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  • About us
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    • Our Board and panels
    • Strategic plan 2021-31
    • Annual reports
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  • Our work
    • Investing in sport
    • Investing in events
    • Powering positive change and social impact
    • International relations
    • Learning and development
    • Protecting and Transforming Olympic and Paralympic sport
    • Leadership and governance
    • Coaching
  • Events
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  • Sports
    Olympic sports
    • Archery
    • Aquatics
    • Artistic Swimming
    • Athletics
    • Badminton
    • Baseball
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    • View all
    Paralympic sports
    • Boccia
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  • Resources
    • A Code for Sports Governance
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Jobs in sport

Explore career pathways

Get started to drive your career in high-performance sport.

UK Sport’s People Department is on a mission to build on the incredible success already achieved through strong networks of the most talented athletes, coaches, leaders and support teams working together to deliver medal-winning performances. To remain an influential, respected and world-leading sporting nation we need to keep attracting new talent, diversifying the workforce, and providing development opportunities for those with the drive and ambition to step forward.

Our aim is to connect, develop and inspire.

Whether considering a move from another high-performance sport setting, or already working in Olympic and Paralympic sport, we want to make it easy to understand the career options available and to signpost people towards their best next step. Each Olympic and Paralympic cycle brings change and new opportunities for progression and development - with many skills successfully transferring across roles and sports, there really is no limit to carving out a long, varied and fulfilling career.

Explore Career Pathways in Olympic and Paralympic Sport

Our immediate focus is on developing leadership capability and recruitment to key leadership positions, as identified through succession planning work with currently funded sports. World Class Programmes typically have four main functional areas each containing one or two key leadership roles that work closely together as part of a Performance Management or Senior Leadership Team. Together they have strategic responsibility for the high-performance programme and athlete pathway.

For more information on career opportunities in sports science, medicine and technology, follow the links to our partner sites.

English Institute of Sport

Sportscotland Institute of Sport

Sport Wales Institute

Sport Institute Northern Ireland

Hover over the diagram below to find out more about key roles, the skills required, and to hear career stories from those already in post.
Senior Leadership Team
Performance Coaching
Performance Coaching

Specialist high performance coaching of world-class athletes preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics

Key roles:

Head Coach

Performance Leadership
Performance Leadership

Strategic leadership and management of the World Class Programme and Performance Pathway.

Key roles:

Performance Director

Pathway Manager

Performance Support
Performance Support

Leadership of the science and medicine teams working with a sport to maximise the impact of science, medicine and technology

Key roles:

Head of Performance Support

Performance Operations
Performance Operations

Day to day management of the performance programme, usually including facilities, equipment, budget, camp/competition planning and logistics.

Key roles:

Director / Head of Operations

Programme Manager

Performance Coaching

Specialist high performance coaching of world-class athletes preparing for the Olympics and Paralympics

Key roles:

Head Coach

Performance Leadership

Strategic leadership and management of the World Class Programme and Performance Pathway.

Key roles:

Performance Director

Pathway Manager

Performance Support

Leadership of the science and medicine teams working with a sport to maximise the impact of science, medicine and technology

Key roles:

Head of Performance Support

Performance Operations

Day to day management of the performance programme, usually including facilities, equipment, budget, camp/competition planning and logistics.

Key roles:

Director / Head of Operations

Programme Manager

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