Northern Ireland National Manager (Fixed-Term Maternity Cover)
Home-based within Northern Ireland

About Us

Sported is a charity that delivers expertise, resources, and vital support to organisations that use sport and physical activity to make a positive impact on young people and on our communities.

Our network of clubs and groups reached almost one million young people across the UK in 2023-24. Through free support, resources and funding, we help trusted local leaders lower the barriers facing the next generation, building stronger, fairer communities with the help of our team and a pool of volunteer consultants.

We are now looking for a Northern Ireland National Manager to join us on a full-time, fixed-term maternity cover contract until June 2027, at which point it will be reviewed.

The Benefits

- Salary of £43,700 per annum
- 25 days’ holiday plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)
- Two additional personal days per year for wellbeing
- Two paid Volunteer Days each year
- Up to five days’ paid study leave for self-funded training
- Flexible working arrangements
- A confidential counselling service
- Pension scheme
- Monthly virtual Diversity & Inclusion “Open Space”
- Cycle to Work scheme

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced voluntary, community or sport sector professional with strong partnership, leadership and regional delivery experience and a decent grasp of the NI funding landscape to join our purposeful organisation.

Offering a unique blend of strategic leadership, partnership development and team management, this role provides the chance to broaden your experience whilst making a meaningful contribution to communities across Northern Ireland.

What's more, you'll discover a strong benefits package, and will be enabled to expand your skills, build your professional network and gain valuable experience of the Northern Ireland charity sector.

So, if you’re ready to bring your experience to a role where your work will support vital community organisations across Northern Ireland, read on and apply today.

The Role

As Northern Ireland National Manager, you will lead our work across Northern Ireland, ensuring our member groups are engaged, supported and able to access the services, partnerships and volunteer expertise available to them.

Working closely with key partners, including Sport Northern Ireland, the Rank Foundation and Ulster University, you will oversee regional delivery, strengthen strategic relationships and represent Sported in stakeholder environments across Northern Ireland.

You will also manage the Northern Ireland Field Team, co-ordinate regional planning and delivery, and work across our departments to ensure activity is aligned, effective and responsive to the needs of members.

Additionally, you will:

- Review and co-ordinate the Annual Delivery Plan for Northern Ireland
- Lead the delivery of regional projects and associated KPIs
- Identify and develop funding opportunities and partnerships
- Support fundraising, communications and impact activity
- Manage regional resources, reporting and performance
- Contribute to national delivery strategy, policy and best practice

About You

To be considered as Northern Ireland National Manager, you will need:

- At least five years’ experience in the voluntary, community or sport sectors in the UK
- Experience of initiating and managing relationships and partnerships across different sectors
- Knowledge of the community sports sector in Northern Ireland
- Experience of line managing paid staff and volunteers
- Experience of negotiating the Northern Ireland funding and political landscape
- Experience of creating regional strategies and plans
- Experience of identifying and developing proposals for funding
- Experience of acting as an organisational representative within key stakeholder environments
- A proven track record of using data to create insights
- An understanding of the issues facing small community groups and the role sport can play in a social context

The closing date for applications is 15th June 2026 at 9am.

Other organisations may call this role Regional Manager, National Manager, Programme Manager, Community Sport Manager, Partnerships Manager, Regional Development Manager, or Voluntary Sector Manager.

Webrecruit and Sported are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you want to make a positive impact as Northern Ireland National Manager, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.