Senior Growth & Early Life Manager

Overview

Are you ready to shape the future of sports fan engagement on a global scale? Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform; with the Fanatics App positioned as the front door to fandom. Our vision is to connect with sports fans across their digital journey, creating a sense of community and shared passion. We're building an integrated, personalized, and immersive experience across all Fanatics businesses, igniting the power of sports to foster connections, inspire change, and drive community. We're a team that values collaboration, creativity, and the power of sport to unite people worldwide.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Growth & Early Life Manager to execute the strategy of growing and maximizing user value across the Fanatics Ecosystem. This role will own and operate Early Life and Refer A Friend programs in the Fanatics App to drive new user activation, engagement and retention, ensuring that acquisition translates to meaningful ecosystem value. You will manage early life cohorts, optimize onboarding and engagement journeys and build scalable growth loops partnering closely with Analytics and Product teams. 

The ideal candidate is a deeply data driven strategist, marketer and operator who understands that a users first early actions dictate their long term user value. 

Responsibilities

• Define and execute strategies to improve activation, engagement, and retention for new users. Identify key moments in the first 30 days (e.g., first FTP play, first purchase, cross-opco interaction) and optimize the journey to maximize ecosystem profit
• Own performance of cohorts acquired during key sporting moments and campaigns. Analyze cohort behavior by acquisition source, entry point, and timing to drive improvements in retention and monetization.
• Lead end-to-end RAF strategy, including incentive design, user experience, and scaling growth loops. Drive RAF as a meaningful and measurable contributor to incremental installs and high-value users.
• Map and refine the user journey from install through first action and repeat engagement. Partner with Product and CRM to remove friction and improve conversion across onboarding and early lifecycle stages.
• Track and report on activation rates, retention curves, and early-life ecosystem profit. Develop frameworks to evaluate cohort quality beyond installs, including engagement depth and cross opco value.
  
  

Qualifications

• 5 - 8+ years of experience in growth strategy, lifecycle marketing or product growth, preferably in mobile apps or consumer tech 
• Strong experience with cohort analysis, funnel optimization, and lifecycle strategy
• Proven track record improving activation and retention metrics
• Experience owning or scaling referral programs (RAF or similar) preferred
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in SQL, BI tools, and experimentation frameworks
• Ability to work cross-functionally across Product, Marketing, and Analytics
• Experience in sports, gaming, or marketplace ecosystems is a plus

Depending on the role, your interview and onboarding experience may include in-person components, such as onsite interviews or Launching into Better: LIVE—a multi-day cultural immersion in New York City for full-time, non-seasonal hires. These sessions are designed to build connection and bring our culture to life, though specific travel and participation requirements will be confirmed based on your role and location. Your recruiter will provide clear guidance at each stage of the process.

For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/