Community Coordinator/ Development Manager, Changing Sports

August 2026

Role summary

Job title Community Coordinator / Development Manager

Salary Community Coordinator: £26,228 (Bristol) / £28,860 (London) Development Manager: £28,000–£33,000 (Bristol) / £30,000–£35,000 (London)

Hours 37.5 hours per week, full-time

Contract 12-month fixed-term contract initially, with the intention of becoming permanent.

Location Hybrid working, minimum 2 to 3 days in office/ community. Based in Access Sport’s London or Bristol office.

We are recruiting two posts and may appoint candidates at either Community Coordinator or Development Manager level, depending on skills, experience and suitability for the level of responsibility required.

1. About Access Sport

Access Sport is a national charity with a vision that no one should be excluded from the transformational benefits of community sport. We are on a mission to make inclusion the norm in community sport by tackling the access barriers faced by disadvantaged and disabled young people.

We do this by training, equipping, and supporting community sports clubs, organisations, and volunteers to provide inclusive programmes, unleashing their potential to transform the lives of underserved young people in their local communities.

This work is either place based or sport focused. All the clubs we support are invited to join our Inclusive Club Network. A copy of our 2022-2027 growth strategy, Stand for Inclusion, which provides further details about our work and future development plans, can be found here on our website.

In 2025/26 Access Sport engaged over 40,000 disadvantaged and disabled young people, with a strong representation from ethnically diverse communities, girls, and previously less active young people.

Read more about our impact in our Annual Review. A number of videos showcasing our work can be found on our YouTube channel.

2.Role purpose

Summary

Access Sport is looking to appoint two members of staff to support the delivery and development of our Changing Sports work, supporting community sports clubs and organisations to create more inclusive, welcoming and accessible opportunities for children and young people.

We are recruiting at either Community Coordinator or Development Manager level. The core purpose and focus of the roles will be the same, with the level of responsibility reflecting the successful candidates’ skills, experience and capabilities.

Our Changing Sports programmes work in partnership with National Governing Bodies (NGBs), community clubs and other organisations to develop and embed inclusive approaches within individual sports. The programme focuses particularly on creating meaningful opportunities for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people to participate, progress and develop through sport.

The post holders will work closely with our existing sport partners to strengthen and grow established inclusive offers, while identifying opportunities to develop new partnerships and sports. This will include supporting projects such as McDonald’s Fun Football, Tryz Rugby, Flyerz Hockey, Climbz - Inclusive Climbing, Acez Tennis, Wavez Swimming, and Wingz Cycling alongside other emerging projects.

These are delivery-focused roles, suited to people who enjoy building strong relationships, working directly with community organisations and translating insight and best practice into practical change.

Responsibilities

Delivery and club development

Coordinate and contribute to the delivery and ongoing development of our Changing Sports offers within an allocated portfolio of sport projects.

Support community sports clubs to develop, strengthen and sustain inclusive offers that engage more children and young people, with a strong focus on disabled and neurodivergent young people.

Carry out regular visits to clubs (during evenings and weekends when required) to build relationships and better understand their needs and aspirations.

Support clubs to embed youth voice and youth leadership within their activities, ensuring young people have meaningful opportunities to influence their club and sessions.

Work alongside coaches, volunteers and club leaders to identify barriers to participation and develop practical solutions that make their environments and activities more inclusive.

• Deliver Access Sport’s inclusion training, including Disability Inclusion and Neurodivergence Inclusion workshops, both in person and online.

Support community organisations to build local partnerships with schools, disability organisations, youth organisations and other relevant services.

Ensure delivery is responsive to the needs and voices of young people, individual sports and communities while remaining aligned to Access Sport’s wider inclusion approach.

Partnerships

Develop and maintain strong working relationships with National Governing Bodies, community sports organisations and other strategic partners to champion and embed inclusive sport.

Identify and contribute to the development of new partnerships and projects that increase access to inclusive community sport for disadvantaged, disabled and neurodivergent young people.

Support the development of the Inclusive Club Network and other sport-specific networks, encouraging greater connection, peer learning and collaboration between clubs.

Work collaboratively with colleagues across Access Sport to share insight, learning and best practice between our sport and place programmes, particularly around meaningful youth engagement.

Project Management

• Take day-to-day responsibility for the effective management and delivery of allocated Changing Sports projects, ensuring activity is delivered to agreed outcomes, timescales and budgets.

Support the development of project plans, delivery approaches and resources in response to the needs, experiences and ambitions of young people, clubs and partners.

Use insight from young people, clubs, partners and the wider sector to identify opportunities to improve and develop the programme.

Support the identification and development of opportunities to secure the longer-term sustainability and growth of inclusive sports initiatives.

Monitoring and Evaluation

• Take responsibility for the monitoring and evaluation requirements for allocated projects, using online monitoring platforms such as Upshot (training will be provided).

Collect and use data, feedback and insight from clubs, partners and young people to understand impact and inform ongoing programme development.

• Contribute to internal and external reporting requirements, including case studies, films, and news stories.

