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Fanatics

China-based licensed sports merchandise retailer

Executive Recruiter - Talent Strategist

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/2/2026
$188.8k - $220k/yr
Expert
New York, NY, USA
In Person
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship

About the job

Requirements
  • At least 10 years of talent acquisition experience, with most of that experience focused on executive and VP+ recruiting and a track record of relationship management and proactively identifying talent.
  • Experience managing executive search firm relationships and partnering effectively with retained search firms.
  • Deep expertise in LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Talent Insights, including independently mapping executive talent markets and building candidate slates.
  • Executive presence and communication skills to engage C-suite stakeholders and represent the talent acquisition function at senior levels.
  • An established executive network built on credibility, trust, and long-term professional relationships, with experience developing and leveraging those relationships for future hiring needs.
  • Experience with AI recruiting tools and curiosity about deploying them in executive search.
  • High emotional intelligence, discretion, adaptability, and flexibility.
  • Based in New York City, with deep market knowledge and an existing network across the city's sports, media, consumer, or technology ecosystem.
Responsibilities
  • Own, evolve, and grow the top-performer referral program by cultivating referral sources, expanding their networks across Fanatics Collectibles, and maintaining a high program standard.
  • Manage executive referrals from initial contact through disposition, ensuring each is tracked and remains engaged throughout the process.
  • Build, maintain, and continuously strengthen a curated, active bench of relationship-managed leaders across key functions through ongoing relationship development and market mapping.
  • Maintain executive referral data in Greenhouse CRM, including tagged profiles, current stages, and logged outreach.
  • Provide weekly reporting to talent acquisition and business leadership on strategic-network talent, including completed screens, hiring-manager conversations, extended offers, and pipeline disposition.
  • Own full-cycle recruiting for selected executive roles across non-technical functions at Fanatics Collectibles, from kickoff through close, using established pipelines and relationships to accelerate searches.
  • Partner with C-suite and senior leaders to understand role requirements, success profiles, and the cultural bar for leadership hires.
  • Maintain an active executive talent bench by function through regular relationship touchpoints.
  • Manage executive search firm partnerships with Finance by scoping engagement terms, setting expectations, overseeing deliverables, and holding firms accountable to hiring standards and timelines; determine when to conduct a search through personal networks and when to engage a retained partner.
  • Use LinkedIn Recruiter and LinkedIn Talent Insights to map executive talent markets, identify movement signals, and build targeted candidate slates.
  • Conduct executive-level screens and assessments and present candidates to senior stakeholders with polished, well-briefed presentations.
  • Lead complex offer negotiations and manage executive onboarding transitions in partnership with People Operations.
  • Manage the executive talent bench as a strategic organizational asset by maintaining relationships with senior leaders across key functions and tracking their movement, motivation, and availability.
  • Expand the network through referral sources, former colleagues, search-firm contacts, industry events, and New York City's sports and media community; use LinkedIn Talent Insights and AI tools to create market maps and competitive intelligence that inform search strategy and surface additional candidates.
  • Share executive talent signals and bench updates regularly with talent acquisition and business leadership, proactively surfacing notable candidates, movement, and opportunities for leaders to engage the bench.

About the company

Fanatics China is a joint venture between Fanatics Inc. and Hillhouse Capital that localizes and scales licensed sports merchandise for China. It designs, manufactures, and markets fan gear for Chinese consumers, operating a multi-channel model that includes building and running e-commerce sites for global leagues and teams, exploring online marketplaces, and developing physical retail concepts. Its product workflow combines technology, data, and on-demand manufacturing to manage the entire supply chain, enabling fast response to demand. The company differentiates itself through a China-focused approach backed by Hillhouse’s network and investments, its end-to-end vertical commerce model, and partnerships with hundreds of sports organizations, which together help it navigate China’s complex retail landscape. The goal is to satisfy a previously underserved Chinese market for licensed sports merchandise by creating localized products and channels that connect fans with official gear.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

Growth Equity (Venture Capital)

Total Funding

$5.2B

Headquarters

Huangpu, China

Founded

1995

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What believers are saying

  • Fanatics signed exclusive 2026 NFL event-retail rights across Super Bowl and Draft.
  • Fanatics and FIFA expanded into trading cards, stickers, and trading-card games on May 7, 2026.
  • Hong Kong's Hysan Place concept store opened April 6, 2026, proving Asia expansion.

What critics are saying

  • Fanatics is closing Riverview, Florida, distribution center, cutting 286 jobs by July 31, 2026.
  • Fanatics still depends on league licenses; Panini remains entrenched until FIFA transitions in 2031.
  • Losing NFL, MLB, or FIFA renewals would cripple Fanatics' vertically integrated model.

