Merchandise Manager, APAC
The IRONMAN Group · South Melbourne, VIC, AUS
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 .
We are seeking a highly motivated individual for the position of Merchandise Manager, reporting to the Senior Manager, Merchandise, IRONMAN, and based in our Melbourne office. This is a permanent, full-time role requiring regular travel to events, the IRONMAN Melbourne warehouse and other locations across Oceania.
The Opportunity:
As Merchandise Manager, you will play a pivotal role in bringing the IRONMAN retail experience to life across Oceania. Leading the end-to-end delivery of event merchandise stores, you will oversee store operations, ecommerce, inventory management, warehouse activities and logistics to ensure seamless execution at every event.
Combining commercial acumen with a passion for customer experience, you will drive sales through compelling visual merchandising, strong product knowledge and operational excellence. You will lead and develop merchandise team members and temporary event staff while collaborating closely with Operations, Event Services, Marketing and Partnerships to deliver world-class athlete and customer experiences. You will also contribute innovative product, signage and store concepts that reflect evolving market trends and align with global brand and visual merchandising standards.
Responsibilities & Duties:
Ecommerce Management
- Manage ecommerce and registration-platform operations for the assigned brand, including products, collections, images, sales reporting and execution of the global ecommerce strategy.
- Oversee online-store order fulfilment across all Oceania ecommerce platforms.
- Assist with warehouse inventory pulls from the IRONMAN Melbourne Warehouse for event and online-store purchases, including pick-and-pack for events and pick-and-post for online orders.
- Work with freight forwarders on inbound and outbound shipments, including following up on customs documentation as required.
- Manage the logistics of products and containers being sent to and from assigned events.
Store Operations
- Take full accountability for assigned events, including budget management, invoice submission, store setup, operating hours, applicable sales tax, trailer pack-down, equipment rentals and documentation for senior-management review.
- Take full accountability for stores within the assigned brand, including trailer movements, store oversight, load plans, signage, fixture purchasing, supply maintenance and equipment rentals.
- Drive store sales through visual merchandising, a customer-first mindset and strong product knowledge.
- Execute store setup, including building fixtures and placing products.
- Maintain visually appealing stores through strong housekeeping and appropriate product levels.
- Promote excellent customer service by ensuring the team greets and assists customers and handles enquiries and complaints professionally.
- Recruit, hire and train temporary on-site staff, including managing required paperwork and payroll documentation.
- Operate the POS system and liaise with retail planning and technical support teams.
- Handle cash, deposits and end-of-day reconciliation, liaising with the Finance team as required.
- Achieve shrink targets through product checks, cycle counting and loss-prevention strategies.
- Prepare detailed event-store debriefs for post-event recap meetings.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
General Responsibilities
- Create product and signage designs in-house or through an external designer.
- Ensure store fixtures and signage across all brands are kept up to date and meet global visual standards.
- Manage and update training resources and processes for staff and products at events and warehouses across Oceania.
- Oversee customer-service situations at events and online by responding promptly to customer needs, seeking feedback to improve service and handling difficult situations professionally.
- Research products and develop concepts aligned with market trends.
- Undertake additional work as required from time to time.
Culture
- Contribute to a positive, inclusive, and respectful team environment by demonstrating professionalism, accountability, and collaboration in all interactions.
- Embrace IRONMAN’s BE ICONIC mindset by bringing an athlete-first perspective, taking ownership of work, and showing pride in delivering exceptional experiences.
- Communicate openly and constructively with teammates and cross-functional partners to support efficient execution and problem solving.
- Demonstrate adaptability and a continuous improvement mindset, learning from each event and contributing ideas to improve processes and experiences.
- Act as a culture carrier onsite and offsite, recognizing that individual behaviors directly shape the athlete, volunteer, and team experience.
Qualifications/Experience:
- Retail or customer-service experience; experience in the apparel and/or events industry is advantageous.
- Excellent customer-service skills, including the ability to manage difficult or emotional situations, respond promptly, solicit feedback and provide effective assistance.
- Strong coaching and people-management capability.
- Clear and effective communication, strong interpersonal skills and a high level of integrity.
- Ability to work independently to tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality results.
- Excellent organisational, time-management and attention-to-detail skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and perform under pressure.
- Energetic, personable, adaptable and team-oriented, with a strong results and performance focus.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
- Current valid driver’s licence and passport.
- Current First Aid Certificate and Working with Children Check, or the ability to obtain them.
- A High Risk Work Licence is advantageous.
- Ability to travel extensively and work weekends and extended hours as required.
Physical & Equipment Requirements:
- Ability to manoeuvre around the sales floor and stockroom, hang and fold merchandise, and lift or carry up to 15 kg.
- Ability to build and position store fixtures, handle products and materials, and support event-store setup and pack-down.
- Ability to perform manual handling tasks, including bending, stooping, twisting and reaching.
- Ability to remain stationary and/or move around event and warehouse locations for extended periods, including during long event days.
- Ability to work in warehouses, indoor venues and outdoor event environments, including varying weather conditions and uneven surfaces.
- Ability to operate or assist with POS systems, basic store equipment, tools and event equipment as required.
- Extended workdays, weekends and travel are required while attending assigned events.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to any protected characte