Head of Development and Participation for Scottish Athletics
Organisation: scottishathletics
Closing Date: 25 June 2025
Head of Development and Participation
Responsible to: Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports: National Club Managers (x3); National Community Impact Manager; jogscotland Programme Manager
Responsible for: Leading the effective delivery of the ‘Clubs and Pathways’ and ‘Community Impact and Health’ pillars of the scottishathletics strategy.
About Us
scottishathletics are the national governing body for athletics in Scotland.
Our vision is to give everyone in Scotland the opportunity to participate in athletics and running and to achieve their
personal ambitions.
Our mission is to deliver an integrated, inclusive and adaptable model of athletics and running provision that inspires everyone in Scotland to enjoy the sport and experience personal success.
Equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the heart of the work that scottishathletics leads, and the organisation works closely with all stakeholders in athletics across Scotland, to continue improving diversity and create an inclusive culture in the sport, and to be reflective of Scottish society.
Our strategy, Building a Culture of Success (2023-2027), captures the breadth of work that scottishathletics facilitates, from supporting performance athletes on the world stage to providing opportunities for people to participate in the sport within their local community.
Member clubs play a crucial role in growing and developing the sport and, along with the volunteer workforce, they are integral to the sport’s future success.
Everyone in Scotland can participate in athletics and scottishathletics strives to continuously evolve to deliver on our vision for the sport.
Photo by Bobby Gavin
About You
We are looking for an innovative and forward-thinking leader with a passion for developing athletics and running in Scotland, and positively changing lives through sport.
You will have experience of developing clubs and volunteers in sport, knowledge of equality, diversity and inclusion work in sport to address underrepresentation, and a proven track record of implementing an evolving services to meet the needs and aspirations of members.
Excellent interpersonal skills are essential along with evidence of your ability to build effective relationships internally and externally.
About the Role
The Head of Development and Participation is a key role in the Senior Management Team at scottishathletics leading on the delivery of two of the five key pillars within our strategy.
Leading an experienced team, the postholder will assume responsibility for supporting the development of our member clubs, the evolution of our community impact and health programmes, and the delivery of our National Facilities Strategy.
The role is required to work closely and effectively with other departments across the organisation and is pivotal in supporting the delivery of our work with Scottish Action for Mental Health, Athletics Trust Scotland and other key partners.
With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2026 and the implementation of several key projects in the Development and Community Impact teams in 2025, this is an outstanding opportunity to work in a forward thinking and thriving sport.
Staff
scottishathletics employs 33 members of staff and 21 Club Together Officers.
Place of Work
Hybrid working. The scottishathletics head office is based at Laurie Liddell Clubhouse, Peffermill Playing Fields, 42 Peffermill Road, Edinburgh, EH16 5LL. scottishathletics also has an office within the Emirates Arena, 1000 London Road, Glasgow, G40 3HG.
Salary
The starting salary offered for the post will be £45,000 per annum. Annual pay awards will be made in accordance with the salary review procedures agreed by the scottishathletics Board of Directors.
Benefits
Enhanced statutory benefits
Hybrid working
Extra five days annual leave after five full years’ service (pro rata)
Death in Service x 2
Hours of work
The person appointed will be expected to work for 37 hours per week. Due to the nature of the post, there will be a requirement to work regularly in the evenings and at weekends.
The organisation encourages a flexible working approach from all staff, consistent with meeting the needs of the business.
Pension
scottishathletics operates a qualifying group pension scheme for auto-enrolment purposes and will match the successful candidates’ contribution up to a maximum of 6% of salary, including the legal minimum contributions required.
Annual Leave and Public Holidays
The annual leave entitlement for this post is 25 days, increasing to 30 days after five years’ service. In addition, the public holiday entitlement is 10.5 days.
Application Process
Applicants should apply by submitting the application form, a covering letter (addressing how the applicant’s skills and expertise fit with the job role and candidate specification) and the equal opportunities form, to opportunities@scottishathletics.org.uk.
The closing date for applications is noon on Wednesday 25 June 2025. It is expected that interviews will take place on the week beginning 14 July 2025.
Incomplete applications and those received after the closing date will not be considered.
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