Vans: Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.    

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.  

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.  

What will you do? 

A day in the life of a Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives at Vans looks a little like this. 

This role sits within the team focused on unlocking incremental growth opportunities beyond the core business, with responsibility for licensing, collaborations, and strategic partnerships that can scale across categories, channels, and regions. You’ll work closely with Product, Marketing, Brand, Operations, Finance, and Legal, while also partnering with external licensors and collaborators. At the highest level, this role identifies, evaluates, and helps bring revenue-generating opportunities to market, balancing strategic thinking with hands-on execution. This role reports to the Vice President, Strategy & Chief of Staff at Vans.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more. 

• Identify and evaluate licensing, collaboration, and non-traditional revenue opportunities, building business cases and revenue forecasts to help determine where to invest. 

• Support partnerships from early concept through launch and beyond, helping shape deal structures, track performance, and inform renewal or exit decisions. 

• Manage day-to-day relationships with external partners and licensors, working with internal teams to support contracts, governance, and ongoing business reviews. 

• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Design, Marketing, Operations, GTM, Finance, and Legal to align timelines, deliverables, and go-to-market plans across multiple initiatives. 

• Build and manage a pipeline of future partnership opportunities while helping establish the tools, reporting, and processes needed to support scale over time. 

What do you need to succeed? 

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are: 

• 7–10+ years of experience in licensing, partnerships, business development, or a related commercial role. 

• Experience developing and executing licensing or partnership initiatives with external partners. 

• Strong analytical and financial skills, including experience building business cases, revenue forecasts, and performance tracking. 

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional work in a matrixed organization and keep multiple initiatives moving forward. 

• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively across internal teams and external partners. 

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred. 

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or other advanced degree is a plus. 

• Experience supporting opportunities that can scale across regions, channels, or product categories is preferred. 

Now WE have a question for YOU.  

Are you in?