The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll® Running Series, IRONKIDS®, World Triathlon Championship Series, Epic Series™ mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, road cycling events including UTMB®, and other multisport races.
The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually with the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with hundreds of events across 55+ countries. For more information about The IRONMAN Group visit: www.ironman.com.
At The IRONMAN Group, our mission is to celebrate the power of the human spirit, fulfill dreams and uplift communities by organizing world-class events and extraordinary VIP athletic experiences, globally. We accomplish this through our amazing staff across the globe who are committed to our core values - Heart, Excellence, Ambition, Respect and Teamwork (HEART).
GENERAL SUMMARY:
This position is responsible for enhancing the overall athlete village experience at IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events around the world. The role will serve as the global lead with complete dedication to this necessary initiative, with the goal to create a functional and enjoyable village experience for all athletes that reflects well with post-race satisfaction. The position will have regional leads reporting into it to ensure global consistency and implementation. The candidate should be creative and adaptable, working to enhance all aspects of the IRONMAN Village to include but not limited to: design / layout creation, standardization, research & vision, programming, staffing & logistics. The enhancements being developed will serve four main pillars of Village Experience: Attract, Provide, Engage and Educate/Retain our athletes and endurance community.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities:
- Global lead for the IRONMAN Village Enhancement Initiative – ensuring all regions are operating consistently to create a positive athlete and customer experience.
- Day-to-day management of the Regional Village Experience leads.
- Work collaboratively with various team members across multiple regions to achieve goals and ensure seamless planning for regional events.
- Maintaining and implementing standard best practices of IRONMAN Village operations to enhance the athlete and customer experience. Also responsible for developing workflows to ensure all standards are checked off across all events.
- Long range planning to include tiering/prioritizing events and determining which markets should receive further enhanced benefits in future years.
- Budget management of the Village Enhancement budgets, including working with regional leads on any region-specific village budget items such as CapEx purchases.
- Collaborate with regional activation teams to develop IRONMAN Village layouts in the most advantageous way to ensure a positive experience for attendees. This will also require close collaboration with many internal teams including Athlete Services, Merchandise, Marketing, Partnerships and others.
- Research other outside events and continue to learn ‘best practices’ to continually enhance the IRONMAN Village experience. This may include attending other events as needed.
- Create a detailed programming schedule for the IRONMAN Village stage. Coordinate with sponsors, coaches, entertainment and others to further improve the programming effort.
- Work creatively on staffing initiatives to ensure resources are being used efficiently.
- Collaborate closely with regional logistical teams on best way to execute enhancements and transport across the series. (i.e. – purchase assets vs renting, what events receive what assets, etc.)
- Work closely with various signage providers and activation agencies to learn best practices and have full understanding of offerings for potential village additions. Emphasis on event photo opportunities.
- Focus on the creation and implementation of the ‘Village Lounge’ – an engaging key component of the IRONMAN Village to further improve the athlete and customer experience.
- Attend a select number of events in North America and Europe, as well as events in Oceania and Asia Region to ensure all enhancements are activated successfully.
- Review global athlete survey data on IRONMAN Village to receive ongoing athlete and customer feedback in each of the regions. Use feedback to adjust future activations and best practices.
Education and work experience:
- Bachelor's degree (B.A.) from four-year college or university; or five to seven years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience in Marketing or Business/Management related.
- Willingness and ability to travel to selected events and able to work a flexible schedule, to include weekends and holidays as required.
Skills and knowledge:
- At least five years of marketing or event coordinating/activation experience.
- Able to work a flexible schedule that sometimes includes long hours, weekends and holidays.
- Must be able to travel (domestic & international) on an as needed basis. Expectations should be (10-15) weeklong trips per year.
- Able to lift 25lbs – 50lbs.
- Able to walk/stand on feet for long periods of time.
- Excellent organizational, leadership, and interpersonal communication.
- Clear and conceptual thinking ability is a plus.
- Excellent judgment and discretion; ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously, meet deadlines, and handle work-related stress is required.
- Friendly, courteous, service-oriented, professional, outgoing, and customer service oriented.
- Remain calm and professional in stressful situations.
- Detail-oriented and work effectively under pressure while meeting all applicable deadlines.
- Must be able to work independently and productively with minimum supervision.
- Recognize problems, identify possible causes and resolve routine problems.
- Ability to establish and maintain a professional atmosphere for employees, clients and customers.
The above declarations are not intended to be an “all inclusive” list of duties and responsibilities of the job described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the job and are a reasonable representation of its activities.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.