RECRUITMENT ROLE PROFILE
Job Title:
Assistant Director of Sport & Physical Recreation: Business and
Development
School / Department:
University of Nottingham Sport
Job Family & Level:
APM Level 5
Salary:
£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
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.
% time /
year
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
10%


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.
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
Qualifications/
Education
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Essential
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


Desirable
Membership of relevant
professional body
Marketing qualification e.g. CIM
or IDM Diploma
career
Knowledge /
Skills/Training

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Experience

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Other
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Proven leadership skills, with the
ability to operate in a multifunctional 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.
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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

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
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Understanding of relevant
Health and Safety legislation
Experience of operating a leisure
management system
Previous use of the Agresso
Financial Management System
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
Detailed knowledge of the
University sports sector
Broad network of contacts within
relevant fields.

Post holders will be required to
conform to the department’s uniform
regulations
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.