Assistant Manager, Athlete Partnerships
Japan - Tokyo
Fanatics Collectibles – Topps International /
Salaried /
On-site
Company Overview
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.
The Assistant Manager Athlete Partnerships is responsible for assisting in the management of autograph licensing agreements and signings between athletes, celebrities, and Topps across all Topps’ Licensed Portfolios. This position will report to the Director, Athlete Partnerships and will act as the liaison between athletes, celebrities, agencies, and Topps International in the procurement of rights, content, and services for trading card products.
The Assistant Manager Athlete Partnerships will work closely with internal business units including product development, operations, accounts payable, e-commerce, digital, marketing, customer service, as well as manage daily correspondence with external agencies. The Assistant Manager Athlete Partnerships will work closely with the brand team to ensure that autograph content is aligned with all product requirements.
Responsibilities:
- Support the Country GM with the generation, signing, accounting and management of talent licensing and promotional deals
- Assist with the management of the autograph and relic licensing program including negotiating deals with talent and agents across sports and entertainment properties.
- Generate KPI licensing reports for Sr Leadership team, which analyze current autograph status across entire trading card product portfolio and identify support needed for specific talent relationships.
- Act as the liaison between Topps, agents/marketing reps, signing representatives and All Topps’ Licensed Portfolios contacts for the coordination of signings.
- Work directly with brand teams to create/review product subject lists, provide guidance on talent relations, analyze procurement needs and manage operational deadlines.
- Communicate autograph procurement developments and ongoing issues to brand and operation teams.
- Work with Operations to plan and manage product production schedules.
- Spearheads strategy for optimizing autograph signings throughout the product calendar year.
- Act as point person for any autograph related questions across internal business units.
- Prioritize projects and card signings based on deadlines and milestone calendar dates.
- Spearhead talent activations and marketing/licensing events.
- Work cross functionally with marketing on talent social media activations.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree
- 5+ years of experience in related field (sports agency, sports marketing, athlete management) with an understanding of contractual elements and excellent negotiation skills
- Self-confident, energetic, pro-active, organized, highly detailed and goal oriented.
- Independent thinker, excellent judgement, and professional demeanor.
- Works well under pressure, able to meet tight deadlines and thrive in changing circumstances; enjoys a fast-paced environment.
- Team oriented with ability to interact with personnel across the organisation
- Strong passion and deep, comprehensive knowledge of football, football players across Europe
- Exceptional written and oral communication; proven ability to manage relationships
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications with focus on Excel
- Knowledge of Topps business and product lines
- Schedule flexibility for significant travel both on weekdays and weekends
Ensure your Fanatics job offer is legitimate and don’t fall victim to fraud. Fanatics never seeks payment from job applicants. Feel free to ask your recruiter for a phone call or other type of communication for interview, and ensure your communication is coming from a Fanatics or Fanatics Brand 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. For additional information on how we collect and use personal information in connection with your job application, review our Candidate Privacy Policy-CA
