Regional Director

Regional Director

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.

The Regional Director serves as the representative of The IRONMAN Group within assigned markets, driving regional strategy, business development, and operational excellence. This role leads a team of Operations Managers and Race Directors to deliver world-class IRONMAN events that create life-changing experiences for athletes worldwide. As the operational and strategic leader of the region, the Regional Director holds ultimate responsibility for safe event execution, athlete experience outcomes, and financial results. The role carries full accountability for regional performance across safety, permits and compliance, risk management, operational delivery, and the regional P&L, ensuring profitability and alignment with the company's long-range plan. Additionally, the Regional Director fosters cross-functional collaboration and champions talent development across all levels.

Responsibilities & Duties

• Strategic Leadership
  • Define and execute regional strategy aligned with global objectives
  • Drive operational excellence and continuous improvement across all events
• Event Delivery
  • Ensure safe, high-quality execution of all IRONMAN events in the region
  • Oversee compliance with technical standards, procedures, and risk management protocols
• Safety & Critical Incident Support
  • Own the region's event safety strategy and ensure readiness across all venues, courses, and operating plans
  • Ensure compliance with all applicable safety requirements, permits, medical/EMS plans, and incident reporting standards
  • Lead critical incident response at events, including escalation, coordination with medical and public safety agencies, and communication to internal stakeholders
  • Oversee post-incident debriefs and corrective action plans; implement learnings across the regional portfolio to reduce risk and improve outcomes
• Financial Management
  • Own regional P&L performance, budgeting, and forecasting; partner closely with Finance to highlight key drivers of business performance
  • Monitor financial performance and implement cost optimization strategies
  • Proactive outreach to municipalities and vendors to enable efficient growth of the region (i.e., revenue is growing faster than costs)
  • Partner closely with Marketing and Finance to align course capacity and athlete sales targets
• Business Development
  • Identify and pursue opportunities for new events, acquisitions, and renewals
  • Support commercial growth initiatives in line with IRONMAN's long-range plan
• People Leadership, Culture & Performance
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team through clear expectations, regular feedback, and meaningful career conversations
  • 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
• Community Engagement
  • Foster positive and collaborative relationships with local communities, authorities, and stakeholders to ensure successful event integration and long-term partnerships
• Cross-Functional Alignment
  • Partner with global teams (Marketing, Athlete Services, Sponsorship, Medical, Security, and Communications, etc.) to ensure seamless event delivery
  • Act as the primary liaison between regional operations and corporate leadership

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Athlete experience: Net Promoter Score (NPS) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) tracked per event and rolled up to region-level performance
• Financial performance: EBITDA (actual vs budget/forecast) and budget adherence across the regional P&L
• Operational performance: on-time delivery of key milestones, incident rate/severity trends, and timely closure of corrective actions
• Readiness & compliance: permits secured by required deadlines and vendor/agency deliverables met to plan
• Stakeholder outcomes: partner/host city satisfaction and renewal readiness

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Sports Management, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 10+ years of experience in event operations, business development, or regional leadership roles
• Proven track record in P&L management and strategic planning
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing multi-site teams
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management abilities
• Passion for endurance sports and commitment to delivering exceptional athlete experiences
• Preferred: experience partnering with municipalities and public safety agencies (permitting, traffic plans, medical/EMS, security) and leading event-day incident escalation