Join UK Sport to design and deliver leadership development that strengthens senior capability across Olympic and Paralympic systems
The Leadership & Management Services Lead position at UK Sport is a strategic, high-profile appointment focused on strengthening leadership across the nation’s elite sporting system. Based in Loughborough, London or Manchester with regular remote working, this permanent full-time role reports into the Learning & Development Team and requires someone able to operate confidently across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
The post is offered at Grade 7 – £74,900 per annum plus generous benefits, reflecting the seniority and system-wide remit of the role.
This role exists to help the UK deliver its ambition to create extraordinary sporting moments by investing in the capability of senior leaders.
Using a mix of National Lottery and Government funding, UK Sport supports Olympic and Paralympic sports and acts as the government’s lead technical agency for major events. The successful candidate will design and activate a coherent leadership offer that supports high-performance environments—defined here as the pursuit of elite sporting success driven by integrated people, performance and organisational systems.
Role overview and purpose
As the lead for leadership and management services you will define the strategy and translate it into operational delivery. You will design an evidence-informed, future-focused development pathway for senior leaders, including CEOs, Chairs, Performance Directors and Heads of Performance Services. Your remit includes shaping strategic judgement, nurturing reflective practice and building the conditions where athletes, coaches and performance teams can thrive. You will also ensure close alignment with partner teams across performance, people and culture so leadership development is integrated across the system rather than operating in isolation.
The role requires managing a small pool of specialists, including the Leadership & Management Advisor and the Leadership Associate Pool, while liaising with academic partners and sector experts. You will be expected to identify emerging leadership trends, translate them into actionable priorities and shape interventions that are practical, measurable and relevant to the fast-paced nature of elite sport.
Key responsibilities and delivery areas
Delivery expectations include leading programme design, overseeing facilitation and ensuring high-quality participant experiences across networks and interventions. You will be accountable for developing role-specific and interdisciplinary learning, running leadership communities and curating knowledge-exchange opportunities. Using data, insight and evaluation is central: you will embed robust evaluation frameworks so impact is captured and used to iterate and improve provision. The post-holder must be comfortable turning complex evidence into clear, operational decisions that deliver demonstrable improvements in leadership capability.
Strategic leadership
In this dimension you will set the direction for leadership development across the high-performance system. That includes horizon-scanning for risks and opportunities, aligning activity to organisational ambitions and translating strategic insight into practical interventions. Successful candidates will demonstrate strong systems awareness and the political acuity to work across sport bodies, government departments such as DCMS, and funded partners, ensuring a coherent approach that supports the wider ambition to “keep winning and win well”.
Operational activation and communities
On the operational side you will ensure excellence in delivery, managing people and budgets, and enabling rapid decision-making where necessary. Building communities of practice and facilitating continuous knowledge exchange are essential tasks: you will convene leaders, create experiential learning labs and partner with universities and sector specialists to enrich the offer. Practical facilitation, coaching and the ability to translate theory into high-impact learning are core to success.
Candidate profile and application details
We are seeking a seasoned leadership development professional with significant experience developing senior executives in complex or elite contexts. Essential attributes include proven experience with executive-level development, exceptional facilitation and coaching skills, strong strategic thinking and the ability to analyse workforce and leadership data to set priorities. Desirable experience includes leading high-performance teams, developing boards or senior teams, and designing positive action initiatives to broaden leadership pipelines.
Practical details: the position is permanent (full time), the application closing date is 19 April 2026 and shortlisted candidates will be interviewed on 6 May 2026. To apply and find the full job pack visit UK Sport vacancies. For enquiries you can contact UK Sport via the published channels. This role offers a unique opportunity to shape leadership for Olympic and Paralympic success and to influence the next chapter of UK high-performance sport.
