Fanatics Hiring for Vice President, Merchandising at Tampa, FL Full Time

This role requires a Merchandiser who is highly collaborative, builds strong partnerships both functionally and cross-functionally and can influence change while driving bottom line results. Strong business and financial acumen, coupled with effective communication skills, will help quickly build credibility with internal and external partners. We are looking for a leader with strong experience and understanding of the product creation process from concept to consumer. This leader must have a strong understanding and experience within the North American retail landscape in both the licensed and branded apparel space.

The VP Merchandising has strong knowledge and understanding of our target markets to create products consumers desire, when they’re most interested in purchasing them. Additionally, we are looking for someone who can balance art with science. We are a data driven company and need a leader with a rigorous analytic background, an understanding of creating balanced and inspiring assortments, deep insight into trends and the products our customers want to purchase with goal of achieving profitability goals.

This role will report to the SVP of Product and Merchandising and will work closely with heads of Design, Product Development, Sourcing, Marketing to drive the merchandising strategies to create an exceptional experience for our customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Owning the strategy and vision of merchandise product creation for Fanatics Commerce across all Fan Verticals and Brands, to develop/execute annual and seasonal product plans which meet revenue and margin targets.
• Overseeing, planning, and directing product creation activities from an omnichannel perspective to include a spectrum of licensing rights (Leagues, Teams, Brands)
• Establishing and executing short-term and long-term financial goals and merchandising objectives.
• Providing direction to your team on concept, color direction and price-value relationship to balance the Fanatics Commerce business & customer needs.
• Approving product recommendations based on demonstrated knowledge of customer and marketplace.
• Analyzing and understanding market trends and consumer behavior as well as the competitive landscape to develop product strategies.
• Researching and analyzing consumer behavior to determine product opportunities for the marketplace
• Developing Merchandise Strategy to ensure all key functional and cross functional partners understand the merchandising direction and vision. Partner closely with Design, Product Development and Sourcing teams to provide a world class customer experience.
• Develop plans for the introduction of new products based on the results of consumer research.
• Championing creativity and innovation in the merchandising process to promote growth, brand development and differentiation.
• Cultivating knowledge of market trends and competition to identify key brands and product categories of growth.
• Attracting and developing a world class team in a high-performance culture and help create an environment that inspires creativity and one that motivates others to achieve excellence.
• Establishing product assortment strategies to meet customer demand and maximize sales and profits.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Apparel, Merchandising, or equivalent work experience with a strong understanding of the product and sales creation process
• 10+ years of progressive experience with appropriate management experience specializing in licensed apparel, sporting goods, or related experience in retail buying, apparel category management, merchandising and/or buying, operations, and/or wholesale sales
• Experience and understanding of U.S. retail and consumer trends, preferably in sports licensed merchandise

Job Requirements/Skills

• Have strong strategic planning abilities with significant P & L responsibility achieving profit margin and inventory turn
• Bring many years of experience in retail and apparel industry with extensive knowledge and experience in general merchandising in a multi-location, omni-channel environment
• Have excellent communication skills (written and verbal skills) as well as leadership and management abilities.
• Have a strong business acumen with a track record of general management experience
• To grow a business or division while remaining on-brand, and on-trend
• Be comfortable and participate in an analytical and quantitative, data driven environment with mastery of retail math and analytics
• Be a Culture Carrier and inspiring leader for both functional and cross functional teams
• Enjoy travel – both domestic and international

About Us

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. The company ignites the passions of global sports fans and maximizes the presence and reach for hundreds of sports partners globally by offering innovative products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans, a global partner network with over 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, teams, players associations, athletes, celebrities, colleges, and college conferences, and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail business stores. 

As a market leader with more than 18,000 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.

Organization

Fanatics Commerce is a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods. It operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for leading sports leagues, teams, colleges, and associations globally – as well as its flagship site, www.fanatics.com.

Fanatics Commerce has a broad range of online, sports venue, and vertical apparel partnerships worldwide, including comprehensive partnerships with leading leagues, teams, colleges, and sports organizations across the world—including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1, and Australian Football League (AFL); the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Tokyo Giants; the University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and University of Texas; the International Olympic Committee (IOC), England Rugby, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).