Careers

About Us

Swim England is the national governing body for swimming in England.

We help people learn how to swim, enjoy the water safely, and compete in all our sports.

Our vision is of a nation swimming and we strive to inspire everyone to enjoy the water in the way that suits them. We work with our partners to create engaging programmes that enable everyone to be active, have fun and stay healthy through swimming.

About The Role

We are seeking an experienced and collaborative Club Development and Support (Governance) Manager to play a key role in transforming aquatic club culture across England. This role leads on the development and delivery of a new national approach to club governance and compliance, aligned to Swim England’s safeguarding, welfare and conduct frameworks.

You will design and manage national programmes and initiatives that support clubs to grow, develop and operate effectively as inclusive, vibrant and safe communities. Working closely with Swim England regions, safeguarding teams and national partners, you will help embed consistent, modern and supportive governance practice across the club system.

Key Responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Support the development and implementation of a national philosophy for club development and support.
• Lead on the design and delivery of a new governance and compliance model for aquatic clubs.
• Develop and manage national programmes and initiatives focused on club governance, compliance and culture.
• Work closely with Swim England regions and safeguarding resources to deliver an aligned, joined-up offer for clubs.
• Collaborate with the Safe Aquatics team to deliver training, networking and learning opportunities for club volunteers and committees.
• Integrate national resources from partners such as Sport England into Swim England’s club support offer.
• Operate within the wider NGB landscape, identifying and applying modern approaches to club development.
• Collaborate across directorates to ensure clubs play a central role in competitive aquatics and wider social agendas, including participation, health and tackling inequalities.

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Proven experience designing and delivering national programmes that support grassroots club growth and transformation.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding, welfare and conduct frameworks, with experience implementing governance models.
• Experience collaborating with regional teams, national bodies and external partners.
• Experience leading cultural change across volunteers, committees and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Strong knowledge of the NGB landscape and modern approaches to club development and support.
• Ability to lead through influence and matrix working.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to inspire and align stakeholders.
• A proactive, creative approach to problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Our Values

• We include
• We are ambitious
• We collaborate
• We do what’s right

Further Information

Please be advised that we cannot offer visa sponsorship and that you must have right to work in the UK to apply or be considered for this role. If you are a non-UK/EU National, you must have an appropriate working Visa to undertake employment. You must also be working within the UK to apply or be considered for this role, due to the public liability insurance Swim England holds.

Swim England is committed to inclusion and embracing the spirit of all equalities legislation. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. We recognise that the diversity of our workforce is not reflective of today’s society and we are currently operating a pilot scheme whereby applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds can opt into our guaranteed interview scheme. Candidates that have opted into the scheme will be guaranteed an interview provided that they have demonstrated, within their application, that they meet the essential criteria for the role. When emailing the CV and cover letter, applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to state they wish to ‘Opt In’ to the scheme.

Where possible, Swim England will always make reasonable adjustments for accessibility to anyone who requires it. 

If you would like any of the documentation in a different format or would like to apply in a different way please get in touch. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, in line with the Equality Act 2010. However, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Swim England is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

Apply for role

Closing date: 11th January 2026