Sr. Director, Fan Community

At Fanatics Commerce, we’re more than just a leader in licensed sports merchandise – we’re a team united by a relentless passion for our fans and a commitment to innovation. We live by our BOLD Leadership principles: We Build Championship Teams, we’re Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined and Relentless Mindset. If you’re ready to contribute to a dynamic, fast-paced environment that thrives on collaboration and growth, we want you to be part of our team.

Role Overview 

Fanatics is seeking a strategic, high-impact Senior Director of Fan Community to architect and scale a national grassroots fan ecosystem across North America. This leader will build and institutionalize a Fan Stewardship Layer, transforming fan engagement from episodic activation into a durable, community-driven asset for the company. 

Reporting to the VP of Team & Fan Relations, this role will oversee five regional Fan Managers, scale our Insider program into a structured advocacy engine, and establish a nationally recognized Fan Advisory Council with meaningful agency and credibility. 

The ideal candidate is a proven community architect, someone who has built thriving, self-sustaining ecosystems that drive trust, advocacy, and cultural relevance. They understand that real community is earned, not manufactured. They are equally comfortable designing long-term strategy and leading from the field. 

This is a visible leadership role requiring strong executive presence, operational rigor, and deep fluency in professional sports culture. The role requires extensive travel, up to 50% annually.

How You Will Make an Impact:

Strategic Community Leadership 

• Define and lead a multi-year vision for Fanatics’ Fan Stewardship Layer. 
• Build a scalable, measurable community operating model that strengthens fan trust and advocacy. 
• Translate enterprise priorities into disciplined regional execution. 

Regional Fan Hub Development 

• Lead and develop five Regional Fan Managers across designated Fan Hubs. 
• Establish standards, cadence, and performance accountability. 
• Manage and deploy approximately $1M+ per region in community investment across priority sports markets. 

Insider Program Expansion 

• Scale our fan network while preserving authenticity and independence. 
• Build structured engagement frameworks that protect credibility. 
• Develop governance standards that ensure long-term sustainability. 

Fan Advisory Council and Governance 

• Recruit and lead a diverse Fan Advisory Council with defined charter and real influence on the Fanatics Commerce business. 
• Embed structured fan input into product and experience decisions. 
• Drive visible 'You Said / We Did' accountability outcomes. 

Cross-Functional Leadership 

• Partner with Product, Supply Chain, CX, Social, Communications, and Partnerships. 
• Ensure community insights inform enterprise decision-making. 

Resilience and Issue Management 

• Design rapid-response community protocols for high-visibility moments. 
• Prioritize transparency, fairness, and measurable remedies. 

Data-Driven Strategy 

• Define KPIs and dashboards measuring activation, retention, advocacy, and sentiment. 
• Continuously refine programming based on measurable outcomes. 

Team Leadership and Development 

• Build and lead a high-performance team aligned with Fanatics’ BOLD Leadership Principles. 
• Set clear goals, provide mentorship, and foster accountability. 

What You Bring to the Team:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred. 
• 10+ years building and leading large-scale community, ambassador, or grassroots ecosystems. 
• 5+ years in leadership roles overseeing distributed or regional teams. 
• Deep knowledge and passion for professional sports culture. 
• Ability to work at ease with professional team management, players and influencers across the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and more across our 900+ sports properties. 
• Experience managing multi-million-dollar budgets and field operations. 
• Strong program management, governance, and operational discipline. 
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders at all levels. 
• High integrity and commitment to authentic, non-transactional community building. 
• Willingness to travel extensively, up to 200 days annually. 

At Fanatics, we value transparency and honesty. If you don’t meet every single requirement, that’s okay – we still want to hear from you! We believe in the power of diverse experiences and talents. If you’re excited about the role and confident that you can contribute, don’t hesitate to apply. We’re genuinely interested in how your unique skills and perspective can help us build something amazing together.

Where You’ll Work and What’s required:
 

• In office or Remote work environment with up 50% business travel.

• Fast-paced team environment with exposure to multiple aspects of the Fanatics Commerce business.

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 a 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 recharge, along with a competitive 401k plan to support your financial future. At Fanatics, we’re dedicated to supporting you in all aspects of work and life.

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