Development Officer, Scotland

Organisation: Access Sport CIO
Salary: c. £30,000 FTE, subject to experience
Location: Scotland
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 19 August 2026
Interview date: 27 August 2026
Job Description: Access Sport is a national charity with a vision that no one should be excluded from the transformational benefits of community sport. We are on a mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport by tackling the access barriers faced by disadvantaged, disabled and neurodivergent young people.

We do this by training, equipping, and supporting community sports clubs, organisations, and volunteers to provide inclusive programmes, unleashing their potential to transform the lives of underserved young people in their local communities.

This work is either place based (Changing Places) or sport focussed (Changing Sports). All the clubs we support are invited to join our Inclusive Club Network.

In 2025/26, Access Sport engaged over 40,000 disadvantaged and disabled young people, with a strong representation from ethnically diverse communities, girls, and previously less active young people.

Read more about our impact in our Annual Review. A number of videos showcasing our work can be found on our YouTube channel. These include a recent film about Access Sport and an episode from our Youth Board’s recent Changemakers series.

Role purpose
Summary
Access Sport is looking to appoint a Development Officer to lead the delivery and development of our youth leadership and club development work across Scotland. This is an exciting opportunity to oversee the local delivery of a growing project that supports community sports clubs to create meaningful opportunities for young people to lead, influence and shape the activities and communities they are part of.

This role sits within a new and evolving national approach to youth voice and youth leadership, designed to embed co-production and shared decision-making across community sport. Working closely with community clubs, Youth Advisors and local partners, the Development Officer will lead the implementation of this approach across Scotland, supporting clubs to build inclusive environments.

Access Sport is delivering this project in partnership with Scottish Disability Sport. The Development Officer will work collaboratively with colleagues from the Scottish Disability Sport team based in Edinburgh and the member branch network.

This is a delivery-focused role, best suited to someone who enjoys being in community settings, building relationships, and supporting young people to take practical steps into leadership through sport.

Responsibilities
Delivery and club development
• Lead the delivery and ongoing development of Access Sport’s youth leadership and club development delivery across Scotland, working in close partnership with Scottish Disability Sport.
• Carry out regular club visits (including evenings and weekends) to build relationships and support ongoing delivery.
• Support clubs to embed youth voice into sessions, decision-making and wider club culture.
• Facilitate and support youth leadership workshops, sessions and activities with young people.
• Work alongside coaches and volunteers to help create inclusive environments where young people can lead and participate.
• Ensure delivery is responsive to local need while remaining aligned to the national Access Sport youth leadership framework.
• Help clubs identify and support young people into leadership pathways such as volunteering, coaching and peer support roles.

Youth engagement and support
• Build positive and trusted relationships with young people involved with community clubs.
• Work closely with our Youth Advisors to support youth-led delivery and ensure young people’s voices are reflected in practice.
• Support young people to access leadership opportunities in inclusive and accessible ways.
• Gather informal feedback and insights from young people to inform learning and improvement.

Partnerships and local relationships
• Work closely with Access Sport’s Head of Youth, Youth Advisors and the wider project team across the UK to support consistent delivery, share learning and strengthen practice across local areas.
• Identify and develop strategic opportunities to expand the reach and impact of the programme across Scotland, particularly with Scottish Governing Bodies.
• Build strong relationships with clubs, schools, youth organisations and community partners across Scotland.
• Support connections between clubs and wider local opportunities for young people.
• Represent Access Sport at relevant networks/ forums, contributing to shared learning and influence across the sector.

Monitoring and Evaluation
• Lead responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation requirements in Scotland, using online monitoring platforms such as Upshot (training will be provided).
• Use data, insight and youth voice to assess impact and inform ongoing project development.
• Help gather content for internal and external reporting purposes, including case studies, films, and news stories.

