Board Member
Location: London
About Sport England
Sport England was established in 1996 by Royal Charter to foster, support and encourage the development of sport and sporting excellence. It is a non-departmental public body, and its sponsoring Government department is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Board members assist the Chairman and the Executives of Sport England in delivering its statutory objectives and in formulating and implementing its other strategic aims, including how the organisation is implementing and delivering against the priorities set out in the Government’s Sporting Future strategy. The board takes overall responsibility for Sport England and its performance. The board:
· Sets and agrees the overall strategy and policy for the organisation
· Approves all grant awards which exceed £2m
· Approves Sport England’s annual report and accounts
· Oversees performance management
· Ensures that effective arrangements are in place to provide assurance on risk management, governance and internal control of major projects Board members may also take on additional responsibilities, such as membership of the Audit, Risk and Governance and Investment Committees
Person Specification
We are keen to broaden the skills and recruit new people to strengthen the existing board and drive Sport England forward. As a member of the board you will share responsibility for the overall direction, vision and strategy of Sport England. A key part of this will involve providing oversight of how Sport England is driving forward the implementation of the Government’s Sporting Future strategy and how it is embedding the strategy’s key outcomes of physical well-being, mental well- being, individual development, social and community development, and economic development in everything that it does.
We are looking for candidates who can bring innovative ideas, enthusiasm for our values, and excellent judgement to help deliver our objectives. You will be prepared to assist our organisation in taking on any future challenges and play a key role in our success.
The successful candidates will have held a position of responsibility in either the public, voluntary or private sectors and will have ability, at a senior level, in one or more of the following areas:
● Financial and business, which might include audit, investment/venture capital or charity governance expertise
● Strong commercial background in understanding customer needs and proven track record of meeting them
● Experience of working in disability inclusive sport
● Working with underrepresented groups in sport especially women, disabled people or BME communities
● Strong communications/PR industry background
● Understanding of how sport and physical activity could be enhanced and/or encouraged by the application of technology and big data
● Public health or education sectors
● Delivering or managing behavioural change
Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate:
● An understanding of and commitment to the objectives of Sport England
● A good understanding of the UK’s sporting landscape, including the barriers preventing people taking up sport
● The ability to think strategically at board-level and exercise sound judgment
● A willingness to stimulate rich debate and challenge the executive in a positive and constructive way
How to Apply
Sport England recognises the positive value of diversity, promotes equality and challenges discrimination. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly those from underrepresented groups including women, disabled people or BME.
To apply, please send:
· A CV of no more than three sides of A4
· A supporting statement of no more than three sides of A4, setting out how you meet the criteria – make sure you refer to the contents of this document
· The two Monitoring Forms concerning your personal information and political activity, and the Declaration of Interests Form
Completed applications should be emailed to: publicappointments@culture.gov.uk – please put Sport England in the Subject line.
For information about the public appointments process please contact priya.mistry@culture.gov.uk or telephone 0207 211 2314.
If you have any queries about the actual roles themselves, please contact Tanya van Niekerk, Board Secretary, Sport England by email at Tanya.vanniekerk@sportengland.org or by phone on 0207 273 1678.
Please note DCMS does not fund travel and subsistence for candidates attending interviews.
Closing date for applications is 5 February 2018
