Buyer

At The IRONMAN Group, our purpose is clear: to inspire people to unlock their greatest potential through sport, pushing beyond limits to become the fullest expression of human achievement. Through our BE ICONIC vision, we are building the most loved brands, producing the world’s most inspiring events, and fostering deeply engaged communities that change lives. We aim to empower over a million athletes to cross a finish line each year and inspire a billion people worldwide through the power of the human spirit.

As part of our team, you’ll join a high-performance, caring culture where innovation thrives, communities are uplifted, and every achievement, big or small, is celebrated. You’ll help shape experiences that fill hearts, consume minds, and enrich souls. This is more than a job. It’s a chance to be part of a global movement, to lead from the front, and to leave a legacy. Together, we create moments that last a lifetime. The IRONMAN Group is the world's largest operator of mass participation sports, delivering over 200+ events a year across 55+ countries thanks to a passionate global team. For more information, visit .

Position Summary

The Buyer leads product selection, merchandising strategy, and seasonal timeline management for their assigned category within the IRONMAN merchandise business. This role owns the end-to-end assortment from concept and vendor selection through pricing, delivery, and in-season performance and is accountable for the revenue, margin, and athlete engagement results of their business.

The ideal candidate combines strong merchant instincts with disciplined project management, driving the calendar of decisions and deadlines that bring the right product to market at the right time. They partner cross-functionally with Planning, Product Development, Marketing, Operations, Logistics, and Event teams, and are supported by an Assistant Buyer who executes purchase order, shipment, and allocation activity on their behalf.

Key Responsibilities:

Product Selection & Merchandising Strategy

· Lead product selection for the category, choosing the styles, colors, and price points that best represent the IRONMAN brand and athlete.

· Develop and own the seasonal merchandising strategy, translating business objectives into a compelling, profitable assortment.

· Analyze sales trends, athlete insights, and market/competitive opportunities to inform selection decisions.

· Determine optimal product mix, pricing strategy, and vendor allocation across channels.

· Drive category performance against sales, gross margin, and inventory productivity targets.

Timeline & Calendar Management

· Own the seasonal buying calendar and all key milestone dates from concept through delivery.

· Set and enforce deadlines for product selection, vendor commitments, and order placement.

· Partner with Planning to align purchase timing with inventory and demand forecasts.

· Proactively identify and resolve risks to the calendar, escalating and course-correcting as needed.

· Direct the Assistant Buyer’s purchase order and shipment activity to keep the calendar on track.

Vendor Management & Negotiation

· Build and maintain strong vendor relationships that support long-term partnership and growth.

· Negotiate pricing, payment terms, minimum order quantities, and production lead times.

· Identify, evaluate, and onboard new vendors and product opportunities.

· Lead regular business reviews with vendor partners.

Performance Analysis

· Review weekly and monthly sales performance and translate findings into action.

· Identify opportunities to maximize sales, margin, and inventory productivity.

· Make in-season assortment and pricing recommendations.

· Support forecasting and inventory planning activities in partnership with Planning.

Event & Channel Support

· Partner with Event Operations to ensure assortments support event-specific needs.

· Collaborate with eCommerce teams to optimize online product offerings.

· Direct the Assistant Buyer on inventory allocation priorities across events, warehouses, and channels.

· Support onsite events as needed to gather athlete insights and improve future assortments.

People Leadership, Culture & Performance

· Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team through clear expectations, regular feedback, and meaningful career conversations.

· Foster a positive, inclusive, and safe environment where diverse perspectives are valued and team members can do their best work.

· Model IRONMAN’s BE ICONIC behaviors and athlete-first mindset in daily decisions, team rituals, and onsite/offsite leadership presence.

· Build a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement, encouraging experimentation and learning across events.

· Partner cross-functionally to strengthen alignment, shared ownership, and consistency of experience across the event ecosystem.

· Take active ownership of team engagement, clarity of roles, and performance outcomes.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Business, Retail Management, or related field.

· 4+ years of buying or merchandising experience.

· Strong understanding of retail mathematics, inventory management, and assortment planning.

· Demonstrated experience leading vendor relationships and negotiations.

· Exceptional organizational and project/timeline management skills.

· Advanced Excel and merchandising analytics capabilities.

Preferred

· Experience in sporting goods, apparel, lifestyle brands, or event retail.

· Experience in a multi-channel retail environment.

· Passion for endurance sports and active lifestyles.

Success Measures

· Revenue and gross margin performance.

· Inventory productivity and sell-through.

· Product selection quality and on-time delivery against the seasonal calendar.

· Vendor performance and cost management.

· Athlete satisfaction and merchandise conversion.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any protected characteristic under applicable law. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment in accordance with applicable law.

The above job description is not intended to be an “all inclusive” list of duties, responsibilities, skill and abilities, required to do the job. Rather, it is intended only to describe the general nature of the job and is a reasonable representation of its activities. Duties and responsibilities may evolve over time.