with external PR agency

Talent, Ambassadorship, & Influencer Strategy

• Support the strategy, recruitment, onboarding, and management of P1 talent, brand ambassadors, influencers, athletes, creators, and culture drivers.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of relevant talent across sports, streetwear, music, lifestyle, and local-market communities.
• Develop influencer and ambassador briefs, deliverable trackers, content guidelines, product seeding plans, and activation recaps.
• Coordinate talent appearances, content shoots, social posts, event participation, meet-and-greets, and collaboration launch support.
• Evaluate partnership performance using engagement, reach, earned media, sales impact, content quality, brand fit, and community response.
• Ensure all talent and influencer programs reflect the Lids brand voice, values, and standards while supporting broader business and marketing goals.

Fitted Fest & Fanatics Fest Focus

Own workstreams related to Fitted Fest planning, including partner outreach, vendor communication, creator engagement, brand storytelling, event programming support, product integration, and post-event reporting.

Support Fanatics Fest collaboration strategy by coordinating partner concepts, exclusive product moments, talent participation, content capture, and retail or digital launch plans.

Work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure all event-related collaboration programs are delivered on time, on budget, and aligned with the broader Lids brand strategy.

Identify ways to extend event momentum before, during, and after each activation through social storytelling, influencer content, earned media, community engagement, and product drops.

Job Required Knowledge and Skills

• 4–6 years of experience in brand marketing, events, talent partnerships, influencer marketing, experiential marketing, or related fields.
• Strong understanding of sports culture, headwear, streetwear, fashion, creator communities, and cultural collaboration ecosystems.
• Experience managing influencer campaigns, event activations, and talent/ambassador partnerships.
• Ability to develop creative and visually appealing decks.
• Extremely strong organization and time management skills with the ability to be proactive, productive, and a self-starter without being overly managed.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple timelines, stakeholders, deliverables, and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop briefs, recaps, presentations, and partner-facing materials.
• Creative instincts with a practical understanding of how ideas move from concept to execution across retail, digital, social, PR, and live experiences.
• Familiarity with influencer contracting, usage rights, content deliverables, seeding logistics, and campaign reporting.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities, tight timelines, and high-visibility brand moments.
• Common sense and emotional intelligence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Existing relationships within sports, fashion, entertainment, creator, athlete, or streetwear communities.
• Experience supporting major fan events, festivals, pop-ups, product drops, or limited-edition collaboration launches.
• Ability to identify emerging talent and cultural opportunities before they become mainstream.
• Strong presentation skills and comfort working with senior leaders, external partners, agencies, and talent representatives.

Success Measures

• Successful execution of collaboration launches, Fitted Fest programming, Fanatics Fest activations, and ambassador or influencer campaigns.
• Growth in brand relevance, cultural visibility, social engagement, earned media, and community participation.
• Strong partner relationships and repeat collaboration opportunities.
• Clear, organized project execution across internal teams and external stakeholders.
• Measurable contribution to product storytelling, consumer engagement, and business objectives.

What We Offer

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan
• 100% employer-paid benefits, including short-term and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program

Paid Time Off

• Generous employee discount and exclusive perks
• Ongoing career development, including discounted secondary education courses
• A collaborative, innovative, and team-oriented work environment
• Early Wage Access options

Bonus eligibility depending on position level

Physical Demands & Requirements

• Ability to operate a computer and work with digital systems for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate verbally and visually with internal teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to work in an office or remote environment with frequent task deadlines.
• Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and depth perception
• This position requires less than 10% travel
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. For inquiries related to reasonable accommodations, please contact [email protected].

Work Environment

Onsite office work environment.

Standard business hours from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., flexibility may be provided upon request.

Employment Requirements

Candidates must possess the experience, skills, physical abilities, and qualifications, with or without reasonable accommodation, to perform the essential duties of the role and must be able to meet all applicable employment standards. Being legally authorized to work in the United States is a pre-condition of employment for this position. Current or future employment-based visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Notice to Applicants

In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to, or describes you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information we collect include your name, email address, mailing address, other contact information, employment history, and educational history. We collect and use this information for human resources and business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating candidates for employment or future contract opportunities, and maintaining recruiting and hiring records.

Need Accessibility Assistance?

Applicants who require accessibility assistance to submit an employment application may email [email protected]. A member of our Talent team will respond as soon as reasonably possible. This email address is only for individuals seeking reasonable accommodation when applying for a career at Lids.