Senior Manager, Brand Management - Licensed & Exclusive Brands
Walmart, Bentonville, Arkansas, United States, 72712
Position Summary...
Senior Manager, Brand Management – Licensed & Exclusive Brands
The Senior Manager, Brand Management leads the strategic positioning, governance, and cross‑functional execution of Walmart’s proprietary and licensed brands. This role serves as the brand steward—ensuring each brand has a clear role, differentiated positioning, and disciplined execution across assortment, pricing architecture, customer experience, and partnerships.
This leader is responsible for managing complex licensing relationships and negotiations while building scalable processes that enable product development, design, sourcing, quality, merchandising, site, and marketing teams to bring brands to life consistently and profitably.
The role balances strategic brand leadership with operational rigor—protecting brand equity, mitigating risk, and ensuring customer‑right outcomes.
What you’ll do... Brand Strategy & Positioning
Define and maintain clear brand positioning, guardrails, and value tiers (Good/Better/Best) across assigned brands.
Translate customer insights, competitive assessments, and performance data into actionable brand strategies.
Ensure assortment decisions align with brand architecture and long‑term growth platforms.
Lead brand refreshes, relaunches, and disciplined exits when brands no longer meet customer or business needs.
Develop and maintain brand books, style guides, and “brand on a page” tools to drive clarity and consistency across teams.
Licensing & Contract Management
Lead negotiation and management of licensing agreements and brand partnerships.
Forecast and oversee royalty structures, ensuring margin accretion and financial compliance.
Partner with Legal and Finance to structure contracts that mitigate risk and protect Walmart’s interests.
Monitor performance against contractual obligations, service level agreements, and brand standards.
Identify and resolve contract discrepancies, audit findings, and compliance risks.
Lead structured sell‑offs, renewals, exclusivity agreements, or brand exits when necessary.
Cross‑Functional Brand Governance
Establish and manage milestone processes that ensure brand integrity across product development calendars.
Partner closely with:
Product Development & Design (visual identity, materials, packaging standards)
Sourcing & Quality (compliance, execution standards)
Merchandising (assortment strategy, pricing architecture)
Marketing & Site (content, launch execution, storytelling)
Ensure proprietary and licensed items are aligned to approved brand categories and properly coded.
Drive disciplined launch execution, including clear roles, timelines, and post‑launch reviews.
Remove operational barriers that create brand inconsistency or customer confusion.
Financial & Performance Stewardship
Monitor brand‑level performance metrics including GMV, margin, royalty impact, and inventory health.
Provide performance readouts to licensors and internal stakeholders.
Anticipate financial risks (inventory exposure, contract obligations, marketing commitments) and develop mitigation plans.
Ensure pricing architecture supports EDLP and long‑term brand equity.
Customer Experience & Brand Protection
Safeguard brand integrity across in‑store, digital, marketplace, and marketing channels.
Lead brand‑gating and enforcement efforts to prevent third‑party misuse of proprietary brands.
Ensure launches deliver a cohesive and customer‑right experience across all touchpoints.
Align assortment, storytelling, and pricing to create intuitive, trust‑building customer journeys.
Leadership & Ways of Working
Drive execution of complex, cross‑functional initiatives in ambiguous and high‑pressure environments.
Establish clear agendas, decision frameworks, and follow‑up mechanisms to ensure accountability.
Influence without direct authority across internal and external partners.
Coach and mentor associates and cross‑functional team members.
Promote a culture of ownership, urgency, and operational excellence.
Key Skills & Capabilities
Strong brand management expertise
Licensing negotiation and contract acumen
Financial literacy (royalty modeling, margin impact, inventory risk)
Success in Role Looks Like
Brands have clear guardrails and differentiated positioning.
Licensing agreements are financially sound and risk‑mitigated.
Cross‑functional teams execute consistently and on calendar.
Launches are clean, cohesive, and customer‑right.
Risks are identified early and resolved proactively.
Brand equity strengthens over time through disciplined governance.
Benefits & Perks: Beyond competitive pay, you can receive incentive awards for your performance. Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.
Equal Opportunity Employer Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer – By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers, and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting, and valuing unique styles, experiences, identities, abilities, ideas and opinions—while welcoming all people. Walmart Inc. participates in E‑Verify. Learn more about applicant rights under Federal Employment Laws.
Who We Are Join Walmart and your work could help over 275 million global customers live better every week. Yes, we are the Fortune #1 company. But you’ll quickly find we’re a company who wants you to feel comfortable bringing your whole self to work. A career at Walmart is where the world’s most complex challenges meet a kinder way of life. Our mission spreads far beyond the walls of our stores. Join us and you’ll discover why we are a world leader in a culture of belonging, sustainability, and community involvement. From day one, you’ll be empowered and equipped to do the best work of your life.
At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance‑based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company‑paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short‑term and long‑term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms.
The annual salary range for this position is $90,000.00 – $180,000.00. Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include stock.
Minimum Qualifications Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, Business, or related field and 4 years’ experience in brand development and management, developing creative briefs, marketing, or related area OR 6 years’ experience in brand development and management, developing creative briefs, marketing, or related area.
Preferred Qualifications Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.
Microsoft Office – Excel, Vendor Management, Working on cross‑functional teams or projects. Masters: Business Administration.
Primary Location 1700 Se 5th St, Bentonville, AR 72716, United States of America
Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug‑free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.
