Fanatics Commerce is the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, operating a vertically integrated platform that designs, manufactures, and delivers officially licensed apparel, jerseys, headwear, and collectibles for major leagues, teams, and events worldwide. With more than 900 e-commerce sites and a global omnichannel presence across digital, in-venue, and retail, Fanatics Commerce reaches fans in over 180 countries and powers official fan experiences for many of the world's most iconic sports properties.
At Fanatics, we bring our BOLD Leadership Principles to life every day - building championship teams, obsessing over fans, acting with entrepreneurial speed, and delivering with a determined and relentless mindset.
The Merchandise Planner is responsible for supporting the seasonal merchandise planning process by building bottoms-up plans, managing in-season forecasts, and reconciling open-to-buy targets across league and category portfolios. Working under the guidance of Senior Planners and Directors, this role partners with cross-functional teams including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain to drive accurate forecasting, assortment execution, and inventory health from preliminary tops-down plans through PO deadlines. The Merchandise Planner delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.
Success is measured by the ability to deliver results through BOLD capabilities and measurable outcomes.
Team & Leadership Impact (Build Championship Teams)
- Partner with Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain teams to align on seasonal financial targets, buy plans, and in-season performance priorities.
- Contribute to cross-functional calendar milestones — including plan decks, SIM inputs, and PO tracking — ensuring readiness for leadership reviews and decision-making.
- Develop growing independence in complex planning scenarios while actively seeking mentorship from Senior Planners and Directors to build expertise in merchandise planning tools and methodology.
Fan & Customer Impact (Obsessed with Fans)
- Ensure the right licensed product is available at the right time by maintaining inventory health and accurate demand forecasts across categories and leagues.
- Support post-event performance analysis (e.g., hot markets) to help the business respond quickly to fan demand signals and capitalize on peak moments.
- Contribute to assortment execution that delivers a compelling, fan-first product experience across digital, in-venue, and retail channels.
- Partner with Merchandising to reconcile sales forecasts and buy plans in support of a curated, fan-relevant assortment each season.
Innovation & Problem Solving (Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit)
- Identify opportunities to improve planning templates, vendor reconciliation processes, and open-to-buy models for greater accuracy and efficiency.
- Apply analytical insights and data-driven thinking to surface trends, flag risks, and recommend actions across sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics.
- Demonstrate curiosity in learning and adopting new merchandise planning tools and analytical approaches as the business scales.
- Contribute ideas to evolve planning processes that support agility and faster decision-making across the seasonal calendar.
Ownership & Execution (Determined & Relentless Mindset)
- Build and maintain bottoms-up financial and inventory plans by league and category, aligned to department targets and updated with in-season actuals.
- Manage in-season demand forecasting and update open-to-buy models to track and communicate sales, margin, and turn performance on a regular cadence.
- Prepare vendor plan templates, reconcile actuals, and update key deliverables to support accurate and timely plan delivery.
- Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously under tight deadlines, demonstrating increasing independence and accountability for outputs.
We are building a future-ready organization. This role is expected to:
- Apply AI and technology to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes
- Use data and digital tools to inform decisions and enhance performance
- Demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in adopting new technologies and ways of working
- Contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
Required Qualifications:
- 4–6 years of experience in merchandise or financial planning within retail, consumer products, or licensing.
- Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and merchandise planning tools; demonstrated ability to build and manage financial and inventory models.
- Proven knowledge of sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics and how they interact across the planning cycle.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deliverables simultaneously under deadlines, with increasing independence over time.
- Experience supporting vendor plan creation, including template preparation, actuals reconciliation, and deliverable management.
- Collaborative mindset with a growing ability to influence and communicate effectively with cross-functional partners including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain.
- Willingness to travel as needed for vendor or business reviews.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field required.
Hybrid: The primary place of performance of this role is the Company's office located in Jacksonville, FL or New York, NY, subject to the Company's current hybrid work policy. This role currently requires in-office presence 3 days per week.
At Fanatics, we operate with a BOLD mindset—We Build Championship Teams, we're Obsessed with Fans, we embrace a Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit, and we approach every challenge with a Determined & 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.
At Fanatics, we operate with a BOLD mindset - 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.
ABOUT US
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.
ABOUT THE TEAM
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, 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
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