Sport & Physical Activity Programme Officer

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, accepting of all, and free from discrimination and bias.

Coventry City Council is the 9th biggest city in England and has ambitious plans to grow its economy, reputation, and quality of life, including by the delivery of the title UK City of Culture in 2021.

The Council’s Business Investment and Culture service has a remit for economic development, inward investment, sustainability, culture, sport, tourism, and events. The team we are recruiting to is responsible for a range of functions, including:

1. Delivery of festivals and major events
2. Promotion of leisure and business tourism
3. Operation of the convention bureau
4. Management of the fourteenth-century St Mary’s Guildhall

It is a lively group of largely specialist officers with responsibility for strategy, funding, and project delivery across its sections. It has recently expanded significantly, taking on new staff to develop and deliver activities stimulated by the title of UK City of Culture in 2021 and being a host of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Our Values: In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled, and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remain at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

1. Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
2. Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
3. Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
4. Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
5. Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
6. Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

What is the job role? The Sport and Physical Activity Programme Officer role is within the Culture, Sport, and Events Team. The role will be place-based, developmental, and rewarding, as Coventry reaches the end of its current ten-year Sports Strategy 2014-2024 and looks forward to a new phase of development and delivery across the sport, physical activity, and wellbeing sectors, as we seek to increase participation and promote equity in sport and physical activity.

As a Sport and Physical Activity Programme Officer, you will support the development and implementation of sport, physical activity initiatives, strategies, and action plans, enabling sports and physical activity programmes and projects to have the greatest impact on local residents.

The job role’s primary focus will be to enable commissioning, delivery, and evaluation of sports and cultural activities in a robust and effective manner, and to ensure the service meets high standards of financial and operational management and fulfills its reporting and monitoring functions within corporate frameworks.

A key part of the role will be to embed effective partnerships and support the development within the sector to promote sport and physical activity access and meet the needs of our diverse communities. You will play a key part in the contract/grant management of leisure services and leading development programmes, with a specific focus on increasing participation, widening inclusion, and achieving better outcomes for the local people. The role will assist the development of new innovations within the sector in a place-based systemic approach.

To provide support for the development and delivery of projects and programmes in the Sport, Culture & Events Service as required.

Who are we looking for? We are looking for a Programme Officer who can develop and maintain key place-based partnerships; deliver strong local governance arrangements; be a key part of a small team of people working across multiple projects with a diverse range of partners; and demonstrate understanding of the lived experiences of diverse cultures across our city. You should be:

1. An Advocate – with the ability to advocate for key sports, leisure, physical activity, and wellbeing projects and initiatives in supporting to deliver city priorities, promoting accessibility, tackling inequalities, and achieving better outcomes for local people.
2. A Collaborator and Enabler – with a good understanding of place-based working; able to support diverse partnerships and develop appropriate governance arrangements to facilitate delivery of complex development and infrastructure initiatives, projects, and programmes for the benefit of local people.
3. An Organiser – with financial and performance management skills; able to analyse and interpret data and effectively manage contracted performance, grant-funded programmes, and commercial partnerships.

You should have:

1. In-depth knowledge of the structure and funding of the sports, physical activity, and wellbeing sector in the UK, including an understanding of the role of local authorities in working to increase and widen participation in sport and physical activity.
2. An understanding of project and programme management, including experience project monitoring, appraisal, and evaluation systems to demonstrate learning.
3. Experience of assisting collaborative partnerships and finance related to grants or similar funded programmes.
4. Experience of working on development plans within sport, and physical activity, or related sectors, to successfully promote access and widen participation.
5. Experience of supporting funding bids, developing commercial partnerships and/or raising sponsorship to deliver clear priorities.
6. A graduate level qualification in a related discipline OR substantial relevant experience.

This is a full-time post, 37 hours per week, with a requirement to work flexibly in relation to hours, including unsociable hours, evenings, weekends, and occasional overnight stays. The role involves attending meetings and events in the Coventry area, with occasional travel within the region and nationally.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

1. Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
2. Are currently in care or have previously been in care
3. If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document on our jobs page labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

For an informal conversation about this challenging and rewarding role, please contact Jonathan Hunt (Head of Sport, Physical Activity and Wellbeing) at Jonathan.hunt@coventry.gov.uk

Applications close – Monday 6th January 2025

Interview date – Wednesday 15th January 2025

About Coventry: Coventry has a proud, innovative, and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change. We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant, and diverse.

At Coventry, we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together, and find better ways of doing things.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit Coventry City Council Vacancies.