Job Description
Do you want to make a real difference to the numbers of disabled people accessing sports in the UK?
Do you want to lead sector change and work with other national organisations to increase participation in sport?
About the Role
We are looking for the right person to lead sport and physical activity at Sense, the national charity supporting people with sensory impairments. We have big ambitions to grow our sports provision so that more people have access to high quality sports opportunities.
Sport and physical activity is an increasingly important area of Sense’s work. Access to sport and activity not only improves people’s lives through providing social benefits including confidence and friendship but it also has huge impacts on health and wellbeing.
Sense Active was launched in 2014 with funding from Sport England to deliver a project called Deafblind Active which highlighted the benefits of physical activity for people with deafblindness. We have since been awarded a new Sport England grant to deliver a progressive new project called ‘Sporting Sense’ which builds on these successes and reaches out to more people with sensory impairments.
This is a full time fixed-term role that is expected to end on 31st May 2018 (with the possibility of extension based on successful fundraising).
About us
Sense is a national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. We provide tailored support, advice and information as well as specialist services to all deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. In addition, we support people who have a single-sensory impairment with additional needs.
About you and what we offer
We are looking for a highly-motivated sports development manager with a clear vision for increasing access to sports for people with disabilities.
Are you an excellent, proven programme manager with experience of delivering and managing large funded projects? Do you have excellent relationships across the sports sector with experience of shaping and influencing the strategy and direction of national governing bodies of sport? Are you committed to disability sport and understanding the needs of disabled people? If so, we would really like to hear from you.
The successful candidate will be responsible for the direction and successful delivery of Sporting Sense as well as developing new projects, sustainable growth and innovation to increase the participation of people with sensory impairments in physical activity. The postholder will manage a national team (based in Birmingham and London) and will work closely with Sense departments including fundraising, communications and operational services.
To succeed in this role, you will need to have a positive can-do attitude and a strong commitment to disability sports development. You will be inspired by leading sector change in access to sports for people with sensory impairments. You will have substantial sports development and project management experience, particularly in community sports programmes for disabled people. An excellent understanding of the sports and disability sector across England is essential.
Working at Sense can be incredibly rewarding; we offer the opportunity to work in a large, diverse and successful charity where people can develop their skills, knowledge and careers in a supportive and flexible environment. In addition we have excellent training and development, the opportunity for you to join our Group Personal Pension scheme and a generous annual leave entitlement.
For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Ian Carpenter via 020 7014 9318 or ian.carpenter@sense.org.uk