Company Overview

Athletics Victoria (AV) is the governing body of Athletics in Victoria and is responsible for the overall management, promotion and growth of Athletics throughout the State. With over 60 affiliated clubs and 6,000 registered members in Victoria, AV conduct a range of competitions and events for individuals of all ages, abilities and interests.

AV strives to make athletics an enjoyable and accessible sport for all Victorians, providing leadership and direction to their members to help them reach their full potential from grassroots through to elite.   Athletics Victoria is a Member Association of Athletics Australia, and works closely with Little Athletics Victoria, the Victorian Masters Association, the Victorian Athletic League and Victorian secondary schools.

Athletics Victoria requires an innovative CEO to grow and modernise athletics in the State and deliver on the Board’s 2022 – 2025 strategic plan.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Athletics Victoria President and Committee, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is a critical position within sport across the state of Victoria.  The role requires a strategic leader, with excellent board reporting capability, risk and governance skills, strong relationship and business growth experience and exceptional communication skills.

Exceptional leadership skills to be adept at building and maintaining relationships with, and meeting the needs of, a diverse stakeholder group including members, government at all three levels, health peak bodies, NGO’s, sporting bodies, regulators, educators, academia, research institutes, business and aligned associations.

The CEO will have strong proven experience in facilitating organisational change and will need to keep a commercial focus whilst operating in a not for profit or membership association context.

Your commercial acumen should be led by your skill in analysing and then capitalising on opportunities and finding innovative solutions to achieve the strategic objectives.

An understanding and experience of the sport of athletics will be an advantage but not a necessity; however, you must be committed to leading, supporting, and growing an innovative industry that embraces knowledge sharing, professionalism and high standards of customer care and service standards of customer care and service.

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Vision & Business Growth

• The CEO will be responsible for supporting the Athletics Victoria Committee, Athletics Australia, and Member Associations in the development of new go-to-market and participation products.
• Lead the development of the strategic and business plans, utilising market intelligence and trends.
• Collaborate with the Committee to refine and implement the strategic plan while ensuring that the budget, staff, and priorities are aligned with the core purpose.
• Grow revenue streams through building comprehensive product offerings, marketing, branding and development strategies and campaigns that are derived from ongoing analysis of industry and market trends.
• Build partnerships in new markets, establishing relationships with relevant funders to expand the reach and influence of the organisation and drive revenue growth.
• Prepare and submit funding applications to the Victorian State Government and other organisations that make support available to sporting organisations.

Leadership & Culture

• Provide leadership and direction to the team and ensure the continued professionalisation and management of the organisation.
• Oversee the financial status of the organisation including developing long and short-range financial plans, monitoring the budget and ensuring sound financial controls are in place.
• Establish organisational culture and embody the values of the organisation.
• Support, coach and motivate the team to empower and enable them to achieve organisational goals and reach their potential.

Communications, Relationship Building & Brand Leadership

• Develop the profile of Athletics Victoria to ensure it becomes the association of choice for all athletes.
• Provide leadership and direction to clubs, athletes, coaches, and officials and create a service-oriented culture from Athletics Victoria to enable the delivery of Athletics across Member Associations.
• Deepen and refine all aspects of communications, from online presence to external relations with the goal of maintaining a high-profile brand and value proposition.
• Develop and maintain effective relationships with key agencies, members, and important stakeholders.
• Act as the figurehead and public advocate for the industry, positioning Athletics Victoria as a respected brand within sport.

Operations

• Retain and grow participation in a sustainable way, through the delivery of well-run competitions, with an appropriate calendar of events available for athletes within Victoria.
• Working with stakeholders to develop an appropriate program of events for Victorian athletes.
• Lead the development and implementation of strategies to secure first class facilities for Victoria athletes and drive utilisation.
• Ensure the delivery of high-quality services while managing for future growth and sustainability.

Board Reporting Skills

• In partnership with the Committee, help build a diverse and inclusive governing body, representative of the sport of athletics that is highly engaged and willing to leverage their expertise and experience to achieve organisational goals.
• Manage all organisation governance requirements including Company Secretary duties as part of the Athletics Victoria Committee.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in a relevant discipline (desirable);
• Post graduate qualifications in management or business (desirable).

Skills and Experience

• Minimum of 10 years senior management experience, preferably in similar organisations with demonstrable board reporting experience.
• A dynamic and inspiring leader, with a successful track record in business and revenue growth, and management of similar sized organisations.
• Strong and analytical financial acumen, with an understanding of the not-for-profit operating context.
• Excellent organisational management capability with the ability to coach staff, manage and develop high-performance teams, set, and achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget.
• Strong governance experience, including Company Secretary experience and the ability to work collaboratively with Committee Members.
• Strong marketing, public relations, and revenue raising experience with the ability to drive sustainable growth as well as engaging a wide range of stakeholders.
• Well-developed operational leadership with proved ability to set clear priorities, delegate, and guide investment in people and systems.
• Keen analytic, organisational and problem solving skills, that support and enable sound decision making.
• Excellent coalition building skills with an ability to communicate and work effectively with a variety of internal and external stakeholders across sport and government.
• Outstanding presentation and communication skills with the experience and proclivity to be a respected spokesperson and relationship builder.

Key Relationships

• AV President & Committee Members
• Athletics Australia CEO and Executive Team
• Club Presidents and Committees
• Athletic Bodies
• External stakeholders including sponsors, government agencies, service providers, and professional advisers

How to Apply

Please send your CV along with a detailed cover letter to SRI that briefly details why you feel you would be suitable for this role by Monday 11^th July 2022.

JOSIE LAHEY Partner jlahey@sriexecutive.com +61 478 803 255

About SRI

SRI is a global executive search and consulting firm, servicing the rapidly converging industries of sport, media and entertainment.

We work as one partner-led team with staff based in key global markets across 11 offices on four continents. We offer dedicated and specific sector, function and region expertise. Our services include executive search, board assessment, succession planning, salary benchmarking, advising clients on their internal and external hiring strategy, new market entry and multi-vacancy projects.

Diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) is a fundamental priority for SRI. Our philosophy focusses on embedding inclusive behaviours and processes across every element of our business practices, internally and in our work with clients and candidates.

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