Senior Manager, Collaborations

About Gap

Gap has always been about optimistic American style. Starting with our very first store on Ocean Avenue in San Francisco, opened almost 50 years ago by Doris and Don Fisher. The thread that’s run through those five decades is the phenomenal people that make up our brand – our employees and our customers. People who are rooted in the legacy that makes Gap what it is, but who are also focused on the future. People who want to leave the world better than they found it.

We’ve built our brand on staying true to our roots while always being out in front of what’s next. If you want to be part of an iconic American brand, and help lead the way for where we’re headed, we’d love to have you join us.

About the Role

The Senior Manager, Collaborations role is responsible for setting the strategic direction of all Partnerships collections within the Gap brand portfolio. This is a strategic role that requires an expert with a deep understanding of the customer, global markets, competition, fashion and cultural trends (artists, organizations,etc), business goals, collabs product knowledge and strategic planning across all marketing channels and functions.

What You'll Do

• Pitch proactive business opportunities outside of existing partnerships and initiate partners outreach if needed. Accountable for growth of our partnerships & collaborations program.
• Deliver a cohesive Gap POV approach to the partnerships strategy
• Lead and Create strategic partnership brand positioning, integrated marketing plans, and hindsights for all partnerships and collections
• Lead the seasonal Strategic Brief rooted in customer insights, market trends, brand positioning and product details with defined objectives and measurable goals 

• Work directly with Partnerships Merchandising Team to understand seasonal assortment and strategize marketing integration
• Forge strong relationships with external business partners by acting as primary marketing representative of Gap brand displaying a deep understanding of business and customer diagnostics
• Lead overall strategic planning, process implementation, and partner management.
• Act as liaison between external and internal partners on a variety of fronts (ie filtering ideas, feedback, proposals through both sides)
• Be the team partnerships expert and collect and share contextual information from external business partners (ie creating bios for artist collaborations, sharing upcoming milestones, etc) with internal teams.
• Lead day-to-day internal partnerships with Marketing team, serving as the communication hub for cross-channel partners from seasonal kickoff through omni-channel execution
• Work in close partnership with all cross-functional Marketing channel partners to ensure ideas and proposed tactics (creative concepts, media plans, store execution plans, digital and influencer plans, etc.) are on-brand and aligned with our set seasonal and annual strategies and consistent across all customer touchpoints
• Drive creation and maintenance of Partnership calendar/milestone management as well as recurring meetings aimed at continuous cross-channel alignment on timing/execution of all initiatives
• Lead Partnerships Content Planning sessions with channel leaders to drive consistent, omnichannel storytelling development. Follow up with Go-to-Market Plan regroups in order to hold channels accountable for clear and effective storytelling rollout - to discuss
• Lead meetings with DBM partners to drive omnichannel strategy/product focus alignment - in partnership with merch collabs team (TBD to include this)
• Partner with Social Media team in development of Collabs content calendar, creative and copy on a seasonal basis
• Consult with PR and Social Media teams on influencer outreach to drive product/story awareness and consideration
• Maintain Seasonal Toolkits of all corresponding materials for use by cross-channel Marketing partners
• Attend recurring and ad-hoc meetings with potential new business partners 
• Work directly with external business partners to understand upcoming milestones (ie new openings, relevant cultural moments, etc) and strategize upcoming marketing opportunities
• Share key strategies and upcoming activations from external partners to internal teams, and share back Marketing strategies to external partners for review and approval 
• Review external contracts to ensure all marketing language is accurate 
• Collect and document all marketing collateral (social, digital, signage, etc) partnership assets to ensure Gap is meeting contractual marketing obligations and route all Global Omni assets (social, digital, signage, etc) through external business partners for approval and communicate feedback to internal partners if needed
• Encourage external business partners to spotlight Gap product and ensure placement in external newsletters, social channels, etc is on brand.

• Collect all partnerships seasonal hindsight and industry insights and conduct ongoing competitive analysis in order to deliver seasonal Hindsight deck to key channel partners 

• Create financial spreadsheets at the beginning of each year to map out and measure the Marketing Collabs spend across channels & activations and update throughout the year to track spend and adjust plans as needed; recap at end of year for auditing purposes

• Partner and communicate with Marketing in all regions to ensure that collaboration launch consistency exists around the world, while allowing for customization of localegional marketing programs as appropriate.
• Gather markets/ franchise needs and deliverables per each collaboration.

• Lead strategic discussions with Merchandising and Inventory Management to align to the right product messages that deliver against business, brand and consumer needs
• Ensure that business priorities and product investments are aligned with marketing investments and activities
• Represent Marketing in weekly, monthly, and seasonal collabs alignment sessions, including all merchandising presentations, design downloads, CFL/CFTs, Task Force meetings and business hindsight meetings
• Represent Merchandising and Design in all styling decisions for campaigns, ensuring accurate selection of key commercial items/programs for main assets; partner with Brand Communications counterparts for seamless execution, accurate fit representation, handling of technical issues (sample challenges, tiering information, etc.), etc.

Who You Are

• Experience with partnerships and collaboration ideation, strategy, and execution
• Ability to assess relatively complex situations and analyze data to make judgments and recommend solutions.
• Strong written communication skills; presentation skills and problem solving skills with ability to build strong cross functional partnerships and influence change.
• Able to motivate, coach and inspire a high performing team in a fast paced environment.

Benefits at Gap

• Merchandise discount for our brands: 50% off regular-priced merchandise at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, and 30% off at Outlet for all employees.
• One of the most competitive Paid Time Off plans in the industry.*
• Employees can take up to five “on the clock” hours each month to volunteer at a charity of their choice.*
• Extensive 401(k) plan with company matching for contributions up to four percent of an employee’s base pay.*
• Employee stock purchase plan.*
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance.*
• See more of the benefits we offer.

*For eligible employees

Gap Inc. is an equal-opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace free from harassment and discrimination. We are committed to recruiting, hiring, training and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. We have received numerous awards for our long-held commitment to equality and will continue to foster a diverse and inclusive environment of belonging. In 2022, we were recognized by Forbes as one of the World's Best Employers and one of the Best Employers for Diversity.
Salary Range: $140,700 - $186,400 USD
Employee pay will vary based on factors such as qualifications, experience, skill level, competencies and work location. We will meet minimum wage or minimum of the pay range (whichever is higher) based on city, county and state requirements.
US CandidatesPlease note that effective, June 30, 2022, Gap Inc. will no longer require any of its employees to wear face masks or require proof of COVID vaccination, unless required by local or state/provincial mandates or as part of Gap Inc’s quarantine guidelines after being exposed to or testing positive for COVID. Therefore, please disregard any language in any job posting that refers to Gap Inc.’s face mask and proof of vaccination policy as said policy is no longer effective.