Director Buying & Planning- Core Events

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

The Director of Buying and Planning - Core Events is a business owner and category strategist. This leader is accountable for defining and executing a compelling merchandising strategy that delivers innovation, drives profitable growth, and deepens emotional connection with fans.

The Director owns our Ecommerce end-to-end assortment strategy — across Fanatics-owned vertical brands and external market vendors — and is responsible for merchandise performance across the Ecommerce network.

This role reports into the SVP, Merchandising and leads a team of merchants, working in close partnership with Planning, Product Development, Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations and Site Experience to bring the Fanatics vision to life — on time, with clarity, and at scale.

 

How you will make an impact:

 

Category Strategy & Assortment Leadership

• Define and execute a merchandising strategy that supports Fanatics’ brand and financial goals — spanning Core, Fashion, Seasonal, and Event-Driven (Hot Market) product lifecycles.
• Build a balanced, fan-first assortment that blends product accessibility with exclusivity — grounded in trend insights, data, and emotional fan connection.
• Shape the Fanatics point of view in the category: what we stand for, what we offer, and how we differentiate.
• Own the category’s 'Good, Better, Best' framework and lifecycle plan to ensure clarity across vertical and market brands.
• Partner closely with Product Development to lead vertical brand strategy and influence the design, positioning, and cadence of Fanatics-owned product.

Vendor & Market Partner Leadership

• Serve as the face of Fanatics to key brand partners and vendors — building collaborative relationships that support category growth and exclusivity.
• Lead negotiations to secure favorable terms, exclusive product access, and long-term scale.
• Represent Fanatics’ merchandising vision externally, positioning the brand as a category leader and fan-first innovator.
• Curate the vendor matrix to eliminate redundancy, elevate product storytelling, and optimize productivity.

Business Performance & Financial Accountability

• Own divisional financial performance — including sales, gross margin, markdowns, turn, and inventory productivity.
• Partner with Planning to build receipt plans, drive OTB strategies, and manage in-season performance.
• Use insights to inform buy depth, exit strategies, pricing actions, and risk mitigation.
• Build clear business cases for growth investments, always balancing creativity with commercial rigor.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-impact team of buyers and category merchants — modeling ownership, curiosity, and customer-centric decision-making.
• Set clear expectations, build strong merchant acumen, and cultivate strategic thinking across the team.
• Foster a culture of bold leadership, collaboration, and accountability — creating space for diverse perspectives and high performance.

Champion our BOLD Leadership Principles through your team:

• Build Championship Teams: Prioritize talent development, clear accountability, and a winning mindset.
• Obsessed with Fans: Center decisions on delivering incredible value, emotion, and innovation to fans.
• Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit: Encourage risk-taking, learning agility, and new ideas that challenge the status quo.
• Determined and Relentless Mindset: Demonstrate urgency, resilience, and an unwavering drive to win.

Fan Obsession & Market Agility

• Stay deeply connected to the voice of the fan — leveraging social, trend, and transactional signals to anticipate demand and evolve product direction.
• Actively monitor the competitive landscape and marketplace dynamics to ensure relevance and speed.
• Be the category expert across vertical and market brands — understan