Location: Remote - USA
Employment Type: Salaried
Team: Fanatics Betting & Gaming
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 VP of Design will build and develop design teams across several Fanatics Betting and Gaming verticals including Sportsbook, Casino, and Retail. Our VP of Design will be the “CEO” of the design team, providing a creative vision not just for the design team but the whole Fanatics Betting and Gaming organization. They will establish processes and practices for realizing that vision, and set the bar for quality. They contribute to the development of brand definition and experience principles, and ensure that those are appropriately interpreted through the team’s work.
The key focus areas of this role will be: Represent design for the organization. The VP is the primary voice of design inside and outside the company, sharing its work, evangelizing its success, articulating its vision. And sometimes this representation means fighting for design in the face of policies, procedures, and bureaucracy that limits the team’s potential. Building our culture. The culture of a design team is essential to its long-term success. Our VP will not only establish the team’s cultural values, but demonstrate them every day through their actions. Process and practices. Working with design managers and creative directors, establish a methodological toolkit, and make sure it is shared, understood, and used throughout the team. Recruiting and hiring. Always. There may be nothing more important in the organization than identifying talent and getting them to join the team. Vision. Developing a “north star” for the company is not a one-time act, but an ongoing process of refinement and evolution.
Key Responsibilities Include
Develop a deep understanding of Fanatics Betting & Gaming products, the gaming market and product landscape, and our company’s strategic roadmap. Build a Product Design strategy that supports the company’s ambitions of building the best gaming products in the world. Oversee and manage a team of Product Design managers and senior-level ICs who will drive the Product Design vision day-to- day. Develop a product vision that drives a best-in-class design experience for our current customers, while pragmatically balancing business objectives and KPIs. Be on the forefront of innovative thinking among the design community. Demonstrate thought leadership in the gaming, sports, and entertainment industries.
Required Skills
A proven track record of successfully leading large-scale Product Design and UX organizations, managing Manager and/or Director-level leaders, within a cross-functional organization. Established experience delivering high-impact user experiences across a range of B2C products and platforms. Confident, efficient, and persuasive in presentations to C-suite and other top executives. Pragmatic, flexible, and confident leader, who can operate in a fast-paced start-up environment.
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
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.
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 other types of 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.