Job Description

🎀 Welcome to Sanrio! 🎀

Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for pop icon Hello Kitty. We’re also home to an endearing cast of characters, including the newly crowned #1 favorite Pompompurin, alongside Cinnamoroll, Pochacco, Kuromi, and many more. Since 1960, our “small gift, big smile” philosophy has inspired a World of delight—where even the tiniest token can spark happiness and an enduring connection.

Hello Kitty is heading to the ballpark, the arena, the pitch, and beyond. ⚾🏀⚽🏒🏈

Sanrio North America is looking for a Brand Sports Collaborations & Events Manager to lead the planning and execution of Sanrio’s growing portfolio of sports collaborations across major professional leagues, including MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and NFL .

This role sits within the Brand Development team and serves as the central owner of Sanrio’s sports collaborations—bringing Hello Kitty and friends to life through unforgettable game-day moments, fan experiences, and collaborative storytelling. This is experiential marketing, not traditional sponsorship.

🎯 What You’ll Do

🏟️ Sports Collaborations & Event Execution

• Own end-to-end execution of Sanrio sports collaborations, including themed game nights, in-venue activations, and fan experiences
• Serve as the primary point of contact for league and team marketing partners
• Manage timelines, approvals, assets, budgets, and on-site execution from concept through post-event wrap

🔄 Integrated Project Management & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Act as the central project lead, aligning Brand, Creative, Content, Social, PR, Influencer, Licensing, and Character Appearance teams
• Build and manage detailed project plans, timelines, and run-of-show documents
• Lead cross-functional working sessions, status updates, and post-event recaps
• Proactively identify risks, dependencies, and solutions to keep projects on track

🎨 Brand, Content & Fan Engagement

• Partner with Creative, Content, PR, and Social teams to develop integrated storytelling before, during, and after each event
• Coordinate on-site content capture and character appearances to maximize moments across owned and earned channels
• Serve as the on-site brand lead, ensuring all fan-facing executions align with Sanrio’s brand standards and tone

🧸 Licensing & Internal Collaboration

• Partner closely with Licensing to align merchandise programs, promotional items, and concessions with each collaboration
• Coordinate with Legal, Finance, and Operations on agreements, budgets, approvals, and compliance

🎤 Vendor & Production Management

• Lead sourcing and oversight of external vendors, event production agencies, and on-site support teams
• Manage scopes of work, timelines, and budgets to deliver best-in-class execution
• Serve as the primary external partner contact for large-scale and marquee activations

🚀 Program Development & Optimization

• Build scalable processes, playbooks, and toolkits for repeatable sports collaborations
• Track performance metrics, fan engagement, and partner feedback
• Identify opportunities to evolve activations and grow Sanrio’s sports presence

🤝 Relationship Management

• Build strong, long-term relationships with leagues and teams rooted in creative collaboration
• Represent Sanrio as a brand ambassador, ensuring thoughtful and consistent brand representation across all partnerships

🌟 Why This Role Is Special

• You’ll own iconic sports moments, not just manage decks
• You’ll work across major leagues and marquee events
• You’ll shape how a global brand shows up for fans in real life
• You’ll blend experiential marketing and sports culture in one role

If you’re energized by live events, love cross-functional leadership, and want to bring a beloved global brand into the heart of sports fandom—we’d love to meet you. 💖⚾

📚🤝✨ What do YOU bring to the table (AKA: Requirements, Skills & Attributes:)

✅ Required

• 4–6 years of experience in sports marketing, brand collaborations, experiential marketing, or live events
• Proven track record executing large-scale, multi-market events or brand activations from concept to on-site delivery
• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills with both internal stakeholders and external partners
• Willingness to travel as needed to support live events and on-site execution

🌟 Preferred (Nice to Have, Not a Must)

• Experience working directly with professional sports teams or leagues
• Background in entertainment, lifestyle, or consumer brands
• Experience managing external vendors, agencies, or event production partners
• Familiarity with merchandise programs, promotional items, or fan-facing activation
• Background in entertainment, lifestyle, or consumer brands
• Experience managing external vendors, agencies, or event production partners
• Familiarity with merchandise programs, promotional items, or fan-facing activations

🎯 Bonus Points If You…

• Thrive in fast-moving, high-visibility environments
• Consider yourself to be personality PLUS, love live events, and don’t panic when timelines shift
• Can balance creative ambition with operational discipline
• Understand that the fan experience is the brand

👉 Apply now and help bring Hello Kitty to the game.

🌈 Additional Details

This is a hybrid position, requiring on-site presence 2–3 days per week at our Torrance, CA office. You must already be living in Southern California; out-of-state candidates will not be considered .

*Candidates must have reliable transportation🚗.

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount at Sanrio.com
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• 100% Paid Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Salary: $100,000-$110,000 per year

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