Planner, Athlete Partnerships

About the Company

Fanatics operates a global digital sports platform designed to deepen the connection between fans and the teams, athletes, and leagues they follow. Its ecosystem spans commerce, collectibles, and betting, giving fans ways to buy licensed merchandise, collect trading cards and memorabilia, and engage with sports through betting products. The company works with a broad network of sports properties, athletes, celebrities, and retail partners, and is powered by a large global workforce focused on improving the fan experience.

About the Team

The Fanatics Collectibles group sits at the crossroads of collectibles, culture, and technology. Supported by major investors and sports and entertainment partners, the team is building a leading global collectibles business within the wider Fanatics platform.

Role Overview

The Planner, Athlete Partnerships role centers on organizing signings involving athletes, celebrities, and other public figures for Fanatics Collectibles. This position serves as the main coordination point among talent, agencies, representatives, internal teams, and Fanatics Collectibles staff for securing autographs used in trading card products. The role requires close collaboration with Product Development, Project Management, Operations, Finance, e-Commerce, Marketing, and external witnesses and partners to make sure autograph procurement fits production schedules and launch timelines.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate autograph signings by serving as the primary contact between Fanatics Collectibles and agents, athletes, and other talent representatives.
• Work with witness representatives and team or player contacts to manage signing logistics.
• Develop and refine strategies that improve autograph planning across the yearly product calendar.
• Partner with Project Management to map out product timelines, production plans, and critical release deadlines.
• Balance multiple card signing projects at once while keeping milestone dates on track.
• Run weekly cross-functional meetings with Brand, Project Management, and Athlete Partnerships stakeholders.
• Review product checklists with Product Development to confirm autograph needs.
• Coordinate with Accounts Payable so contracted parties are paid promptly for signing work.
• Support the vendor onboarding portal and share feedback and recommendations for better process execution and efficiency.
• Make sure inventory receipts are recorded correctly and expenses are assigned to the right general ledger accounts.
• Work with Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Brand teams to carry out contract obligations and payment requirements.
• Maintain autograph agreement records, individual player contracts, and tax details needed for 1099 processing in line with IRS rules.
• Monitor compliance with contract commitments to ensure all services are completed as agreed.
• Build and sustain strong relationships with agents, marketing representatives, teams, and other industry contacts.
• Coordinate talent activations along with marketing and licensing events.
• Partner with Product Development on relic purchases and the resulting inventory process.
• Track inbound and outbound shipments of autographed items each day.
• Serve as the point of contact with shipping partners, including FedEx, for shipment tracking questions.
• Use the shipping database to request trading card shipments.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree is preferred.
• Background in a related area such as sports or project management is required.
• Applicants should be confident, energetic, proactive, highly organized, and exceptionally detail-focused.
• Comfort in a fast-moving environment is essential, along with the ability to perform well under pressure, work to tight deadlines, and adapt to changing priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills are necessary.
• Good working knowledge of Excel and other Microsoft Office tools is needed.
• Strong enthusiasm for the NBA and a solid understanding of the league would be an advantage.

Additional Information

Fanatics states that legitimate job offers will never require payment from applicants. Candidates are encouraged to verify communication through a Fanatics email address ending in @collectfanatics.com and may request a phone call or another direct interview method for confirmation. Where possible, applications should be submitted through the company careers site. By applying, candidates agree to the terms of service and confirm they have reviewed the Candidate Privacy Policy.