Senior Category Manager – Sports Equipment & Accessories - Arabic Mandatory (Saudi Arabia)

🎬 The Role

As the Senior Category Manager for Sports Equipment & Accessories, you will scale the sports and active lifestyle vertical in the Saudi Arabia market. You will focus on rapidly growing sub-categories including biking, golf, yoga & wellness, camping & hiking, running, and water sports. You will leverage your deep subject-matter expertise and existing regional network to lead seller acquisition, onboarding, and ongoing seller success. This role requires an entrepreneurial leader who can manage end-to-end marketplace operations, drive continuous category growth, foster community building, and maintain full commercial accountability by owning category KPIs and the P&L.

👤 The Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary subject-matter expert with deep knowledge of the KSA sporting goods landscape, with targeted expertise in biking, golf, yoga, outdoor camping & desert hiking, running, and Red Sea water sports.

• Identify, map out, and execute seller acquisition and onboarding for the right partners in Saudi Arabia, targeting specialized sports stores, authorized brand distributors, outdoor outfitters, fitness chains, and local athletic brand creators.

• Fuel seller success by teaching sports brands, coaches, and Saudi athletic creators how to run high-converting livestreams, coaching them on product demos, technical gear fitting, outdoor survival/camping setups, promotional bundling, and live hosting.

• Manage day-to-day marketplace operations and serve as a trusted partner for your seller portfolio, working hand-in-hand with internal product and marketing teams to turn seller feedback into platform wins.

• Oversee category growth and community building initiatives by orchestrating sports gear launch shows, seasonal outdoor/Kashta campaign streams, fitness creator collaborations, and targeted sport marketing campaigns.

• Maintain active community and event presence, keeping a pulse on local Saudi fitness movements, sports federations, outdoor clubs, and attending key sports exhibitions and athletic events across KSA.

• Take complete business ownership of the vertical by measuring performance, owning category KPIs and the P&L, and iterating on operational strategies.

🎓 The Skills & Competencies

• Full professional fluency in Arabic and English is required.

• 3+ years of experience in the sports, fitness, or outdoor equipment industry in Saudi Arabia as a buyer, category manager, store manager, sales lead, or through a prominent athletic creator/affiliate background.

• Comprehensive industry literacy, knowing technical gear specifications, price points, local retail players, and key market stakeholders across biking, golf, outdoor gear, and water sports.

• Established, warm relationships with sporting goods distributors, fitness retailers, or outdoor equipment suppliers in the KSA market.

• Strong project management skills with the ability to balance and scale both sides of a digital marketplace.

⭐ The Differentiators

• Prior experience working within an e-commerce marketplace or sporting goods retail platform in Saudi Arabia.

• Personal passion and active involvement in cycling, golf, desert camping/hiking, running, or water sports in KSA.

• Personal history buying, selling, or trading sports equipment on livestream apps or online marketplaces.

⏳ The Benefits

• A competitive package.

• Meaningful ownership in a hyper-growth startup shaping the future of MENA e-commerce.

• Remote work.

✅ The Process

Application → HR CV Screening → HR Screening Interview → First Business Interview → Second Business Interview → Technical/Case Assessment → Offer

💼 The Employer

Our client is the first livestream shopping platform in the Middle East. By combining the seamless purchasing experience of e-commerce with the engaging visual content of live social media, they are building the future of how people buy and sell in the MENA region. Founded by an elite leadership team with backgrounds at major global e-commerce and live commerce platforms, this fast-growing startup is scaling rapidly and looking for exceptional talent to own the future of social commerce.