• Identify and share learning, emerging practice and examples of impact across the Changing Sports and wider Access Sport team.

3.Person specification

Skills/ experience

Essential

Experience of working in or supporting the delivery of community sport, youth development or community-based programmes.

Experience of working in partnership with multiple organisations, ideally including local authorities, charities, schools or national governing bodies

• A strong understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion in practice, particularly in relation to disabled children and young people.

• An understanding of the barriers that affect participation in community sport, particularly for underserved communities.

Good communication skills and confidence engaging with young people, coaches and community partners.

Experience of managing or coordinating multiple strands of work, including planning, delivery and reporting.

• An understanding of safeguarding and its importance when working with children and young people (training will be provided).

Desirable

Experience of coordinating or managing community sport, youth development or community-based programmes.

Experience of developing or supporting community sports clubs to improve inclusion, governance or sustainability.

• Experience of delivering training, workshops or workforce development for coaches, volunteers or young leaders.

Lived experience of one or more of the underserved communities we support (e.g. D/deaf, disabled, neurodivergent, women and girls, ethnically diverse communities, low socio-economic backgrounds).

Experience of monitoring and evaluation, including collecting and using data to demonstrate impact.

Personal attributes

• A personal commitment to Access Sport’s vision and values

Self-motivated, able to use initiative, and have a highly flexible approach to work.

• Proactive and adaptable - ability to think creatively and use initiative to achieve outcomes.

• Reliable and hardworking with the confidence to work independently.

• A team player with good interpersonal skills.

• Committed to continuing personal and professional development. In addition:

• The post holder must have the right to work in the UK.

The post holder must be able to travel regularly within the UK, particularly within South of England.

There will be some requirements to work on evenings or weekends, for which time off in lieu can be taken.

Equal opportunities

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Access Sport is committed to creating an inclusive culture, through fostering a diverse workforce where everyone feels like they belong, differences are valued, and everyone can reach their potential.

We are actively seeking to diversify and create a workplace that is welcoming for all, ensuring that our workforce is representative of wider society and the communities we support. If you need any adjustments to the recruitment process, at either the application or interview stage, please contact us (details in section 6).

We offer disabled applicants the option of requesting that their application is considered under the terms of our Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS). If you wish to apply under our GIS, please indicate this in the application form. For more information, please visit our Join the Team page.

Background checks

As this role may, at times, involve working in a regulated environment with young people, any offer will be conditional to satisfactory background checks which includes a criminal record check with the Disclosure and Barring Service and two references.

4. Staff benefits

Access Sport is an exciting and dynamic place to work. We pride ourselves on being a close-knit and well-supported team with a clear sense of purpose, delivering real impact. Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do.

We are committed to supporting the development of our team members and, should you wish, there are opportunities for team members to get involved in different aspects of the charity, from the delivery of our programmes on the ground, to fundraising, events and advocacy.

Staff benefits include:

Employee Assistance Programme - Access to a 24/7 confidential helpline, counselling services and online information.

Annual leave - 28 days annual leave, including 3 days between Christmas and New Year, plus 1 extra day of leave per year of service for the first 5 years. This equates to 33 days of annual leave after 5 years of continuous service. Plus 8 days paid public holidays.

• Healthy living and wellbeing employer - We welcome staff to embed regular exercise into their daily work lives and have quarterly team away days.

Volunteering/ personal development days - Two additional days of paid leave each year to volunteer for an Access Sport club or other charity, or to use as personal development days.

• Pension - 5% employer pension contribution.

• New Mums and Dads, including adoptive parents, can take enhanced maternity and paternity leave.

Flexible working and family-friendly - Hybrid and flexible working arrangements which are family-friendly and provide flexibility around caring responsibilities.

• 24/7 GP service to provide employees with a phone or video appointment at a time and date that suits them.

• Cycle to Work scheme - saving up to 39% off a new bike and accessories.

• Group Life Assurance for all staff on payroll.

5.How to apply

The closing date for applications is 12 pm, 21 September 2026.

To apply, please complete the application form on the Access Sport website by clicking the link below.

Community Coordinator / Development Manager Application Form >

Once you have submitted your online application, please email your CV and Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to Careers@AccessSport.org.uk with your name in the subject line.

Our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form can be downloaded here: www.AccessSport.org.uk/join-the-team.

Candidates who have been shortlisted for an interview will be notified by w/c 25 September. The first interviews are currently due to take place during the week commencing w/c 28 September.

If you have any questions or would like to have an informal discussion about the role, please email Sue.Wheeler@AccessSport.org.uk.

Level of appointment

We are recruiting for two posts and will consider candidates for appointment at either Community Coordinator or Development Manager level. All candidates will initially be assessed against the same role requirements, with the level of appointment determined by Access Sport following the first stage of the recruitment process, based on the candidate’s skills, experience and capabilities. Candidates invited to a final interview will be informed in advance of the level they are being considered for.

Data protection

Access Sport CIO will only process and store your personal information, this means any information that identifies or could identify you, for the purposes of recruitment, after which it will be securely disposed.