Assistant Vice President, Licensing & Trademarks - (496981 )

University of Houston; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 127,000 - 166,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Houston seeks an Assistant Vice President of Licensing and Trademarks within the Division of University Marketing and Communications. This leader will manage brand assets for the UH System and campus, and drive strategic licensing partnerships and revenue growth.

The role requires extensive leadership, market insight, and collaboration with Athletics, General Counsel, and external partners to protect and elevate UH brands across products and channels.

Qualifications

• Requires a formal, directly job-related 4-year degree; seven years of experience.
• Master's degree or equivalent formal training preferred.
• Demonstrated capability in brand asset valuation.
• Proven track record in achieving revenue growth through new programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead management of UH System and UH brand assets and trademarks.
• Oversee licensing staff and external licensing counsel.
• Grow licensing revenue via strategic products, partnerships and retail activations.
• Manage licensee, retailer and merchandise relationships including the University Bookstore.
• Collaborate with Athletics and other departments on NIL merchandising.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Brand asset valuation

Market forecasting

Revenue growth

Data-driven insights

Education

Bachelor's degree (4-year)

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Department: Licensing &Trademarks Salary: $127,300.00 - $165,500.00

Description

The Assistant Vice President of Licensing and Trademarksposition within the Division of University Marketing andCommunications leads the strategic management, protection andelevation of the UH System and University institutional marks intheir deployment on commercial and retail consumer goods. Thisentrepreneurial leader will lead UH into high-impact partnerships,launching innovative collegiate licensing programs, navigatingmodern industry dynamics, and fostering collaboration across UHSystem universities, University departments and Athletics.

• 1. Assures consistent management of the UH System institutionalmarks (including University of Houston, UH-Clear Lake andUH-Downtown) and oversees protection of all UH and UH System brandassets, including logos and trademarks, to ensure alignment withinstitutional standards.
• 2. Manages department staff, which includes assistant director, andserves as the university?s liaison with the agency that provideslicensing representation and support services to enhance andelevate the UH System brands.
• 3. Leads initiatives to grow licensing revenue through strategicproduct and program development, high-impact licensingpartnerships, commercial retail expansion and activations.
• 4. Manages relationship with licensees, retailers and merchandiseproviders, including the University Bookstore.
• 5. Collaborates withAthletics and internal departments to capitalize on co-brandingopportunities and support modern Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)merchandising efforts in accordance with university and systempolicies.
• 6. Uses retail analytics to monitor licensee performance,assess product category performance, identify gaps in assortmentand distribution, and track KPIs.
• 7. Executes robust market forecasting to anticipate retail trends,consumer demands and emerging brand opportunities.
• 8. Establishes performance metrics and reporting structures toassess impact and continuous improvement.
• 9. Administers budget, manages royalty distribution and ensures UHand UHS policies and procedures are consistently followed.
• 10. Collaborates with UHS Office of General Counsel, and withoutside counsel as necessary, on federal trademark registration andother legal considerations.
• 11. Requires extensive research that involves obtaining informationthrough the coordination of numerous different areas of expertise,typically involving resources from outside the University.
• 12. Navigates extremely complex and often unprecedented situations,requiring extensive research and the coordination of numerous areasof expertise, typically involving resources from outside theUniversity.
• 13. Performs other duties as required.

MQ: Requires a thorough understanding of both theoretical andpractical aspects of an analytical, technical or professionaldiscipline; or the basic knowledge of more than one professionaldiscipline. Knowledge of the discipline is normally obtainedthrough a formal, directly job-related 4 year degree from a collegeor university or an equivalent in-depth specialized trainingprogram that is directly related to the type of work beingperformed. Requires a minimum of seven (7) years of directlyjob-related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• -Master's degree or equivalent formal training in a recognizedfield of specialization directly related to the type of work beingperformed.
• -Direct experience and proven capability in brand assetvaluation.

Additional Qualifications

• Proven and direct experience in collegiate licensing.
• Demonstrated ability to perform accurate market forecasting andapply data-driven insights.
• Proven track record in achieving revenue growth through thedevelopment and launch of new programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in general business management and theapplication of advanced principles, techniques and theory in thecollegiate licensing discipline.

Work Complexity & Impact

• Requires an extensive knowledge of principals and practices withinseveral professional fields.
• Work is broad in scope, covering one or more functionalareas.
• Requires extensive research that involves obtaining informationthrough the coordination of numerous different areas of expertise,typically involving resources from outside the University.
• Navigates extremely complex and often unprecedented situations,requiring extensive research and the coordination of numerous areasof expertise, typically involving resources from outside theUniversity.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are securitysensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are EqualOpportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.