Director, Partnerships - Fanatics Events
Fanatics
About Fanatics Events
Fanatics is a global leader in licensed sports merchandise, collectibles, and fan experiences. Our newest platform, Fanatics Events, creates large-scale consumer festivals and live experiences that bring fans, athletes, and partners together.
Our flagship productions include Fanatics Fest– a first-of-its-kind multi-day fan festival currently hosted in New York City, combining sports, collectibles, athlete appearances, and immersive activations; and WWE World– a multi-day consumer event produced in partnership with WWE, bringing fans closer to superstars, storylines, and experiences during major tentpole weekends.
As we scale our live events business, we’re seeking a Partnerships Director to help architect and oversee sponsorship programs for our brand partners.
The Role
The Partnerships Director will lead sponsorship deal making from early-stage program design through post-sales fulfillment, with a primary focus on Fanatics Fest. This role will partner with operations, creative strategy, and advertising teams during the pre-sale process to confirm deal feasibility, then oversees fulfillment with a strict eye on margin. Beyond Fanatics Fest, the Director could also lead sponsor coordination for events such as WWE World and other partner-driven events, ensuring consistency and excellence across the Fanatics Events portfolio.
What You'll Do:
- Pre-Sale Support
- Partner with operations, creative strategy, and advertising teams to qualify sponsorship opportunities.
- Create and enforce Deal Term Outlines to ensure operational alignment and profitability.
- Fulfillment Leadership
- Oversee execution of sponsorship deliverables.
- Lead fulfillment planning with strict attention to cost efficiency.
- Define and enforce deadlines for asset collection, approvals, and trafficking.
- Cross-Functional Management
- Coordinate with Ops, Marketing, Talent, Legal, and Finance to ensure feasibility and deal term alignment.
- Lead communications with vendors and contractors (agencies, Javits Center etc.)
- Team Leadership
- Coach & mentor Partnerships Manager(s) and other support staff.
- Influence scalable fulfillment processes and tools (dashboards, trackers, comms protocols).
- On-Site Leadership
- Oversee Partnership Manager(s) and assigned sponsor integrations/activations on-site; resolve issues in real time.
- Continuous Improvement
- Capture event learnings to improve/inform future Event strategy.
What We're Looking For:
- 8–12 years of experience in brand partnerships, sponsorship fulfillment, or live event operations; experience leading multi-million-dollar event portfolios required.
- Proven ability to translate commercial deals into operational reality
- Strong background in live event production or large-scale experiential activations; experience with major convention centers (e.g., Javits Center) strongly preferred.
- Demonstrated success managing cross-functional teams and agency/vendor relationships under tight timelines.
- Skilled in budget planning and margin management, with a history of delivering projects on time and on budget.
- Excellent communicator with executive presence; able to represent Fanatics with external partners, vendors, and clients.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office/Google Workspace.
- Comfortable in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment and motivated by solving complex logistical challenges.
- Willingness to travel and work on-site during major event weeks (including weekends, as needed).
The salary range for this position is $145,000 to $155,000, which represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training.