Person specification
Skills/ experience
Essential
• Experience of leading or managing community sport, youth development or community-based programmes.
• Experience of working in partnership with multiple organisations, ideally including local authorities, charities, schools or national governing bodies
• Experience of embedding youth voice, co-production or youth participation into programme design or delivery.
• A passion for empowering and inspiring underserved and disabled groups to reach their full potential through sport.
• An understanding of the barriers that may affect participation in community sport.
• Experience of managing or coordinating multiple strands of work, including planning, delivery and reporting.
• Understanding the importance of safeguarding and child protection (training will be provided).
• Good communication skills and confidence engaging with young people, coaches and community partners.

Desirable
• Experience of developing or supporting community sports clubs to improve inclusion, governance or sustainability.
• Experience of working in, or knowledge of the sport sector.
• Knowledge of the Scottish sport, disability or community development landscape.
• Experience of delivering training, workshops or workforce development to coaches, volunteers or community leaders.
• Lived experience of one or more of the underserved communities we work with i.e. D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, women and girls, ethnically diverse communities and low socio-economic backgrounds.

Personal attributes
• A personal commitment to Access Sport’s vision and values
• Self-motivated, able to use initiative, and have a flexible approach to work.
• Proactive and adaptable - ability to think creatively and use initiative to achieve outcomes.
• Reliable and hardworking with the confidence to work independently.
• A strong team player with good interpersonal skills.
• Committed to continuing personal and professional development.

In addition:
• The post holder must have the right to work in the UK.
• The post holder must be able to travel to locations across Scotland and occasionally elsewhere in the UK.
• There will be some requirements to work on evenings or weekends, for which time off in lieu can be taken.

Equal opportunities
We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Access Sport is committed to creating an inclusive culture, through fostering a diverse workforce where everyone feels like they belong, differences are valued, and everyone can reach their potential.

We are actively seeking to diversify and create a workplace that is welcoming for all, ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society and the communities we support. If you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either the application or interview stage, please contact us (details in section 6).   

We offer disabled applicants the option of requesting that their application is considered under the terms of our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). If you wish to apply under our GIS, please indicate this in your cover email. For more information, please visit our Join the Team page.

Background checks
As this role may, at times, involve working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks which includes a criminal record check with the Disclosure and Barring Service and two references.

Staff benefits
Access Sport is an exciting and dynamic place to work. We pride ourselves on being a close-knit and well-supported team with a clear sense of purpose, delivering real impact. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to supporting the development of our team members and, should you wish, there are opportunities for team members to get involved in different aspects of the charity, from the delivery of our programmes on the ground, to fundraising, events and advocacy.

Staff benefits include:
• Employee Assistance Programme - Access to a 24/7 confidential helpline, counselling services and online information.
• Annual leave - 28 days annual leave, including 3 days between Christmas and New Year, plus 1 extra day of leave per year of service for the first 5 years. This equates to 33 days of annual leave after 5 years of continuous service. Plus 8 days paid public holidays.
• Healthy living and wellbeing employer - We welcome staff to embed regular exercise into their daily work lives and have quarterly team away days.
• Volunteering/ personal development days - Two additional days of paid leave each year to volunteer for an Access Sport club or other charity, or to use as personal development days.
• Pension - 5% employer pension contribution.
• New Mums and Dads, including adoptive parents, can take enhanced maternity and paternity leave.
• Flexible working and family-friendly - Hybrid and flexible working arrangements which are family-friendly and provide flexibility around caring responsibilities.
• 24/7 GP service to provide employees with a phone or video appointment at a time and date that suits them.
• Cycle to Work scheme - saving up to 39% off a new bike and accessories.
• Group Life Assurance for all staff on payroll.
How to apply: The closing date for applications is 12 pm, 19 August 2026. To apply, please complete the application form on the Access Sport website by clicking the link below: Development Officer Application Form > Once you have submitted your online application, please email your CV and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to Careers@AccessSport.org.uk with your name in the subject line. Candidates who have been shortlisted for an interview will be notified by 24 August 2026. The first interviews are currently due to take place on 27 and 28 August. If you have any questions or would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please email Sue.Wheeler@AccessSport.org.uk. Data protection Access Sport CIO will only process and store your personal information, this means any information that identifies or could identify you, for the purposes of recruitment, after which it will be securely disposed.

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Development Officer, Scotland