Athlete Learning and Development Manager

Organisation: SPORTSAID TRUST
Salary: £38,000 per annum (pro rata) - £30,400 actual salary, four days a week
Location: Hybrid working options
Contract type: Fixed Term (Part time)
Closing date: 3 September 2025
Job Description: About SportsAid

At SportsAid we exist to encourage, enable and empower the next generation of athletes to achieve their ambitions in sport and life. For decades, we have been side by side with Britain’s greatest emerging sporting talent, from Mo Farah to Jessica Ennis-Hill to Ade Adepitan, Paula Radcliffe and so many others to give them vital support before they became Olympian and Paralympian stars.

Without our support, a lot of our most talented sporting prospects would drop out as the demands of pursuing their dreams are too often impossible barriers to overcome.

Role Overview

The Athlete Learning and Development Manager will design and coordinate a comprehensive learning and development programme for emerging athletes, their parents and caregivers, and alumni. This will be delivered both in person and online.

This is an exciting time for SportsAid as we expand the support we offer beyond financial assistance, building on the foundations already in place. As part of our evolving approach, we are strengthening the educational resources available to them, ensuring they have access to the guidance and tools they need to thrive both on and off the field.

The role focuses on identifying athlete-led needs, curating training and workshop programmes, and working with external trainers and providers to deliver impactful sessions that best support SportsAid’s beneficiaries.

A key aspect of the role is developing educational and training content for the new online community engagement platform we are developing. You will ensure content aligns with SportsAid’s objectives while meeting the priorities of partners funding dedicated hubs within the platform, which will provide training and development content in specific focus areas. You will also help adapt training sessions into engaging, shareable online resources to maximise participation and impact.

Additionally, you will play a crucial role in planning workshop programmes for key events such as SportsAid Live, ensuring sessions are engaging, relevant, and tailored to the needs of attendees.

This is a unique opportunity to shape SportsAid’s athlete development strategy, creating a collaborative, engaging, and needs-led programme that makes a lasting impact.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Development

- Develop and coordinate a holistic learning and development programme for athletes, parents, and caregivers, addressing key areas such as financial literacy, mental wellbeing, career readiness, and communication skills.

- Identify athlete-led needs and curate relevant educational training programmes, ensuring they align with the challenges faced by young athletes.

- Build and maintain relationships with external trainers and subject matter experts, ensuring content meets SportsAid’s high standards and is tailored to beneficiary needs.

- Work with trainers and providers to shape session content, ensuring clarity, relevance, and engagement for athletes and their support networks.

- Develop structured training strands with corporate partners that align with partnership agreements and engagement objectives.

- Devise workshop programmes for events such as SportsAid Live, ensuring sessions are interactive, impactful, and meet the needs of attendees.

- Oversee the development of digital training content to enhance learning and engagement for our online community.

Training Coordination and Resource Development

- Coordinate the delivery of training programmes by external trainers through in-person workshops and online webinars.

- Develop bite-sized digital resources from training materials to be used on our new online community engagement platform, ensuring accessibility and engagement.

- Ensure that training content aligns with corporate partnership agreements, such as the RBC initiative, and meets funder expectations for educational outcomes.

- Coordinate logistics for training sessions, including scheduling, facilitator briefings, and content alignment with SportsAid’s objectives.

- Ensure training materials and sessions are inclusive and tailored to diverse audiences.

Engagement and Feedback

- Engage with athletes, parents, and caregivers to gather feedback on training sessions and resources, ensuring the programme evolves to meet their needs.

- Monitor platform usage and session participation, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.

- Foster an inclusive and collaborative learning environment that encourages peer-to-peer engagement and shared experiences.

Evaluation and Reporting

- Evaluate the impact of the training programme on athletes’ personal and professional development, using data to inform future improvements.

- Provide regular reports to senior leadership and funders, demonstrating the programme’s outcomes and alignment with organisational goals.

- Stay informed about trends in athlete education, learning delivery, and digital engagement to ensure SportsAid’s approach remains innovative and impactful.

Person Specification

Essential Skills and Experience

- Proven experience in developing and managing learning and development programmes, including working with external trainers or subject matter experts.

- Strong project management skills, with the ability to balance multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes to deadlines.

- Excellent relationship-building and communication skills, with experience working across teams, organisations, or sports.

- Experience in curating and shaping educational/training content, ensuring it aligns with audience needs and engagement objectives.

- Experience developing digital learning resources and ensuring effective content delivery on online platforms.

- A commitment to creating needs-led, inclusive, and accessible training programmes for diverse audiences.

Desirable Skills and Experience

- Knowledge or experience in areas such as financial literacy, mental wellbeing, or life skills development.

- Familiarity with Mighty Networks or similar platforms for community engagement and learning delivery.

- Experience working within a charity, sports organisation, or educational setting, particularly supporting young people or athletes.

What We Offer

- The opportunity to lead a transformative programme that makes a lasting impact on the lives of young athletes and their families.

- A collaborative, supportive working environment where your ideas and contributions are valued.

- Professional development opportunities to enhance your skills and grow within the role.

Salary:  A salary package of £30,400 per annum is available for this role.

Pension: SportsAid makes a contribution of 3%, and the employee makes a minimum contribution of 5%.  

Healthcare: Membership of the SportsAid private health insurance scheme is available for the employee with premiums paid by SportsAid.   

Cycle to Work Scheme: Available to all staff. 

Death in Service Benefit: Inclusion in company scheme. 

Season ticket loan: An interest free loan is available to all staff.  

Holidays: 25 days per year, plus bank holidays, increasing by 1 day for each year of service, up to 30 days.   

Flexible working: reasonable flexible and hybrid working options.
How to apply: Please apply with your CV and one page on how you meet the essential criteria by 3rd September by emailing Head of Programmes, Alice Radford- alice@sportsaid.org.uk On receipt of your application, you will be sent a confidential equal opportunities form, which all applicants will be asked to complete. Shortlisted applicants will be invited by 8th September to have a preliminary online conversation with the Head of Programmes. Interviews will be held in person 22nd and 23rd September 2025