Legal Operations and Contracts Manager

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.

Fanatics is seeking a Legal Operations and Contracts Manager to serve as a strategic partner to attorneys and business stakeholders by owning critical legal operations processes, optimizing legal technologies, and implementing AI-enabled solutions across the Legal department. This individual will have primary responsibility for contract lifecycle management, legal matter operations, reporting and analytics, and legal technology administration, independently assessing process challenges and leading cross-functional initiatives that improve efficiency and reduce risk. The Legal Operations and Contracts Manager delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

HOW WILL YOU DRIVE IMPACT

Success is measured by the ability to deliver results through BOLD capabilities and measurable outcomes.

Team & Leadership Impact (Build Championship Teams)

• Serve as a key point of contact and subject matter resource for internal stakeholders regarding legal processes, systems, and operational workflows, providing guidance and training to legal team members on department systems and best practices.
• Support and coordinate cross-functional initiatives involving Legal, Compliance, Procurement, IT, and other business partners, effectively influencing stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Support attorneys with complex document management, project coordination, and operational initiatives, serving as a trusted operational partner across multiple legal practice areas.

Fan & Customer Impact (Obsessed with Fans)

• Serve as a primary resource for internal stakeholders on contract-related processes, templates, and repository governance, ensuring timely and accurate responses to inquiries regarding contractual terms and obligations.
• Maintain matter management systems, legal records, and department tracking tools to ensure visibility into deadlines and workflow metrics that support seamless legal service delivery.
• Design and implement standardized processes and dashboards that improve operational effectiveness and decision-making across the Legal Department, enabling business partners to move with speed and confidence.
• Partner with Legal, IT, Compliance, and business stakeholders to implement system enhancements that improve the quality and responsiveness of legal services across the organization.

Innovation & Problem Solving (Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit)

• Evaluate opportunities to leverage automation and AI tools to modernize legal service delivery, streamline contract lifecycle management, and improve operational efficiency across legal workflows.
• Analyze contract volume, cycle times, and process trends to recommend improvements that increase throughput, reduce friction, and mitigate risk.
• Assess legal workflows across contracts, litigation, compliance, and regulatory functions to identify inefficiencies and design scalable, technology-enabled solutions.
• Develop and execute system governance, user training, and adoption strategies that embed new tools and ways of working into the Legal team's daily operations.

Ownership & Execution (Determined & Relentless Mindset)

• Manage the end-to-end contract lifecycle process, including intake, review routing, approvals, execution, repository management, and post-execution governance, exercising sound judgment across all stages.
• Manage the intake, triage, prioritization, routing, and tracking of legal requests across the department, determining appropriate workflows and escalation paths with minimal direction.
• Administer and maintain the legal team's technology platforms, defining governance standards and proactively recommending enhancements that improve legal service delivery.
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities within established workflows and lead change management efforts related to legal operations and technology implementation.

AI & DIGITAL CAPABILITY

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

CAPABILITIES & EXPERIENCE YOU BRING

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree required; Paralegal certification from an ABA-approved program preferred.
• 4-6 years of experience in legal operations, contract management, compliance, litigation support, or related legal functions, with demonstrated success managing complex processes and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong understanding of contract lifecycle management, legal workflows, and legal technology platforms, with hands-on experience in CLM platforms, matter management tools, e-signature systems, and document management solutions.
• Familiarity with AI tools and their application to legal operations and contract management processes, with experience implementing workflow automation, reporting, and analytics.
• Strong analytical, organizational, project management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and effectively influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion while managing competing priorities and resolving non-routine operational issues in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Experience designing and implementing standardized processes, dashboards, and reporting frameworks that improve visibility and operational effectiveness across a legal department.
• Experience supporting multiple legal practice areas in a high-growth, dynamic environment preferred.

WORK LOCATION:

Hybrid: The primary place of performance of this role is in one of the Company's offices located in either New York City, Atlanta, GA, Tampa, Jacksonville or Miramar, FL, subject to the Company's current hybrid work policy.  This role currently requires in office presence Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

The salary range represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation.  This salary range is specific to New York City and may not be applicable to other locations.  When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/

NYC Salary Range$96,000—$110,000 USD

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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