Category Manager - Sports

Responsibilities

As Category Manager for Sports at Triumph, you'll own the sports book: the portfolio of vendor relationships and purchasing activity behind inventory acquisition for one of our most established categories. Reporting directly to the Head of Procurement and New Vertical Strategy, you'll own the full sports purchasing motion from allocating weekly spend against inventory pressure to selecting which product we stock, negotiating pricing, and deepening our vendor network as the category scales.

This is an execution-driven role with real capital consequence. The book already exists and moves real volume. You'll be accountable for its growth and health, and your decisions on what we buy and at what cost flow directly into product margin. This role is based in our Mountain View office, with regular travel to our San Francisco office alongside the team.

What You'll Do

• Own the sports book, growing it in line with direction from the Head of Procurement and maintaining its health across composition, cost basis, and vendor mix.

• Execute weekly vendor allocations against current inventory pressure, directing spend toward the products and price points where inventory is thinnest.

• Select product across the category, deciding which players, sets, years, and price tiers we carry based on sell-through, margin, and market demand.

• Negotiate pricing and terms with existing wholesale partners, and improve cost basis on a book that already has established rates.

• Manage the suite of vendor relationships across Triumph's sports network, handling day-to-day communication, negotiation, and issue resolution with professionalism and care.

• Deepen vendor coverage in undersupplied segments, identifying, vetting, and onboarding new partners where existing supply cannot meet demand.

• Manage grading and authentication workflows, including submission strategy, turnaround management, and the cost and timing tradeoffs that come with graded inventory.

• Track and report on allocation fill rate, book growth, vendor coverage, and cost basis relative to market comps.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in procurement, category management, buying, strategic sourcing, or a related purchasing function, with direct ownership of vendor relationships and negotiation outcomes.

• Demonstrated experience negotiating pricing and terms with wholesale suppliers, and a record of improving cost basis over time.

• Domain knowledge in sports cards. You understand player and set values, grading tiers, population dynamics, and what drives market pricing.

• Strong analytical skills. You build and maintain your own models and make purchasing decisions from data, not instinct alone.

• Knowledge of vendor management and inventory management systems.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the judgment to represent Triumph credibly to vendors and partners.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in supply chain management, business administration, or a related field.

• Proficiency with procurement software and data analysis tools.

• Domain knowledge in sports apparel and memorabilia.

• Experience in resale, wholesale, or secondary market environments where authentication and provenance matter.

Why Triumph?

• High ownership. You own the sports book outright.

• Direct access. You report to the decision maker with few layers between your recommendation and a real commitment of capital.

• Competitive pay. $150,000 to $180,000 base plus equity.