Director of Licensing

Purple

Director of Licensing leading Purple’s licensing strategy to commercialize proprietary technologies and intellectual property. Collaborating with multiple teams to drive profitable growth and maintain brand standards.

Posted 4/11/2026full-timeUtah • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $161,500 - $190,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop and implement a comprehensive IP licensing strategy aligned with Purple’s strategic growth priorities.
Partner with Finance to develop pro forma P&L and business plans for the licensing strategy.
Identify and evaluate licensing opportunities across new product categories, geographies, and brand extension channels.
Build and maintain a pipeline of prospective licensees, from initial outreach through signed agreement.
Lead negotiations for inbound and outbound licensing deals, including royalty structures, exclusivity terms, territory rights, and quality standards.
Define category, territory, and channel licensing priorities by building white-space analyses, evaluating strategic fit, and recommending where Purple should (and should not) extend its brand and technologies.
Partner with IP counsel to translate licensing priorities into IP portfolio recommendations (e.g., filing focus areas, claim scope needs, and brand protection priorities).
Support IP counsel with commercialization inputs for patents, trademarks, and trade secrets (including GelFlex Grid® and related comfort technologies), ensuring licensing use cases and differentiation are reflected in protection strategies.
Monitor market activity and competitive offerings for potential IP misuse; document findings and escalate to IP counsel, supporting investigations and enforcement decisions with business impact assessments as needed.
Lead ongoing licensee compliance oversight (contractual obligations, brand standards, quality requirements), coordinating with Legal and internal stakeholders to address gaps and drive corrective action.
Manage existing licensing relationships to maximize value and ensure performance standards are met.
Lead licensee onboarding and go-to-market governance, including product briefs, internal approvals, packaging/claims review, and launch timelines to ensure a consistent brand and consumer experience.
Serve as the primary point of contact for licensees, fostering strong, long-term partnerships.
Collaborate with Sales/Wholesale teams to align licensing activity with broader channel strategy.
Own licensing revenue forecasting, royalty tracking, and reporting.
Develop business cases and ROI analyses for new licensing opportunities.
Own royalty reporting governance, including defining reporting requirements, verifying statements, managing audit rights and periodic royalty audits, and ensuring accurate and timely royalty payments.
Establish internal licensing governance, including an approval cadence, decision rights, escalation paths, and documentation standards to enable timely, well-controlled deal decisions.
Partner with Product and R&D to identify licensable innovations, define licensing-ready use cases, and package technology value propositions for external partners.
Partner with Marketing to set brand-extension guardrails (positioning, claims, packaging, and creative guidelines) and ensure licensed programs uphold Purple’s premium brand standards.
Coordinate with Legal on licensing contract terms, including drafting, reviewing, negotiating, and executing agreements, and support issue resolution throughout the contract lifecycle.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Law, Marketing, or a related field
8+ years of experience in licensing, business development, or IP commercialization — preferably in consumer goods, home furnishings, or adjacent industries.
Demonstrated track record of negotiating and closing complex licensing deals.
Strong understanding of intellectual property (IP) fundamentals, including patents, trademarks, and trade dress.
Excellent analytical skills, including experience building financial models and royalty forecasts.
Outstanding communication and negotiation skills; comfortable presenting to senior leadership and external partners.
Preferred JD or advanced degree in Business, Law, or an intellectual property (IP)-related field.
Experience with retail and wholesale licensing in the sleep, home goods, or consumer wellness industries.
Familiarity with manufacturing-enabled licensing models (e.g., contract manufacturing paired with technology and/or brand rights).
Experience with brand licensing in an omnichannel environment (DTC, retail, and e-commerce).

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, Dental, Vision
401(k) Match
Flexible PTO
Earn a Mattress
Purple Swag
Amazing Purple Products

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

licensing strategyP&L developmentroyalty structuresnegotiationfinancial modelingroyalty forecastingIP fundamentalscontract draftingbusiness developmentIP commercialization

Soft Skills

analytical skillscommunication skillsnegotiation skillsrelationship managementcollaborationproblem-solvingleadershippresentation skillsorganizational skillsstrategic thinking

Certifications

Bachelor's degreeJD or advanced degree in BusinessJD or advanced degree in Lawadvanced degree in IP-related field