Principle Product Line Manager

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Pahokee (FL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Nike is seeking a senior leader to direct product strategy and governance across licensee partners globally. You will ensure assortments are brand-aligned, consumer-right, and financially scalable across categories and geographies, while guiding executive-level decisions and growth opportunities.

You will coordinate with senior teams and external licensees to accelerate strategic growth. The role emphasizes cross-functional alignment on consumer targets, brand positioning, and distribution

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business management, product management, merchandising, or related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Deep expertise in product creation, merchandising, franchise management, and consumer insights.
• Executive-level communication skills with ability to influence decision-making.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Own and set product strategy direction for licensee partners at an enterprise level.
• Exercise decision rights over seasonal product strategies, balancing brand vision, speed, and financial outcomes.
• Provide executive governance across partner product creation, briefing, line planning, and gate processes.
• Serve as an enterprise product authority to guide senior-level decisions and growth opportunities.
• Align senior leadership and licensee leadership around targets, brand positioning, and distribution strategy.
• Sponsor and lead high-visibility initiatives tied to major brand moments and collaborations.
• Leverage consumer and marketplace insights to guide alignment across design, materials, storytelling, and packaging.
• Ensure enterprise brand integrity by partnering with safety, packaging, legal, and other teams.
• Own governance of end-to-end product approvals and seasonal readiness with brand standards.
• Lead enterprise communication of strategy across GPL, sourcing, finance, legal, systems, and operations.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Strategic product direction

Global licensing

Stakeholder alignment

Education

Bachelor's degree in business management, product management, merchandising, or related field

Job description

About the Role

The role leads product strategy and governance across licensee partners, ensuring assortments are consumer-right, brand-aligned, and commercially scalable. It sits within a fast-growing, entrepreneurial global product licensing team that shapes and executes Nike's long-term trademark licensing strategy across footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories. The role drives alignment across Product, Design, Merchandising, Brand, Legal, Finance, and Geo/Territory teams, as well as external licensees, to accelerate strategic growth and deliver best-in-class licensed product.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and set product strategy direction for licensee partners at an enterprise level, ensuring assortments are consumer-right, brand-aligned, and commercially scalable across categories and geographies.
• Exercise decision rights over seasonal product strategies, balancing brand vision, innovation, speed, and financial outcomes.
• Provide executive leadership and governance across partner product creation, briefing, line planning, and gate processes, ensuring consistent application of Nike brand standards.
• Serve as an enterprise product authority, leveraging deep category and franchise expertise to guide senior-level decisions and long-term growth opportunities.
• Align senior cross-functional leadership and licensee leadership around consumer targets, brand positioning, assortment architecture, and distribution strategy at scale.
• Sponsor and lead high-visibility initiatives tied to major brand moments, innovation platforms, and strategic collaborations, with accountability for outcomes and impact.
• Leverage consumer and marketplace insights to guide and drive alignment across senior cross-functional leadership on product, design, materials, innovation, storytelling, and packaging.
• Ensure enterprise compliance and brand integrity by partnering with Product Safety, Tech Development, Materials, Packaging, Brand Marketing, Legal, and Athlete Representation.
• Own governance of the end-to-end product approval ecosystem and maintain executive oversight of seasonal readiness, including approvals, assortment integrity, and sample governance, ensuring Nike standards are upheld while enabling speed, scalability, and partner accountability.
• Lead enterprise communication of strategy and decisions across GPL, sourcing, finance, legal, systems, and operations teams, and drive operating excellence and continuous improvement by establishing scalable processes, best practices, and ways of working across GPL, licensees, and categories.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business management, product management, merchandising, or related field; will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
• 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Deep expertise in product creation, merchandising, franchise management, and consumer insights, applied to set strategic direction and drive enterprise-level growth.
• Proven ability to lead, influence, and align cross-functional leadership teams, driving outcomes through vision, clarity, and accountability rather than direct authority.
• Executive-level communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate strategy, synthesise complexity, and influence decision-making through written, verbal, and presentation forums.
• Demonstrated success navigating ambiguity and complexity, managing competing priorities, and leading effectively within a highly matrixed, global organisation.
• Strong strategic rigour and operational discipline, paired with exceptional organisational skills and the ability to influence outcomes at scale.
• Track record of building trusted relationships and driving alignment across diverse teams, functions, and senior stakeholders to accelerate execution.
• Highly developed product vision and style sensibility, ensuring brand-right, consumer-relevant, and commercially impactful outcomes.
• Strategic, consumer-obsessed approach with skill in product creation leadership, cross-functional alignment, and managing complex external partnerships.
• Strong product and process knowledge, with the ability to uphold brand standards and thrive in a fast-moving, matrixed environment.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

The Application Process

Accommodations are available to complete the interview process, including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. Candidates who need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability during the application process can complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.