About this vacancy
Department and salary
Department – Sport Wales Institue
Salary – £20/hour
Working Hours – Quartly attendance at panel meetings
Location – Virtual
Who we are
Sport Wales is the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and physical activity in Wales. We are the main adviser on sporting matters to the Welsh Government and are responsible for distributing National Lottery funds. We aim to not only improve the level of sports participation at grassroots level but also provide our aspiring athletes with the support required to compete successfully on the world stage.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do at Sport Wales. Further information on this can be found in our Equality, Diversity &
Inclusion Statement here.
We are a progressive employer that offers excellent employee benefits and promotes a healthy work life balance, offering a range of flexible approaches to support you.
Language skills (bilingualism & multilingualism) are desirable characteristics across all roles within Sport Wales. We are passionate about promoting the use of Welsh language and, as part of our development programme, give everyone the opportunity to learn Welsh if they wish to do so, offering learning programmes from beginner right through to fluent.
Sport Wales embraces a blended approach to work, where you will be able to split your time between the office and home.
Sport Wales careers are funded by Welsh Government and the National Lottery. Find out more about Sport Wales’ relationship with the National Lottery.
Sport Wales strongly advocates continuous learning and improvement. On your very first day of work, you will embark on a tailored induction programme and will be offered all the essential training to get you started. Joining Sport Wales means joining a culture of learning and continuous professional development.
Job specific training, lunchtime workshops, coaching and mentoring, improving Welsh language skills and long term study opportunities are all part of being on our team.
How you’ll contribute
Positioned at the heart of our organisation, the Athlete Panel will represent and communicate the views of Welsh athletes to inform and enhance our work. The Athlete Panel will give a voice to athletes from every corner of Welsh society. How Sport Wales supports sports to develop athletes is an important part of our work and as such it is important that athletes feed into the strategic direction of the organisation.
The Athlete Panel will have two main areas of responsibility:
1) Gather and feedback on current experiences of athletes in the Welsh sporting pathway or part of the Welsh sport system. This could include feedback that has a longer-term impact, or experiences that are more short term ‘quick wins’. Topics could include those that are driven by the panel members, or Sport Wales may request feedback on specific areas of interest.
2) Be a point of contact for NGB athlete representatives (or equivalent).
3) Provide feedback and advice to Sport Wales, NGB’s and other stakeholders on ideas, programmes or initiatives that we would plan to develop and deliver that would be intended to impact on athlete experience.
As a member of the Sport Wales Athlete Panel, you will be responsible for advising Sport Wales on it’s work, therefore contributing to transforming athlete’s experiences.
What you’ll gain from this?
• You’ll be paid £20/hour as a casual worker by Sport Wales for meeting attendance.
• Expenses for any travel, accommodation and subsistence will be covered by Sport Wales
• Develop your skills and improve your employability. Being a member of the Athlete Panel will provide you with the opportunity to develop a range of skills, including decision making, leadership, communication and many more, all of which prospective employers are looking for.
• You will be able to access free training relevant to being an athlete panel member such as inclusive practices, group facilitation, promoting wellbeing, active listening and have access to Sport Wales’ CLIP courses.
• You will have access to Sport Wales athlete discounts through partnerships.
Who you’ll work with
You will work closely with Sport Wales Institute Services in addition to colleagues across the wider organisation who will support the panel and help with coordination. You will also have the opportunity tto connect with the Team Wales athlete commission. You will create a link with the already established Youth Athlete Panel and have the opportunity to influence senior decision makers in Welsh Sport.
What you’ll need
You need to be an adult aged 18 years or over and eligible to compete for Wales.
You need to be currently represented Wales internationally in sport or be part of National Governing Body athlete pathway.
To be passionate about being the voice of ALL athletes in Wales, and a motivation to share what those voices are saying that will allow all those individuals to not only develop as athletes, but also as people.
You will need to be able to commit to attend meetings four times per year in addition to 2-3 key Sport Wales events. We are initially asking for a 12 month commitment.
What happens next
Please read the full job description below.
