---
title: 'Sr. Licensing Manager at BDA'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/sr-licensing-manager-bda-woodinville-n83vn9yyfks7'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-17'
---

# Sr. Licensing Manager at BDA

- **Company:** BDA
- **Location:** Woodinville, WA
- **Posted:** 2026-09-28
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-17
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/bdainc/jobs/5249879007

## Job description

Most companies claim to have the best people. We say to them, "Keep dreaming." Our people are second to none. They set us apart with their entrepreneurial spirit and ambition. They come to us from the likes of Amazon, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Starbucks and the sports world, bringing energy, bold ideas and a willingness to dive into the unfamiliar. It's our people that make BDA the top global Merchandise Agency to work for.

## POSITION SUMMARY

The Sr. Licensing Manager leads the licensing function, setting direction for the approval and royalty process, leading and developing direct reports, and serving as the senior point of contact for licensors, internal leadership, and account managers. This role owns the approvals workflow end to end, leads the partnership with Finance on royalty reporting and audits, owns licensor relationships, and is accountable for contract and manufacturer agreement compliance across all BDA properties.

This role carries financial/budgetary and strategic planning responsibility and requires the ability to interpret extremely detailed guidelines and corporate standards, anticipate issues, and drive thoughtful business solutions with a high degree of independence. Limited travel may be required.

This role requires a proven record of managing complex analytical and financial details. Years of proven people management and development experience are required, including a demonstrated ability to coach, grow, and retain team members. Prior experience in the ad specialty, advertising, or promotions industry is preferred but not required.

## LOCATION:

- This role follows a hybrid schedule, with 4 days onsite and 1 day remote each week.
- To be considered, candidates must reside within commuting distance of one of BDA's offices in Atlanta, GA; Indianapolis, IN; Troy, MI; Woodinville, WA; Austin, TX; or Dallas, TX, as regular in-person collaboration is an essential part of the role.

## KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Approvals

- Own and oversee the licensing approval request process (Creative, Royalties, Campaigns, Key Initiatives), setting standards for accuracy and turnaround, including but not limited to:
- QC Forms and Tracking — oversight of submission, tracking, and follow-up on forms and art submitted for all leagues
- Ownership and governance of the Licensing portal
- Serve as the escalation point for all Licensing business and account managers throughout all phases of the approval process

Reporting

- Lead the partnership with Finance on monthly and quarterly compilation and reconciliation of all royalty-related projects, lead annual audit preparation, and use error reporting to drive coaching and training
- Deliver royalty and approval performance reporting and insights to senior leadership

Brand Expertise

- Serve as the senior subject matter expert on licensor guidelines, maintaining reference materials, advising leadership and account teams on complex scenarios, resolving escalated issues, and recommending thoughtful business solutions

Relationship Management

- Own licensor relationships, leading ongoing weekly calls and serving as the escalation point for licensors' day-to-day needs

Contracts

- Oversee contract and manufacturer agreement compliance, keeping agreements up to date and supporting renewals in partnership with appropriate departments

Process Improvement

- Assess, analyze, and evolve processes and procedures to increase results and ease of process throughout BDA, leading cross-functional improvement initiatives

## Team Leadership

- Lead, coach, and develop direct reports, setting priorities and performance expectations for the licensing team

## Qualifications

- 10+ years in process and organizational development
- 10+ years of marketing or operations experience
- 11+ years of data entry experience
- 8+ years of financial experience
- 3+ years of proven people management and development experience
- Proven record of successful management of analytical detail
- Prior experience with ad specialty, advertising, or promotions industry preferred but not required

## Key Competencies

-

- Detail-oriented, highly organized individual with exceptional fluency in Microsoft Excel and online data entry systems like SharePoint
- Ability to organize financial and operations data and processes and prepare summaries
- High energy, hardworking; visible/demonstrated drive to work hard and excel
- Excellent customer service for both internal and external partnerships
- Proven leadership ability, with experience coaching and developing team members
- Proven ability to work independently, absorb extremely detailed guidelines and corporate standards, and guide others in applying them
- Strong computer/technical aptitude with ability to learn and implement new programs

We are pleased to share the base salary range for this position is $95,000 to $105,000 if based in the state of Washington and $85,000-95,00 if not in Washington. If you are hired at BDA, your compensation will be determined based on factors that may include geographic location, skills, education, and experience. In addition to these factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider internal equity of our current team members as a part of any offer. In the spirit of pay transparency, the range listed is the full base salary range for the role and hiring at the top of the range would not be typical, in order to allow for future salary growth. The range listed is just one component of BDA’s total compensation and rewards programs, which includes: robust PTO; vacation, a paid volunteer day, holidays and summer Fridays, Benefits; medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D insurance, 401k; tuition reimbursement, mental health and financial wellness programs and professional development opportunities including tuition reimbursement. Certain revenue-generating positions may be eligible for incentive compensation.

