Cardiff Met Sport is at the heart of sport, physical activity, health & wellbeing in Wales’ Capital City. Our mission is clear – ‘to profoundly enhance the lives of our communities, making them healthier and stronger as an outcome of engaging with us’.
We work in partnership with a range of local, regional and national partners to develop and manage high quality sport facilities including, the National Indoor Athletics Centre, Tennis Centre and Archers Arena on our Cyncoed Campus along with a number of 21st Century Schools across the City.
To continue to achieve all of this, we need ‘game changers’, people with drive, passion, creativity and flair who see hurdles rather than problems, and can think differently and want to make a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives, in Wales and beyond.
To help achieve our goals, we’re looking for an Aquatic Development Manager to develop and coordinate aquatic provision throughout the city across a range of partners such as leisure providers, coaches and charities. Your work as our Aquatics Manager will not only guide decision making and funding allocations but will support workforce development and school engagement.
You’ll make a difference by:
Providing effective leadership, strategic planning and direction of a range of aquatics activities across the City of Cardiff.
Acting as the lead partner for aquatics collaboration across Cardiff, overseeing partnership governance and steering multi agency work on all aquatic initiatives and programmes funded by the Free Swim Initiative.
Identifying gaps in provision for under-represented groups such as diverse communities, disabled people, women & girls and areas of deprivation to initiate programmes in conjunction with centre managers to increase participation.
Managing the Free Swim Investment for the city.
Collecting and reviewing school learn to swim data from all school swim providers and submit to the Welsh Government data unit annually.
What you’ll bring
With excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, you’ll be experienced at building strong working relationships and fostering collaboration across diverse teams to achieve shared objectives.
Your knowledge of the background and major issues in provision of sport and physical activity will enable you to contribute ideas constructively, build effective partnerships, and support a strategic approach to decision-making and long-term planning.
Additionally, you’ll:
Demonstrate experience of delivering inclusive provision and opportunities.
Have people management skills, with demonstrable experience of developing workforce within sport and community development.
Be able to manage health and safety policy & process, including regular review & evaluation.
Be confident using data to inform decisions, whilst being adaptable to the changing physical activity landscape.
Why join Cardiff Metropolitan University?
We are a values-based University. We are proud of our culture, and we are there for our people. Our community spirit is the golden thread that underpins our values and behaviours. We support and embrace inclusion that enables everyone to feel respected and able to perform at their best. By joining our University, you'll find yourself in a unique environment where a wealth of knowledge and resources are readily available, supporting you with your career development.
We offer excellent benefits such as:
Annual leave of 25 days, rising to 30 days after 1 years’ service, plus 12 bank holiday / concessionary days pro rata.
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme with generous contributions.
Excellent family friendly policies – take a look on our Policy Hub page.
Opportunities to learn and develop your skills with access to library and digital services facilities.
Excellent sports and fitness facilities with subsidised membership.
Free family access to our independent specialist wellbeing support provider, Health Assured.
Contact us
For more information about the role please contact Dawn Mitchell on
[email protected] or Hanna Guise -
[email protected]. Feel free to also contact Cerys Purdon, Recruitment Manager on
[email protected].
All applications must be submitted online.
The person specification will be used as a tool for shortlisting; so please make sure you use this information when writing your application. You can find useful hints and tips about how to apply by visiting our Application Guidance page.
Further details:
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Should a high volume of applications be received, we may need to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage you to apply as early as possible.
Cardiff Metropolitan University is proud to be a Disability Confident employer and a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.
All applicants with disabilities, or those who are part of the Armed Forces community who during the shortlisting process meet the essential criteria for the role will be progressed to the next stage.
The University is committed to creating a highly inclusive culture. We offer family friendly and flexible working arrangements and a range of staff networks, forums and events to support and develop our people. We warmly welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in the higher education sector.
Why Work Here?
We invite you to join our collaborative community!
Dating back to 1865, we remain rooted in Wales with a global reach, offering you a world of opportunity. Our education, research and innovation deliver positive impact for equality, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, locally, nationally and internationally.
Are you ready to contribute to something remarkable?
Join us in helping us to progress and deliver real change.
School/Unit
Cardiff Met Sport
Location
Cyncoed Campus
Salary
£35,608 to £38,784 per annum pro rata
Fixed term for 1 year
Post Type
Part Time
Hours per Week
22.2
Closing Date
Wednesday 29 July 2026
Interview Date
Thursday 20 August 2026
Reference
2526570