What makes Fanatics unique

  • Fanatics controls design, manufacturing, e-commerce, and on-site retail across major leagues.
  • Topps and Fanatics won FIFA collectibles rights beginning 2031.
  • Hillhouse-backed Fanatics China localizes merchandise for Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.

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Benefits

Work Life Balance - At Fanatics we place our focus on results and empowerment and encourage you to enjoy your time on and OFF the field with our competitive time off policies.

Recognition and Rewards Program - Fanatics values our internal fans too! Our programs are designed to thank and reward Fanatics athletes for their hard work and commitment to winning as a team.

Company Sponsored Events - From breakfast to happy hour and every hour in between – Fanatics employees can enjoy time together at one of our many company events.

Fanatics.com Employee Discount - As an employee you will receive a special discount on all of your favorite sports merchandise and memorabilia.

Give Back - Fanatics cares about the fans around us. We encourage you to partner up with your teammates in giving back and serving the communities where we work and play.

Meet & Greets - You never know who will show up to the office. You might just meet one of your all-time favorite athletes.

Invest in You - Here at Fanatics we want you to accomplish your goals. We offer tuition reimbursement.

Healthy Lifestyle - Fanatics cares about helping and supporting our teams in their busy lifestyles. Through wellness relationships with fitness and weight management partners we are here to support you in whatever your lifestyle goals.

Wellness Coverage - Your health is important to you – and it’s important to us too! We offer a number of benefit plan options for convenience and flexibility.

Financial Security - Through our plans, Fanatics offers you a way to budget for health care expenses that you’d typically pay for out of pocket.

Retirement - The sooner you begin planning for your retirement, the better. Fanatics offers generous plans to help you prepare for the future.

Network of Support - Fanatics understands that sometimes you may need someone in your corner. Through the Life Assistance Program, you and your family have access to support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Fanatics Family First - Afterall we are #OneFanatics. Put your family first with our paid maternity and paternity leave program, or take advantage of our infertility treatment reimbursement program to get the support you need while you try to grow your family.

IDEA - We invite you to join one of our Employee Resource groups, or celebrate and honor what’s most important to you through our IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equality & Advocacy) floating holiday. We recognize diversity helps foster innovation, and people perform better when they can be themselves. Gender Affirmation Treatment reimbursement is available to employees.

Company News

CNBC
Sep 30th, 2025
Scorability raises $40M to transform recruiting

Scorability, a sports tech platform, raised $40 million in funding led by Bluestone Equity Partners, with participation from Fanatics and others. The startup, founded in 2023 by Brian Cruver, aims to modernize college sports recruiting. It has 1.2 million athletes and 3,000 college sports program users. Scorability is free for athletes, while colleges pay $10k-$40k annually. The platform simplifies recruitment by providing comprehensive data and AI-driven tools for coaches.

Instagram
Aug 25th, 2025
Black Sports Business Symposium on Instagram: "Day one of #BlackSportsBiz launched the inaugural @BlackSportsWallStreet + @Pitch.Black.Sports, presented by @Fanatics, while also featuring @CariChampion, Eli Kumekpor, @RyanHoward_006 and @1JeremiahBrown! 🎤🛍️ Congrats to @Reel_Analytics for winning Pitch Black Sports! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Cory and his team. 📈 🎥: @travisellisonproductions @aumemedia"

417 likes, 21 comments - blacksportsbiz on May 30, 2024: "Day one of #BlackSportsBiz launched the inaugural @BlackSportsWallStreet + @Pitch.Black.Sports, presented by @Fanatics, while also featuring @CariChampion, Eli Kumekpor, @RyanHoward_006 and @1JeremiahBrown! 🎤🛍️ Congrats to @Reel_Analytics for winning Pitch Black Sports! We can’t wait to see what’s next for Cory and his team. 📈 🎥: @travisellisonproductions @aumemedia".

Wall Street Journal
Dec 8th, 2024
WSJ News Exclusive | Fanatics Valuation Rises to $18 Billion as It Plans to Expand Sports Offerings

Fanatics raised a new round of funding valuing the online sports-merchandise retailer at $18 billion, people familiar with the matter said, roughly tripling its valuation from a year ago.

Sports Yahoo
Sep 12th, 2024
Fanatics Launching Events Division With Investment From IMG

Fanatics is launching a new events vertical, in partnership with IMG, to capitalize on the company’s growing suite of business ventures, including merchandise, memorabilia, fashion, music, trading cards and sports betting. Starting next year, Fanatics Events will create fan festivals that feature athletes and brands from across the industry, including those in the Fanatics orbit. […]

Fanatics, Inc.
Sep 12th, 2024
History — Fanatics Inc

What began as a single e-commerce deal in 2002 has grown into a mobile-first, tech and data-fueled consumer brand, built to satisfy global fans who purchase gear in-the-moment when passion is burning highest. Fanatics provides the ultimate shopping experience to sports fans whether buying gear onlin