Location: Florida - Tampa

Employment Type: Salaried

Team: FB Corporate

Company Overview

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform to ignite and harness the passions of fans and maximize the presence and reach for hundreds of partners globally. Optimizing these long-standing partnerships, a database of more than 80 million global consumers and a trusted, recognizable brand name, Fanatics is expanding beyond its position as a global leader for licensed sports merchandise to now becoming a next-gen digital sports platform, featuring an array of offerings for fans across the sports ecosystem.

The Fanatics family of companies currently includes Fanatics Commerce, a vertically-integrated licensed merchandise business that has changed the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel, jerseys, headwear and hardgoods through a tech-infused approach to making and quickly distributing fan gear in today’s 24/7 mobile-first economy; Candy Digital, a digital collectibles company that is partnering with prominent sports properties, including MLB and MLBPA, to build an official NFT ecosystem; Fanatics Collectibles, through Topps as a cornerstone of the business, building a new model for the collectibles and trading cards hobby with top leagues and players association partners; and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, a mobile betting, gaming and retail sportsbook platform. Fanatics’ partners include all major professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA) and hundreds of collegiate and professional teams, which include several of the biggest global soccer clubs.

As a market leader with more than 9,000 employees, and hundreds of partners, suppliers, and vendors worldwide, we take responsibility for driving toward more ethical and sustainable practices. We are committed to building an inclusive Fanatics community, reflecting and representing society at every level of the business, including our employees, vendors, partners and fans. Fanatics is also dedicated to making a positive impact in the communities where we all live, work, and play through strategic philanthropic initiatives.

At Fanatics, we’re a diverse, passionate group of employees aiming to ignite pride and passion in the fans we outfit, celebrate and support. We recognize that diversity helps drive and foster innovation, and through our IDEA program (inclusion, diversity, equality and advocacy) at Fanatics we provide employees with tools and resources to feel connected and engaged in who they are and what they do to support the ultimate fan experience.

The Category Manager (CMM) at Fanatics Brands Operations for custom & made-to- order (MTO) apparel is responsible for managing the business, financial, licensing approvals, and line plans for an assigned brand, league, or category. Business lead for cross-functional teams in merchandising, planning, design, development, sourcing, operations, and tech as well as the main product contact for our designated league partners. Responsible for leading the cross functional team to achieve category financial objectives and growth with respect to revenue, margins/profitability, adoption, and operational execution.

General Duties & Responsibilities:

• In cooperation with Sr Management, lead and facilitate effective strategies to mitigate risk, maintain continuity of operations
• Ownership of category margins and ultimate business portfolio management, retail pricing, SKU management
• Creating product strategy and brand positioning and management of short and long-term Fanatics Brands initiative by category
• Managing a Merchandising team to be global, omni channel, product and competitor focused in an innovative, fast, and team-oriented environment
• Knowledgeable on trends, consumer insights, marketplace, and competitive landscape
• Knowledgeable on our league specific product creation and rights and potential
• Develop and maintain strong cross-functional relationships with merchandising, development, design, sourcing, planning, operations, and tech to deliver margin and adoption rate goals
• Support channel segmentation strategy in partnership with Sales
• Effective communicator and presenter to management, leagues, teams, retailers
• Partner with planning team on business plans, financial planning, and analysis to track and define key business opportunities
• Line/Range planning, with an understanding of a finished and blank inventory, for chase, custom, and seasonal programs
• Analyze and manage style/SKU productivity (gender, style, size, color, units, lifespan, AUR, category margins, MSRP's)
• Partner with Merchandise Planning, Design, Development, Production Planning, Operations, Tech and Sourcing
• Partner on the product commercialization process, timelines, specific and weighted margins, profitability, final range adoption process
• Develop and support growth of team members in areas like presentation, process, and culture
• Lead and develop a small team of merchants, supporting, mentoring team members with presentation, process and culture
• Possible travel, including overseas, Fanatics facilities, vendors, account and league reviews

Educational Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Apparel, Merchandising, or comparable graduation from a textile school; an equivalent of work experience (8-10 years) is acceptable with a strong understanding of the product creation process

General Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• 6 plus years of progressive experience specializing in apparel or fashion-related experience in retail buying, or management
• Minimum 2 years of people management experience
• Proven manager of people, timelines, and process with ability to identify, acquire, and grow talent as well as motivate, mentor, and develop high performing teams
• Drive for great product and able to communicate vision and bring to reality
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills - visual, written and verbal
• Ability to network, gain trust with co-workers, open to new ideas, work with multiple personalities and competing agendas, and can deliver a decision in a professional manner
• Project management and problem solving - identify and resolve problems in a creative, collaborative, and timely manner with a view of the big picture and making difficult decisions
• Maintain a professional and positive attitude towards the team, vendors, and clients
• Experience with Microsoft Applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and can learn and use product/project management software
• Strong understanding of merchandising retail math/financial skills
• Knowledge and understanding of global retail and consumer trends
• Knowledge and/or passion for sports
• Ability to travel up to 35%

Tryouts are open at Fanatics! Our team is passionate, talented, unified, and charged with creating the fan experience of tomorrow. The ball is in your court now.

Ensure your Fanatics job offer is legitimate and don’t fall victim to fraud. Fanatics never seeks payment from job applicants. Fanatics recruiters will only reach out to applicants from an @fanatics.com or @fanatics.co.uk email address. For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at www.fanaticsinc.com/careers

Fanatics is committed to responsible planning and purchasing (RPP) practices, working with its business partners across its global and multi-layered supply chain, to ensure that planning, sourcing, and purchasing decisions, along with other supporting processes, do not impede or conflict with the fulfillment of Fanatics’ fair labor practices.

NOTICE TO CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS/APPLICANTS : In connection with your application, we collect information that identifies, reasonably relates to or describes you (“Personal Information”). The categories of Personal Information that we collect include your name, government issued identification number(s), email address, mailing address, other contact information, emergency contact information, employment history, educational history, criminal record, and demographic information. _ _ We collect and use those categories of Personal Information about you for human resources and other business management purposes, including identifying and evaluating you as a candidate for potential or future employment or future contract positions, recordkeeping in relation to recruiting and hiring, conducting criminal background checks as permitted by law, conducting analytics, and ensuring compliance with applicable legal requirements and Company policies.