#LI-Onsite

## #LI-LG1

BDA is more than a workplace - it’s a family. For more than four decades we’ve promoted a vibrant and welcoming culture that not only accepts but demands you to be different. The quirky, the bold, the creative and the unique make up the foundation of a company that the most iconic brands in the world look to help tell their story through the power of merchandise.

BDA Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. https://kraken-bdainc.icims.com/jobs/introConnect With Us! Not ready to apply? [Connect with us](https://international-bdainc.icims.com/connect?back=intro&hashed=-435620418) for general consideration.

For more information:

[www.bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com)

For information about BDA's privacy policy for job applicants click [here](https://www.bdainc.com/privacypolicy).

Must be 18 years or older to apply.

## About BDA

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: BDA (Bensussen Deutsch & Associates) is a global Merchandise Agency™ that creates branded merchandise, promotional products, and gifting experiences for Fortune 1000 enterprises and iconic sports/entertainment properties.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held; received $75M in Private Equity funding in 2014)
- **Headquarters**: Woodinville, Washington, United States
- **Founded**: 1984
- **Founders**: Jay Deutsch and Barry Deutsch

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Advertising Services / Branded Merchandise / Promotional Products
- **Target customers**: B2B, Enterprise (Fortune 1000), Sports & Entertainment properties
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To elevate brands with custom merchandise that engages, inspires, and creates lasting connections.

## Products & Services
- **Merchandise Agency™ Services**: Full-service strategy, design, sourcing, and distribution of branded merchandise and promotional products for enterprise clients.
- **BDA Self-Service (SwagUp)**: An easy, flexible self-service solution for companies to order branded merchandise on their own terms.
- **Premium Gifting**: High-end, curated gifting programs for employee engagement, client appreciation, and event activations.
- **Fulfillment & Logistics**: End-to-end global fulfillment, warehousing, and distribution services across 75+ countries.
- **E-Commerce & Digital Storefronts**: Custom online stores for employee swag, event merchandise, and retail.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (privately held)
- **Key Metric**: Annual Revenue of **$512.2M** (latest estimate) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdainc)
- **Total Funding**: $75M (Private Equity round led by American Capital in 2014) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdainc)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: American Capital (lead investor in 2014 PE round). Clients include Caterpillar, and other Fortune 1000 brands across automotive, sports, technology, and entertainment.
- **Growth Signals**: Revenue of $512M; 621 employees (+8.4% YoY); operates in 23 countries; acquired SwagUp in Dec 2024; 37 active job postings (+164.3% YoY).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Scale & Independence**: The largest independently owned branded merchandise agency, offering global reach (75+ countries) with the agility of a private company.
- **The Merchandise Agency™ Model**: A differentiated, high-value approach that blends creative strategy, sourcing, and logistics under one roof, moving beyond simple promotional product distribution.
- **Iconic Client Roster**: Deep relationships with Fortune 1000 and major sports/entertainment properties provide a strong moat and recurring revenue.
- **Proprietary Technology**: Self-service platform (SwagUp) and custom e-commerce storefronts create a sticky, scalable digital layer on top of physical merchandise.

## Strategic Focus
- **Growth via Acquisition**: Actively acquiring complementary agencies (SwagUp in 2024, Idea Planet in 2022) to expand capabilities and market share.
- **Digital Transformation**: Investing in self-service platforms and e-commerce technology to scale beyond traditional agency services.
- **Global Expansion**: Deepening fulfillment and operational footprint across 23 countries to serve multinational clients.
- **Talent Development**: Heavy investment in learning (37,500+ hours/year) and internal promotion (average time to promotion is 1.5 years) to build a performance-driven culture.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Values**: Describes itself as a "family" with a "work hard, play hard" ethos. Core values include "Total Client Affinity & Advocacy," "Entrepreneurial Spirit," and "Love Fuels Our Team and Family." [bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
- **Diversity & Inclusion**: 73% of leadership roles are held by women; 42% of the team are from underrepresented groups. [bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
- **Career Growth**: Average time to promotion is 1.5 years. The team logs over 37,500 hours of learning per year, with professional development reimbursement offered. [bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
- **Work Environment**: Described as a "family" culture with a "work hard, play hard" ethos. Offers paid volunteer days (12,000+ hours of community service annually). [bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
- **Remote/Hybrid/Office**: Likely hybrid/office-based given the fulfillment and client-service nature. Headquarters in Woodinville, WA, with major hubs in Plainfield, IN, Chicago, IL, and Dallas, TX.
- **Benefits**: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(K), Life/AD&D, FSA, EAP, Short/Long-Term Disability, Mental Wellness, Child/Eldercare Network, Pet Insurance, Discounted Home/Auto Insurance. [bdainc.com](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
- **Notable Perks**: Paid volunteer days, strong internal promotion track record, and a "family" culture.

## Sources
1. [bdainc.com - Careers Page](https://www.bdainc.com/careers/)
2. [bdainc.com - Homepage](https://www.bdainc.com/)
3. [linkedin.com - BDA Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bdainc)
4. [greenhouse.io - BDA Job Board](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/bdainc)
5. [bdainc.com - Leadership Page](https://www.bdainc.com/about-us/history-leadership/)

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