Job Title: Assistant Director of Sport & Physical Recreation: Business and Development

RECRUITMENT ROLE PROFILE

Job Title: Assistant Director of Sport & Physical Recreation: Business and Development

School / Department: / University of Nottingham Sport
Job Family & Level:
Salary: / APM Level 5
£37,768 - £46,414 per annum, depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.
Hours of Work: / 36.25 hrs/ week
Contract: / 3 Year Fixed Term
Reporting To: / Director of Sport

The Purpose of the Role:

To develop and deliver the Sports Department’s Commercial Strategy to maximise revenue generation from the University’s Sports Facilities to support the delivery of the University’s Vision for Sport.

Establish the University of Nottingham as one of the leading multisport venues in the country, attracting in major events and raising the profile of University of Nottingham Sport.

Manage a team of staff across key areas of bookings, membership, marketing and finance, setting them annual targets and supporting them in the delivery of these.

Work collaboratively with the other Assistant Directors to support their objectives in terms of Performance, Participation and Operational delivery.

Support the delivery of the Vision for Sport to deliver an outstanding student sporting offer within a sector leading facility, and establish the University as the first choice for students wishing to combine a top quality education with an outstanding sporting experience

Main Responsibilities / % time / year
1 / Strategic Business Development
·  Design and implement an integrated commercial strategy that establishes the University of Nottingham as one of the leading multisport facilities in the UK.
·  Identify and capitalise on new commercial opportunities to help maximise income and facility usage, working in collaboration with other departments / organisations as appropriate.
·  Shape strategic direction of own area of activity, initiating and managing change, planning and setting targets for the activities of others now and in the longer term, to support the Vision for Sport
·  Work in tandem with the Assistant Director Operations to manage the demand and expectation of customers by setting priorities and service levels, pre-empting customer needs/requests and identifying opportunities and ultimately deliver an outstanding customer service.
·  Develop and create an extensive network of contacts in the wider community to support the objectives of this role.
·  Undertake a review of occupancy levels and provide appropriate wider market analysis to support decision making and strategic objectives. / 15%
2 / Residential / Conference Bookings and Major Events
·  Work collaboratively with Nottingham Conferences with view to bringing in significant complementary residential sporting events / bookings e.g. international tournaments, training camps.
·  Meet associated income targets related to major event bookings.
·  Take responsibility for the sporting side of all residential sporting bookings, including initial prospecting, meet and greet and retention.
·  Stay abreast of all bidding opportunities for major residential sporting events, and compile bids in partnership with Nottingham Conferences.
·  Attend exhibitions and trade fairs to promote the University’s sports facilities
·  In conjunction with Nottingham Conferences produce marketing material to promote our sporting, residential and conference offer.
·  Ensure effective communication with the operations team to ensure seamless high quality professional delivery of associated sporting events / bookings. / 15%
3 / Non-residential sporting events and recurrent bookings
·  Manage the contracts, negotiations and relationships with all major and regular non-residential bookings, ensuring good retention rates.
·  Meet associated income targets related to sporting events and recurrent bookings.
·  Stay abreast of and lead on all bidding opportunities for non-residential major sporting events.
·  Establish local networks to support the development of new clients.
·  Increase the number of regular complementary bookings for example with schools, local clubs and sporting agencies to maximise facility usage.
·  Work with the Assistant Director of Sport for Performance to develop partnerships with local elite clubs / NGBs that raise the profile of the University’s facilities and deliver appropriate return to the University sports programmes.
·  Work with the Assistant Director of Sport for Operations to ensure effective communication with the operations team to ensure seamless high quality professional delivery of associated sporting events / bookings.
·  Establish effective enquiry management processes and KPIs with regards to prompt follow up, effective conversion and general feedback. / 15%
4 / Membership
·  Attain the agreed membership targets for student, staff, associate and community categories (~£3million).
·  Co-ordinate sales training for all associated staff in conjunction with Assistant Director of Sport: Operations.
·  Oversee the design and rollout of a comprehensive and effective marketing campaign to achieve the relevant membership targets.
·  Investigate and roll-out any flexible payment mechanism that will increase net revenue e.g. staged payments, direct debits etc.
·  Ensure the leisure management system is capitalised upon to support the wider membership agenda.
·  Drive a culture of membership retention.
·  Ensure the right infrastructure and processes are in place to promote regular two way member communication and feedback. / 20%
5 / Sponsorship
·  Create and manage the department’s sponsorship strategy, working in partnership with both the Students’ Union and CARO to grow sports related sponsorship.
