Senior Contracts & Licensing Manager (Publishing & IP)

SI Scholastic Inc.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) plan

Tuition assistance—undergrad/grad

Parental leave

ESPP with discount

Job summary

Scholastic is seeking an experienced Senior Contracts Manager in New York City to draft, review, and negotiate brand license and publishing agreements. The role emphasizes license work with major brands and IP owners, working with editors, licensors, and authors across multiple departments.

The candidate should bring a JD or equivalent, 10+ years in contract drafting and negotiation in publishing/media/licensing, and strong business judgment to balance risk and opportunity.

Qualifications

• Significant experience negotiating brand license agreements with large IP holders.
• Experience with toy and media companies is a plus.
• Experience with author, illustrator, and creative contributor agreements.
• Strong understanding of intellectual property and publishing rights structures.
• Excellent drafting, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to balance legal risk with business priorities.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Comfortable working cross-functionally with editorial, licensing, and business teams.

Responsibilities

• Independently draft, review, and negotiate a variety of agreements, including: Brand and intellectual property license agreements
• Publishing agreements with authors, illustrators, , work for hire agreements and other contributors
• Amendments, renewals, and related contract documentation
• Negotiate contracts with major brand partners, licensors, agents, and rights holders
• Communicate with business people across various departments to resolve contract issues.
• Provide practical, business-oriented guidance to editorial, licensing and product teams.
• Advise in-house staff about contract interpretation, industry custom and practice.
• Ensure agreements align with company business objectives while protecting legal and commercial interests
• Identify contractual risks and propose commercially reasonable solutions during negotiations
• Maintain contract templates and support the development of standardized agreements
• Track contract status, key terms, and obligations in collaboration with internal stakeholders
• Coordinate with legal counsel when necessary on complex or high-value agreements ,
• Mentor and collaborate with more junior contract department staff and provide a second-level review of agreements.
• Support rights management and compliance with license terms

Skills

Brand license negotiations

IP licensing knowledge

Contract drafting & review

Negotiation skills

Publishing rights knowledge

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Juris Doctor (JD) or equivalent law degree

Job description

Scholastic is seeking an experienced Senior Contracts Manager in New York City to draft, review, and negotiate brand license and publishing agreements. The role emphasizes license work with major brands and IP owners, working with editors, licensors, and authors across multiple departments.

The candidate should bring a JD or equivalent, 10+ years in contract drafting and negotiation in publishing/media/licensing, and strong business judgment to balance risk and opportunity.