If you require any further information please email [javascript protected email address]
In order to apply, please send a CV in addition to answering the 2 questions below in either written or oral form. Please submit to the following address by 12 noon on the 24th November 2025:
[javascript protected email address]
1. Why is it important to you, that the athlete voice is heard?
2. How would your skills and experience contribute to you being successful in this role?
Shortlisted athletes will be invited to interview with a panel of Sport Wales staff and an athlete representative the week beginning 8th December 2025 (this can be flexible)
Closing date
24th November 2025
Provisional interview date
Week commencing 8th December 2025
Full job description
Responsible to
Project Lead
Job Purpose
This is an exciting opportunity to influence athlete experiences across the Welsh system.
Working with other members on the panel that are representative of athletes across Wales, you will represent and communicate the views of Welsh athletes to inform and enhance work that impacts thriving environments. You will contribute to our understanding of current experiences within Welsh sport by highlighting and discussing topics that are not only likely to have a long term impact, but will also impact short term issues. You will work closely with Sport Wales members to consider potential responses and solutions to feedback.
You will use your knowledge and passion to provide feedback, advice and solutions to Sport Wales, and potentially directly to sports, on ideas and initiatives that we would potentially develop and deliver.
Main Duties
• Be available to attend 4 meetings per year
• Take responsibility for chairing at least one Athlete Panel meeting. This will involve sending out the agenda, facilitating discussions, and sending out any actions
• Actively seek to understand the context of topics that are discussed
• Communicate respectfully during Athlete Panel meetings
• Use good questioning skills to understand, challenge and develop the thinking of others in the group
• Bring a passion and motivation that will ultimately lead to more positive athlete experiences in Welsh sport
• Represent the Athlete Panel at key events
• Along with other members of the Panel, seek to understand why experiences are either being highlighted as positive or negative
Fulfil responsibilities which contribute to delivering an exemplary service for Sport Wales in respect of our statutory duties, including the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales), Equality, Information Security, Risk Management, Safeguarding, Financial Regulation and Health, Safety & Environment.
Work flexibly, performing any other duties as required, where relevant to the post and appropriate to the grade.
Our Values
Our approach to enabling sport in Wales to thrive is evolving. We are committed to continually challenging ourselves to:
Learn Together - Constantly exploring, testing and reviewing
Deliver Together - Sharing outcomes, nurturing open and honest relationships, providing robust feedback, constantly improving performance
Celebrate Together - Recognising our shared successes through effective partners
By:
Acting with Integrity - Understanding and Respecting each other’s culture and values. Promoting equality and diversity
Adding Value - Ensuring the optimum mix of support, challenge, investment, skills, and expertise to achieve our shared outcomes.
Encouraging Innovation - Welcoming new ideas and approaches and supporting ambition and fresh thinking. Not being afraid to feel uncomfortable.
Person Specification
| Area of focus | Essential Requirements | Desirable Requirements |
Education
| N/A | N/A |
| Experience | To be an athlete aged 18 years and over within the Welsh sporting system.
You need to have represented Wales internationally in sport (either currently actively doing so or within the last 5 years) or be part of National Governing Body athlete pathway. | Experience of being an athlete representative within your sport |
| Skills, Aptitudes & Abilities | Be passionate and committed about representing and communicating the experiences of all Welsh athletes
To have the desire to improve the Welsh athlete’s experience across all sports
To be able to hold multiple perspectives and experiences in mind and to communicate these to a range of audiences
To be able to communicate effectively using a range of approaches, and to be willing to adapt your communication approach to suit the audience
To be aware of the national and international sporting contexts and developments in the area
To be motivated to continuously develop and maintain relationships with others within the national and international sporting context
To have and show empathy, compassion and acceptance of other’s beliefs, experiences, and opinions
To be able to work responsibly within the remit of the position and to seek appropriate support if required
To show the ability to work alongside staff within Sport Wales and be guided with the organisations principles to deliver an exemplary service in respect of our statutory duties (e.g Equality, Safeguarding, Risk Management)
| |
| Special Circumstances |