·  Ensure a cohesive institutional approach to sports sponsorship, proactively leading on contract negotiation and maintaining strong relationships with existing sponsors.
·  Identify and lead on the approach to potential sponsors. / 10%
6 / Marketing
·  Manage the marketing section of the department, ensuring a cohesive approach that supports the Vision for Sport and focuses on:
o  Developing institutional sporting profile internally and externally
o  Increasing income
o  Raising participation levels through awareness of the services and facilities on offer
·  Oversee the development of the website and associated social media platforms, with a particular focus on the student audience.
·  Ensure maximum benefit is gained from hosting major sporting events / organisations.
·  Look for opportunities to further embed and develop the University’s sports brand. / 10%
7 / Financial management and reporting
·  Analyse and report on financial performance of the section and on existing and forecasted bookings.
·  Conduct an annual review of pricing and memberships to ensure they are both competitive and fit for purpose.
·  Evaluate existing service provision within the section, keeping abreast of feedback and broader developments in the external market place, to ensure appropriate developments and innovative solutions are proposed that consistently enhance and maximise service quality, efficiency and continuity
·  Monitor and report on membership levels and retention statistics for all categories.
·  Ensure that University financial processes are followed and the effective fiscal management of all associated contracts.
·  Provide effective analysis of marketing reach, campaigns and interventions. / 10%
8 / Other
·  Deputise for the Director of Sport as required
·  Work collaboratively with the other Assistant Directors to support their objectives in terms of Performance, Participation and Operational delivery, as outlined in the Vision for Sport.
·  Develop positive collaborative relationships with other key university departments e.g. External Relations, Nottingham Conferences & Estates.
·  Contribute towards raising the University’s sporting profile through representation on local, regional, national and international forums where relevant.
·  Any other duties in line with the role grade. / 5%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications/ Education / ·  A degree related to Business, Marketing or Sports Management or equivalent
·  Qualifications demonstrating a high level of literacy and numeracy
·  A track record of CPD throughout career / ·  Membership of relevant professional body
·  Marketing qualification e.g. CIM or IDM Diploma
Knowledge / Skills/Training / ·  Proven leadership skills, with the ability to operate in a multi-functional team
·  Proven success in a commercial environment
·  High level organisational and planning skills, including the ability to produce strategies and business plans
·  Excellent inter personal skills that build trust and respect, leading to mutually beneficial business relationships amongst a range of stakeholders.
·  Conflict resolution and negotiation skills.
·  Ability to communicate effectively in a concise and confident manner, to persuade and influence a range of individuals / groups
·  Excellent presentation skills.
·  Advanced analytical skills, with a solution focussed and innovative approach to problem solving.
·  Strong financial literacy including managing and controlling budgets
·  Strong IT skills, with a proven ability to work with marketing and leisure management software
·  Proven successful project and change management skills
·  Well-developed knowledge of legislation and good practice in key areas such as finance, marketing and sponsorship. / ·  Understanding of relevant Health and Safety legislation
·  Experience of operating a leisure management system
·  Previous use of the Agresso Financial Management System
Experience / ·  Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a similar senior leadership role
·  Significant experience of partnership development and management
·  Evidence of a successful track record in managing and developing people and resources
·  Evidence of ability to work proactively with a high level of initiative
·  Demonstrable understanding of marketing principles and practice
·  Successful event bid writing / tender writing experience
·  Experience of successfully working in a sales driven business / ·  Marketing and promotion experience
·  Event Management experience
·  Experience of working with NGBs
·  Experience of working within an Higher Education sports environment
·  Passion for and belief in student sport
·  Experience in transitioning to a major new facility
·  Demonstrable experience of developing and securing sponsorship agreements
Other / ·  Flexible approach to work
·  Passion for sport
·  Committed to providing a high level of customer service
·  Post holders may be required to operate from any one of the University sports sites
·  Post holders will be required to conform to the department’s uniform regulations / ·  Detailed knowledge of the University sports sector
·  Broad network of contacts within relevant fields.

Additional Information

Hours of work are 36¼ per week. Candidates will need to flexible in their approach to their working hours noting that the operational hours are between 5.30am and 11 pm seven days a week. This permanent post is open to job share

Post holders may be required to operate from any one of the University sports sites.

Post holders will be required to conform to the department’s uniform regulations.