Associate Manager, Partnerships

Position Title: OPI Global Partnership Associate Manager

Location: Calabasas, CA USA

Reports to:  OPI Global Marketing Director Partnerships

Direct Reports: N/A

Scope / Brands:  Global OPI

ABOUT THE WELLA COMPANY

Together, WE enable individuals to look, feel, and be their true selves.

Wella Company is one of the world’s leading beauty companies, comprised of a family of iconic brands such as Wella Professionals, Clairol, OPI, Nioxin and ghd. With 6,000 employees globally, presence in over 100 countries, Wella Company and its brands enable consumers to look, feel, and be their true selves. As innovators in the hair and nail industry, Wella Company empowers its people to delight consumers, inspire beauty professionals, engage communities, and deliver sustainable growth to its stakeholders.

For additional information about the Wella Company please visit www.wellacompany.com.

Position Overview

The OPI Global Partnership Associate Manager is responsible for identifying, developing, and managing strategic relationships that support organizational goals. This role involves cultivating partnerships with external stakeholders, coordinating collaborative initiatives, and ensuring that partnership activities align with the organization's mission, brand identity and growth strategies. Reporting to a Global Marketing Director Partnerships, you will help lead to drive the business through strategic partnerships that increase brand awareness, drive net revenue and disrupts the nail category.

Key Responsibilities

Partnership Development

• Help source and evaluate potential partners aligned with organizational priorities.
• Conduct follow-up outreach to prospective partners and maintain a pipeline of opportunities.
• Support negotiations and assist in developing partnership proposals, term sheets, agreements, and contracts.
  
  

Relationship Management

• Serve as the secondary contact for partners, ensuring high-quality support and communication.
• Help maintain strong, long-term relationships with existing partners and stakeholders.
• Manage day-to-day licensing activities
• Track deal terms, timelines, deliverables, and renewals to ensure accuracy and compliance.

Program & Project Coordination

• Collaborate cross-functionally with internal teams and markets (marketing, product, operations, etc.) to implement partnership initiatives.
• Track partner deliverables, timelines, royalty reports and shared KPIs to ensure objectives are met.
• Assist with planning and executing joint events, campaigns, or programs.

Research & Insights

• Conduct market and industry research to identify trends and partnership opportunities.
• Analyze partnership performance and prepare reports for leadership.

Your Role Accountabilities

• Gather and organize assets for pitch presentations, including overviews, strategy decks, and past campaign examples.
• Participate when needed in brainstorms and concept development for future partnerships.
• As this is a global function, candidate will be required to participate in and contribute to all our market calls and meetings with the key markets to get alignment on future partnerships.
• Work closely with the US/CAN teams to make sure they are given ample pitches/decks/ support to get incremental placement in top retailers
• Manage administrative tasks including tracking IP assets, distributing NDAs, updating status reports, help process royalty reports, and assisting with contracts as needed.

• Strong collaborator with excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills; able to work effectively with all levels of management.
• Strong research abilities and knowledge of both emerging and established brands.
• Enthusiastic about tracking partnership trends.

• Partner with the product marketing team on key initiatives to adapt strategy of partnerships

• Oversee the entire partnership lifecycle, from initial discussions to contract negotiations and implementation to post-mortem reports

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3+ years of experience in licensing, brand partnerships and business development
• Working knowledge of contract development and partnership agreements, intellectual properties, and licensing best practices.
• Experience collaborating with a diverse teams both externally and internally
• Experience in strategic partnership marketing pertaining to the following fields a plus:  entertainment, beauty, and/or fashion
• Familiarity with consumer behavior trends and pop culture
• Strong analytical skills and digitally savvy
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong relationship-building and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Negotiation and presentation skills.
• Comfort working both independently and collaboratively across teams
• Proficient computer knowledge - MS Office (specifically Excel, PowerPoint)
• A bachelor's degree is required

We disclose the compensation range for positions in compliance with local law. Actual salaries will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, skills and in comparison to internal incumbents currently in similar roles. Pay Range: $79,500 - $106,000 salary per year. The range listed is just one component of Wella Company's total rewards package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonus plan or variable pay, depending on the role. In addition, Wella Company provides a rich variety of benefits to employees, including health insurance, life and disability insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO).

NOTICES 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

 If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, please email NA.Recruiting@wella.com. This email account will not respond to inquiries regarding the status of a candidate’s application.

 [For CA located postings ONLY]: Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Wella participates in the E-Verify Program to confirm eligibility to work in the United States. Information regarding your rights: Know Your Rights and Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision.