Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships Manager

McLaren Automotive Ltd; Woking; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career development

Holiday allowance

Pension scheme

Annual bonus

Private medical

Life assurance

Sabbatical

Employee discounts

Parental leave

Wellbeing program

Job summary

McLaren Automotive seeks a globally focused Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships Manager to define and execute the MLP strategy, strengthening brand equity, engaging clients and driving sustainable revenue. You will lead merchandise programmes, manage licenses and partnerships, collaborate with McLaren Racing teams, ensure governance across markets and act as the central hub for MLP activities.

A commercially driven, highly organized leader with strong negotiation and cross-functional

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Brand Management, Retail Management or related discipline.
• Significant experience in merchandising, licensing, partnerships, business development or luxury brand management.
• Strong commercial negotiation and contract management experience.
• Experience managing strategic partnerships, licensees, manufacturers and external stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of intellectual property, licensing principles, royalty models and brand governance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional programmes in a matrix organisation.
• Strong financial, analytical and reporting capability, including budgets, forecasts, profitability and ROI.
• Executive-level communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a results-oriented mindset.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships strategy to strengthen brand equity and revenue growth.
• Lead development of merchandise programmes, licensing opportunities and strategic partnerships.
• Manage partner and licensee relationships and govern brand applications across markets.
• Coordinate with McLaren Racing to support partner acquisition and commercial development.
• Act as central hub for MLP activities, ensuring speed of response and flawless execution.

Skills

Merchandising

Licensing

Partnerships

Business development

Luxury branding

Negotiation

Contract management

IP licensing

Brand governance

Cross-functional leadership

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

What to Expect

The Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships (MLP) Manager is responsible for defining and executing McLaren Automotive's global Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships strategy to strengthen brand equity, enhance client engagement, expand brand desirability and generate sustainable revenue growth.

The role leads the development of merchandise programmes, licensing opportunities and strategic partnerships that align with McLaren's luxury brand positioning and long-term business objectives. The position is accountable for identifying new commercial opportunities, managing partner and licensee relationships, governing brand applications and ensuring successful execution across all markets.

A critical aspect of the role is acting as the primary Automotive point of contact for McLaren Racing across all Merchandise, Licensing & Partnerships activities, creating a collaborative and aligned One McLaren approach. The role will work closely with Racing's Partnerships and Licensing functions to support partner acquisition, commercial development and activation opportunities, ensuring alignment of brand objectives while maximising shared revenue opportunities.

The role serves as the central coordination hub for all MLP activities, steering requirements into the appropriate central, specialist and regional teams to ensure speed of response, governance compliance and flawless execution.

What You'll Do

The successful candidate is a commercially driven, highly organised and collaborative leader who is passionate about building brands through innovative merchandise, licensing opportunities and strategic partnerships. They combine strategic thinking with strong execution discipline and can identify opportunities that drive sustainable revenue growth while protecting and enhancing the McLaren brand.

They are an effective negotiator, relationship builder and stakeholder manager who can operate confidently across McLaren Automotive, McLaren Racing, external licensees and strategic partners. They are equally comfortable shaping commercial strategy, developing executive-level business cases and driving delivery across multiple teams, projects and markets.

Most importantly, they embody a One McLaren mindset: collaborative, commercially ambitious, brand-led and focused on maximising the value of the McLaren ecosystem in a way that supports shared brand goals and long-term luxury brand equity.

What You'll Bring

Essential

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Brand Management, Retail Management, Fashion, Sports Management or related discipline.
• Significant experience in merchandising, licensing, partnerships, business development or luxury brand management.
• Strong commercial negotiation and contract management experience.
• Experience managing strategic partnerships, licensees, manufacturers and external stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of intellectual property, licensing principles, royalty models and brand governance.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex cross-functional programmes in a matrix organisation.
• Strong financial, analytical and reporting capability, including budgets, forecasts, profitability and ROI.
• Executive-level communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a results-oriented mindset.

Desirable

• Experience within luxury automotive, motorsport, luxury consumer goods or premium lifestyle sectors.
• Understanding of Formula 1, motorsport partnerships and sponsorship ecosystems.
• International licensing, partnership or multi-market commercial experience.
• Experience working across Automotive and Racing environments or adjacent brand ecosystems.

Skills And Competancies

• Strategic commercial thinking with the ability to convert brand assets into revenue opportunities.
• Excellent negotiation, relationship management and partner-development capability.
• Strong project management, organisation and delivery discipline.
• Analytical and financial acumen, including performance reporting and commercial decision support.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including senior-level presentations.
• Collaborative mindset, able to influence across Racing, Automotive, central teams and regional markets.
• Passion for luxury brands, product quality, motorsport, client experience and design excellence.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant reporting tools.

What We'll Do for You

We offer a wide - ranging benefits package, which includes:

• Structured career development framework
• 25 days’ holiday, plus bank holiday. Annual buy & sell up to five days
• Enhanced company pension scheme
• Discretionary annual bonus award
• Private medical insurance and health cash plan
• Life assurance benefit
• Ability to apply for a sabbatical of up to one year after only two years’ service
• Benefits you can adapt to your lifestyle, such as discounted shopping
• Generous parental leave policies
• A range of wellbeing initiatives, such as employee assistance programme and free financial & mortgage advice

Who Are We?

No restraints. No limitations. We don’t simply push boundaries. We completely rethink them. McLaren Automotive exists to create breath-taking performance road cars.

It takes a community to do what we do. A diverse group of people with many areas of expertise, united by their passion to deliver visionary products and set new benchmarks.

McLaren Automotive commits to equal opportunity for all. Diversity, Equality and Inclusion is at the heart of our impact, it drives our innovation and enables us to truly create something special. Join us on our journey.