The posting
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 Collectibles is a new company operating at the intersection of collectibles, culture, and technology. Backed by world-class investors, operators, and sports & entertainment partners, we are building the global leader in next-generation collectibles. As part of the broader Fanatics ecosystem, we leverage a digital sports platform that spans over 900 sports properties and engages more than 81 million fans. Together, we are reimagining every part of the collectibles experience for fans, partners, and creators.
Role Summary
Fanatics Collectibles is seeking a Trade Marketing Manager to help accelerate the growth of Topps trading card products in Japan. In this role, you will turn retail data into commercial action - using convenience store point-of-sale (POS) data as a core source of insight to shape how we plan, launch, distribute, and promote our products.
Reporting to the Marketing Director (Japan) and working in close partnership with the Sales Director (Japan) and the broader Japan team, you will serve as a hub connecting Sales, Marketing, Product, retailers, and distributors/wholesalers - translating shopper and sales insights into practical strategies that improve sell-through, expand distribution, optimize trade investment, and strengthen partnerships. This role is equal parts analyst and operator, suited for someone who can move fluidly between reading the data and driving action on the shelf.
Key Responsibilities
POS Data & Consumer Insights
- Own the analysis of convenience store POS data, including sales by SKU, price point, promotional period, time of day, store, and region.
- Translate data into clear insights on shopper behavior, category trends, product performance, and commercial opportunities.
- Build recurring reports and dashboards that provide stakeholders with a consistent view of sell-through, distribution, promotion performance, and emerging risks.
- Convert insights into actionable recommendations for product, pricing, promotion, assortment, distribution, messaging, and timing.
Trade Strategy & Retail Execution
- Develop POS-backed trade marketing plans covering assortment, pricing, promotion, shelf space, and in-store execution.
- Partner with Sales and retail customers to improve store-level execution, shopper conversion, and product sell-through.
- Plan and develop point-of-sale marketing materials - such as in-store visuals, video content, and POPs - that translate Sales and cross-functional needs into assets that drive sell-through at the shelf, partnering with marketing agencies from concept through delivery.
- Act as the brand gatekeeper on the front lines of Sales - reviewing and providing guidance on sales assets developed by retail partners to ensure brand consistency and guideline compliance.
- Build close working relationships with retailers and hobby shops - partnering with the Sales team to bring in-store events and activations to life where opportunities arise.
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Serve as the central connection point across Sales, Marketing, and Product, ensuring that plans are grounded in data and translated into coordinated execution.
- Work closely with retailers and distributors/wholesalers, using POS insights to support category management, demand forecasting, allocation, fill rate, and mutually beneficial growth plans.
Product, Assortment & Distribution
- Provide Product teams with evidence-based input on product concepts, packaging, assortment, performance, and the future product roadmap for Japan.
- Identify opportunities to place the right products in the right stores, expanding productive distribution while minimizing inventory risk.
Planning, Investment & Performance
- Support annual commercial and category planning by developing customer- and channel-specific growth strategies.
- Evaluate promotional and trade investments using data, recommending where to allocate resources to deliver stronger returns.
- Track key performance indicators, prepare post-activity reviews, and recommend actions that increase sell-through, distribution, and profitability.
What We're Looking For
Experience
- 5+ years of experience in trade marketing, category management, sales planning, commercial strategy, or a related role - within FMCG, consumer products, retail, or another data-driven industry.
- Hands-on experience analyzing POS, sell-out, or retail scan data and converting findings into commercial recommendations and in-store actions.
- Proven experience working with major retailers and distributors/wholesalers - convenience store experience in Japan is strongly preferred.
- Experience collaborating across Sales, Marketing, Product, and regional or global teams in a matrixed organization.
Skills & Attributes
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in both Japanese and English.
- Strong analytical capability, with advanced proficiency in Excel and experience using business intelligence, dashboard, or reporting tools.
- Structured thinker who can move from complex data to a clear insight, recommendation, and execution plan.
- Commercially minded collaborator who can influence internal teams and build productive, win-win relationships with customers and partners.
- Hands-on and able to thrive in ambiguity - not every process here has an established playbook, and we're looking for someone who can make judgment calls with incomplete information and find satisfaction in figuring things out along the way.
- Genuine passion for sports and collectibles is a must - paired with strong curiosity about shoppers, retail execution, and what drives category growth.
The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.
Subject to applicable laws, Fanatics Collectibles may choose to run a background check.
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