Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Deputy Director, Sport
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Location
London, Manchester
We are running an information session where prospective applicants can find out more about the role. This will be hosted virtually by Emma Floyd, and will take place on:
- Wednesday 27th August at 1:30pm
The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department.
It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the application, and the interview and assessment process.
Please register your interest before 9am Wednesday 27th August by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation. Invites will only be sent after this deadline has passed.
This will take place virtually, via Microsoft Teams.
If you wish to attend the session anonymously please ensure that you have changed how your name appears before joining the call. Please note that the session will not be recorded.
Job description
As Deputy Director of Sport within DCMS you will lead a team an exceptional team navigating a fast-moving, high-profile brief that drives the Government’s vision for sport and physical activity across the UK. We sit at the intersection of public health, economic growth, and national pride, using the unique power of sport to transform lives, strengthen communities, and project the UK’s soft power on the global stage.
The critical SCS1 role works with the sector, four Arm's Length Bodies and across government on:
- Participation Strategy: Formulating the long-term strategic blueprint to get more people active, specifically addressing stubborn demographic inequalities in physical activity.
- Sector Growth & Integrity: Partnering with the commercial and grassroots sport sector to accelerate the growth of women's sport, drive inward investment, and promote world-class governance.
- Elite Sport Delivery: Working alongside UK Sport to maintain our proud standing as a top-five Olympic and Paralympic superpower.
- Societal Value: Leveraging sporting investments to achieve cross-government objectives, from enhancing local community cohesion to projecting international soft power.
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As Deputy Director, you will lead a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team of around 30 professionals dedicated to delivering high-impact policy across the high-profile sport sectors. This vibrant team brings together subject matter experts, specialist analysts, and policy professionals who thrive in a fast-paced, politically sensitive environment.
Leading through two team leaders you will set strategic direction on priorities ranging from improving the health of the nation through increasing levels of physical activity to maintaining a high performance sport system that retains the UK’s position as a global leader. You will hold oversight and sponsorship of three key delivery partners: UK Sport, Sport England, and the Sports Ground Safety Authority, working closely with them to ensure robust governance and alignment.
While we operate as a cohesive national unit, our geographic footprint is strategically evolving. Our Manchester hub is a key growth area, currently hosting approximately 30% of the wider directorate alongside our London hub (60%) and regional offices (10%). We are highly motivated to grow our senior leadership presence outside of London and actively encourage applications from candidates who wish to be based in our Manchester hub.
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Person specification
Essential Requirements
- Leadership: Proven ability to inspire, direct, and develop a high-performing, multi-disciplinary team (up to 30 professionals across multiple hubs) to drive forward-thinking policy debates, shape national conversations, and deliver complex regulatory outcomes in a high-profile landscape.
- Seeing the Big Picture: Proven experience translating macro-level economic, social, and political trends into cohesive strategy, ensuring long-term policy and delivery proactively anticipates market innovations and broader public impacts.
- Working Together: Outstanding relationship-building and communication skills. You have a proven ability to cultivate influential relationships across a complex, high-profile sector, challenge constructively, and unite commercial, grassroots, and international stakeholders around shared national goals.
- Innovative Delivery & Execution: A proven track record of moving from strategy to concrete execution - whether in the private, third, or public sectors. You foster a culture of innovative thinking, spotting emerging market trends and translating them into tangible services or protections for the public.
- Managing a Quality Service: Ability to ruthlessly prioritise workloads and establish clear boundaries, protecting long-term strategic delivery while successfully navigating high volumes of fast-paced, reactive demands.
Desirable Skills
- Experience working in the sport sector.
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