Manager Athlete Services, South Africa

About the Role

The Athlete Services Manager is responsible for delivering a seamless, high-quality experience for athletes across the entire event journey, from registration and communications through to onsite support and post-event activities. The role leads and coordinates the Athlete Services team, reporting to the Director of Athlete Services and based in the Cape Town office. The postholder works closely with Operations, Project Management, Marketing, Partnerships, Timing, Medical, and other key stakeholders to ensure smooth event delivery. The position suits a confident, people-focused leader who can set clear priorities, maintain high service standards, and motivate the team to perform at their best.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing Athlete Services 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 behaviours and athlete-first mindset in daily decisions, team rituals, and onsite and offsite leadership presence, and build a culture of creativity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Partner cross-functionally to strengthen alignment, shared ownership, and consistency of experience across the event ecosystem.
• Manage team recruitment, performance evaluation, motivation, and day-to-day management, and take active ownership of team engagement, clarity of roles, and performance outcomes.
• Handle day-to-day athlete enquiries and services, including answering emails and phone calls, and prepare key customer service documentation for global approval.
• Work across IRONMAN events in EMEA and lead on cross-regional projects, contributing constructive input to team calls and initiatives such as office meetings, off-site department meetings, and Microsoft Teams meetings.
• Complete pre-, during, and post-event tasks to a high standard, including preparing Athlete Guides, maintaining the registration platform, and setting up new events.
• Plan and oversee the registration layout, build, and onsite running, including volunteer briefings, and lead on the race office.
• Work closely with the local federation, timing partner, and other partners to ensure the smooth execution of events, support the delivery of additional services for riders, and deal with all post-event related tasks.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree or vocational school qualification, ideally in administration, customer service, sport, or endurance/event business.
• 3-4 years' relevant experience in the sport event area or customer service.
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills.
• Strong administrative skills and high attention to detail, with meticulous planning and documentation required as the role is primarily desk-bound despite involving hands-on work at events.
• Strong customer service mindset with a calm, friendly, and positive demeanour.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Team player.
• Excellent computer skills in MS Office, especially Excel.
• Ability to travel and work at sports events on weekends.

Preferred Skills

• Enthusiasm for sport, with knowledge of triathlon, cycling, and trail preferred but not essential.

Workplace

Office-based in Cape Town, South Africa.

About the Company

Its purpose is to inspire people to unlock their greatest potential through sport, and through its BE ICONIC vision it is building the most loved brands, producing the world's most inspiring events, and fostering deeply engaged communities that change lives.

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