Headwear Category Manager

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT:

• Lead strategic planning and execution for the headwear category across designated leagues, teams, licensors, and brand partners.
• Own financial and business performance, including revenue, margin, SKU productivity, and overall category growth.
• Drive headwear product strategies by leveraging consumer insights, marketplace trends, and competitor landscape.
• Guide the headwear development of short- and long-term category strategies, including seasonal line planning, pricing architecture, and lifecycle management.
• Manage and develop a high-performing team of merchants, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and accountability.
• Act as a liaison between Fanatics Brands and external partners (e.g., leagues, brands, designers) to guide product creation, approvals, and commercialization.
• Lead internal alignment across Merchandising, Product Development, Planning, Sourcing, and Sales to ensure cohesive product execution and channel segmentation.
• Present strategies and results to senior leadership, retail partners, and licensors with clear and compelling storytelling.
• Support and manage the collaborative product development calendar, ensuring timely execution across multiple timelines.
• Monitor and optimize SKU productivity, including metrics like AUR, size/color selling, category margins, and product lifecycle.
• Champion the product vision across the organization and ensure alignment with Fanatics' brand values and customer expectations.
• Collaborate with Planning and Finance teams on forecasting, budget planning, and performance analysis.
• Attend key market appointments, league meetings, and trade shows to stay current and drive partnership opportunities.
• Contribute to talent development by mentoring team members and driving cross-functional collaboration.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TEAM:

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

WHERE YOU’LL WORK AND WHAT’S REQUIRED:

• Ability to travel up to 35%

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:

• Culture: Join a team where you're surrounded by top-tier talent, driven by a shared passion to relentlessly enhance the fan experience. With a focus on collaboration, support, and continuous development, you’ll be empowered to help shape our culture that celebrates both individual and team successes. 

• Benefits: We provide a wide range of health, financial, legal, and development assistance, including wellness programs with fitness and weight management partners, paid maternity paternity leave, and infertility treatment. Additionally, we offer flexible time off to help you

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering 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 approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally. 

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).

At Fanatics Commerce, we infuse our BOLD Leadership Principles in everything we do:
· Build Championship Teams
· Obsessed with Fans
· Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit
· Determined and Relentless Mindset