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.
You will lead a US-based office team in the execution of Fanatics’ strategic sourcing vision. You will manage and develop key direct sourcing & development processes and coordinate the resources of our Honduran and Thailand PCC ( Product Creation Center ) in alignment with Fanatics’ global sourcing strategy and team. While managing relationships with our vendors, you will identify new opportunities for increased speed, efficiency, sustainability and risk mitigation strategies. Overall, you must consistently ensure that your sourcing network meets expectations for quality, cost, and aesthetics through delivery of on time finished inventory, while having the agility to quickly troubleshoot any critical needs cross-regionally. Key to success will be strong internal partnerships and transparency with Planning, Product teams and PCC’s.
Your oversight of Product Development is responsible for leading the teams through the entire product development & costing process thru to bulk production ready status. This involves coordinating with the US and Thailand teams to develop and maintain reports that track overall development, approvals and production ready status of all styles of the seasonal product lines. Lead resolution and corrective action plans of items that are missing deadlines through counter solutions. This scope is inclusive of managing the implementation and adherence to brand product technical standards in development through production ready status.
Key Sourcing Responsibilities
Accountable for providing vision and executional focus of a global sourcing strategy specific to headwear and soft goods that is in alignment with the strategic goals and financial targets of Fanatics Brands.
Optimize the current source base for capabilities including quality, cost competitiveness and margin adherence, on time delivery, lead time, sustainability, and innovation.
Continually research, source and identify new suppliers to compliment the current base as well as offer additional capabilities and requirements as the business dictates for growth and competitiveness.
Align and communicate with the PCC’s daily on sourcing strategies and initiatives.
Collaborate with Design, Merchandising, Quality, Logistics and Production Planning; Lead the process of identifying manufacturing needs of each season; attend key cross-functional meetings on a regular basis to integrate sourcing into the product creation process and provide additional insight regarding manufacturing challenges and opportunities.
Manage vendor onboarding process to ensure Fanatics Apparel standards are met.
Work in collaboration with the Fanatics Apparel planning team to develop production plans that are mutually beneficial and ensure on-time delivery with quality.
Prepare and manage operating budget for the department
Recruit, coach, maintain and supervise an industry best sourcing management team.
Assist the 3rd Party Operations team with domestic embellishment programs which service the hot market and chase businesses.
Work on special projects as assigned
Calendar & Development
Oversee the establishment of calendar development timelines and prioritize flow of development approvals from concept through Production Buy Ready based on production lead times
Partners with Materials Team to ensure on time color approvals of materials and Production Art Team to ensure all decoration is complete & licensed approved to meet product production ready status
Oversee Development to ensure all aspects pertaining to blocks, fit, construction, measuring, grading, and decoration placement adhere to technical standards and specifications
Manage the team through development and cost negotiations. Track receipt of costs in alignment with proto delivery. Negotiate all costs to achieve margin targets along with cost options to achieve product margin.
Plan and lead seasonal costing and development trips, with final goal of 100% cost confirmation prior to line freeze
Partners with Product Integrity to ensure all final tech packs & approved samples are available to Product Integrity/Quality organization in preparation for pre-production & production protocols
Metrics and Tracking
Responsible for achieving desired outcomes and meeting all targets and cost-saving goals
Drive discipline around adherence to process, timelines and targets
Monitor budget and spend of travel
Support collection of vendor performance data for suppliers; provide in-region support for vendor scorecard process as needed
Establish reporting, KPI’s and communication process to ensure sourcing teams meet expectations and that the intended category/country mix is achieved
Oversee adherence to corporate social responsibility/ compliance policies
Education/Experience
Bachelor’s degree or degree in apparel-related specialty preferred, or equivalent combination of education and experience in apparel supply chain, operations, development or manufacturing
Minimum of 15 years of experience in global sourcing & development with strong vendor management skills
Strong knowledge of apparel, headwear and accessories product categories, including materials, construction, fit and quality
Strong collaborations skills are a must
Familiarity with apparel and/or headwear manufacturing operations, systems and technology
Strong analytical and computer skills (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, PLM)
Skills/Abilities
Strong leadership and team management skills
Excellent presentation skills with the ability to present information in a compelling fashion to a multi-national audience
Strong negotiation, organizational and facilitation skills
Ability to operate with uncertainty and to adjust approach based on business needs
Ability to work well under pressure, operate with a sense of urgency, meet deadlines and financial expectation
Ability to travel domestically and internationally.
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.