Deputy Director, Sport

Job summary

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 26th 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.

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.

Person specification

The ideal candidate would have the following key skills and experience, please note that desirable skills will only be used in the event of tied candidates:

Essential Requirments
● 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 to cultivate influential relationships across a complex, high-profile sector, challenge constructively, and unite commercial, grassroots, and international stakeholders around shared nati

● 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.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £24,914 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home

• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice

• 3 days of paid volunteering leave

• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave

• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year

• Occupational sick pay

• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice

• Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work

• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.

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