Retail Category Manager
Date: 9 Jul 2026
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, AU
Company: Australian Football League
Join the team shaping the future of Australia’s game.
This is your chance to do work that has real impact, in an organisation that moves fast, aims high and plays a meaningful role in the lives of millions across the country through football. Every role at the AFL helps progress the game, so more people can love it, connect with it and see what is possible through it.
The opportunity
This role plays a key part in driving growth across the AFL and AFLW’s retail and eCommerce categories, ensuring fans can connect with the game through great products and experiences.
You will lead category strategy, performance and commercial outcomes, shaping how merchandise, lifestyle and emerging products come to life for fans.
Working in partnership with the AFL’s licensed retail operator, this role combines strategic direction with hands-on commercial leadership to deliver growth, enhance fan experience and strengthen the AFL’s retail presence.
What you’ll own
You’ll lead the end-to-end performance and direction of retail and eCommerce categories, driving growth, innovation and accountability across all channels.
You’ll add value through:
- Owning category performance, including revenue, margin and growth targets
- Defining and delivering category strategies aligned to AFL priorities and fan segments
- Identifying and unlocking new revenue streams across core and emerging categories
- Leading the relationship with the AFL’s licensed retail partner and setting clear commercial expectations
- Establishing structured trading rhythms and holding partners accountable to agreed outcomes
- Driving performance across eCommerce and retail channels, including conversion, product performance and sell-through
- Aligning trading activity to the AFL season, key moments and fan engagement initiatives
- Defining category vision, structure and range architecture
- Translating fan insights and market trends into clear commercial direction
- Identifying and developing new opportunities across lifestyle, collaborations and experience-led retail
- Leveraging data and insights to optimise performance and inform decision making
- Building strong alignment with internal stakeholders to deliver integrated retail outcomes
What you’ll bring
- Experience owning category performance, revenue targets or P&L accountability
- Strong commercial acumen with a focus on growth, margin and return on investment
- Proven ability to manage and influence third-party or licensing partners to deliver results
- Deep understanding of retail and eCommerce performance drivers, including conversion and average order value
- Capability to develop and execute category strategies that deliver measurable outcomes
- Ability to translate consumer, fan and cultural insights into commercial opportunities
- Experience delivering initiatives from strategy through to execution and optimisation
- Strong planning, prioritisation and delivery capability in complex environments
- A collaborative approach, sound judgement and a commitment to delivering great outcomes for fans and partners
Why you’ll love being on our team
At the AFL, you will be part of a values-led team that aims high, backs each other and brings energy, care and integrity to work that matters.
This is a place where people play to win, play as one team and play with passion, while always staying grounded in fairness, inclusion and respect. We work hard, support each other and create the conditions for our people to grow, perform and thrive.
What you can look forward to:
- Play The Day Your Way, our flexible approach to working life, built to support you on game day and every day
- My Development, with coaching, mentoring, on-the-job learning and formal development to help you keep building your game
- Play Well, our health and wellbeing programme designed to support a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy workplace
- My Benefits, giving you access to a range of partner offers and discounts through our AFL Corporate Partners
- AFL Silver Memberships for permanent team members, so you can enjoy the action at Marvel Stadium and the MCG with family and friends
- 6 months paid primary parental leave with no qualification period for permanent team members
Everyone has a place here
Our game brings people together, and we want our workplace to do the same.
We are committed to building a culture of belonging and an environment where people feel respected, included and able to thrive, and where diversity of background, experience and perspective makes us stronger.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply.
Whether you’re a footy fan or new to our game, we welcome everyone to apply. We know great candidates don’t always tick every box – if this role excites you, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn’t perfectly match the job description.
The AFL is committed to promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our care. Please note, we undertake several screening processes to ensure this commitment is upheld, this includes ensuring the successful candidate to this position holds a valid employee Working with Children/ Vulnerable People check and a satisfactory criminal history record check.
Ready to play your part?
Applications close 24 July 2026