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The Senior Manager, Brand Management leads the strategic positioning, governance, and cross‑functional execution of Walmart’s proprietary and licensed brands. This role serves as the brand steward—ensuring each brand has a clear role, differentiated positioning, and disciplined execution across assortment, pricing architecture, customer experience, and partnerships.
This leader is responsible for managing complex licensing relationships and negotiations while building scalable processes that enable product development, design, sourcing, quality, merchandising, site, and marketing teams to bring brands to life consistently and profitably.
The role balances strategic brand leadership with operational rigor—protecting brand equity, mitigating risk, and ensuring customer‑right outcomes.
What you’ll do... Brand Strategy & Positioning
Define and maintain clear brand positioning, guardrails, and value tiers (Good/Better/Best) across assigned brands.
Translate customer insights, competitive assessments, and performance data into actionable brand strategies.
Ensure assortment decisions align with brand architecture and long‑term growth platforms.
Lead brand refreshes, relaunches, and disciplined exits when brands no longer meet customer or business needs.
Develop and maintain brand books, style guides, and “brand on a page” tools to drive clarity and consistency across teams.
Licensing & Contract Management
Lead negotiation and management of licensing agreements and brand partnerships.
Forecast and oversee royalty structures, ensuring margin accretion and financial compliance.
Partner with Legal and Finance to structure contracts that mitigate risk and protect Walmart’s interests.
Monitor performance against contractual obligations, service level agreements, and brand standards.
Identify and resolve contract discrepancies, audit findings, and compliance risks.
Lead structured sell‑offs, renewals, exclusivity agreements, or brand exits when necessary.
Cross‑Functional Brand Governance
Establish and manage milestone processes that ensure brand integrity across product development calendars.
Partner closely with:
Product Development & Design (visual identity, materials, packaging standards)
Sourcing & Quality (compliance, execution standards)
Merchandising (assortment strategy, pricing architecture)
Marketing & Site (content, launch execution, storytelling)
Ensure proprietary and licensed items are aligned to approved brand categories and properly coded.
Drive disciplined launch execution, including clear roles, timelines, and post‑launch reviews.
Remove operational barriers that create brand inconsistency or customer confusion.
Financial & Performance Stewardship
Monitor brand‑level performance metrics including GMV, margin, royalty impact, and inventory health.
Provide performance readouts to licensors and internal stakeholders.
Anticipate financial risks (inventory exposure, contract obligations, marketing commitments) and develop mitigation plans.
Ensure pricing architecture supports EDLP and long‑term brand equity.
Customer Experience & Brand Protection
Safeguard brand integrity across in‑store, digital, marketplace, and marketing channels.
Lead brand‑gating and enforcement efforts to prevent third‑party misuse of proprietary brands.
Ensure launches deliver a cohesive and customer‑right experience across all touchpoints.
Align assortment, storytelling, and pricing to create intuitive, trust‑building customer journeys.
Leadership & Ways of Working
Drive execution of complex, cross‑functional initiatives in ambiguous and high‑pressure environments.
Establish clear agendas, decision frameworks, and follow‑up mechanisms to ensure accountability.
Influence without direct authority across internal and external partners.
Coach and mentor associates and cross‑functional team members.
Promote a culture of ownership, urgency, and operational excellence.
Key Skills & Capabilities
Strong brand management expertise
Licensing negotiation and contract acumen
Financial literacy (royalty modeling, margin impact, inventory risk)
Success in Role Looks Like
Brands have clear guardrails and differentiated positioning.
Licensing agreements are financially sound and risk‑mitigated.
Cross‑functional teams execute consistently and on calendar.
Launches are clean, cohesive, and customer‑right.
Risks are identified early and resolved proactively.
Brand equity strengthens over time through disciplined governance.
Benefits & Perks: Beyond competitive pay, you can receive incentive awards for your performance. Other great perks include 401(k) match, stock purchase plan, paid maternity and parental leave, PTO, multiple health plans, and much more.
Equal Opportunity Employer Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer – By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers, and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting, and valuing unique styles, experiences, identities, abilities, ideas and opinions—while welcoming all people. Walmart Inc. participates in E‑Verify. Learn more about applicant rights under Federal Employment Laws.
Who We Are Join Walmart and your work could help over 275 million global customers live better every week. Yes, we are the Fortune #1 company. But you’ll quickly find we’re a company who wants you to feel comfortable bringing your whole self to work. A career at Walmart is where the world’s most complex challenges meet a kinder way of life. Our mission spreads far beyond the walls of our stores. Join us and you’ll discover why we are a world leader in a culture of belonging, sustainability, and community involvement. From day one, you’ll be empowered and equipped to do the best work of your life.
At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance‑based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company‑paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short‑term and long‑term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms.
The annual salary range for this position is $90,000.00 – $180,000.00. Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include stock.
Minimum Qualifications Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications.
Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Communications, Marketing, Business, or related field and 4 years’ experience in brand development and management, developing creative briefs, marketing, or related area OR 6 years’ experience in brand development and management, developing creative briefs, marketing, or related area.
Preferred Qualifications Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications.
Microsoft Office – Excel, Vendor Management, Working on cross‑functional teams or projects. Masters: Business Administration.
Primary Location 1700 Se 5th St, Bentonville, AR 72716, United States of America
Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug‑free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.
#J-18808-Ljbffr