About Netball Australia

Netball Australia (NA) is the driving force behind netball in Australia, shaping the game from grassroots to greatness. As a proud member of World Netball (WN), NA oversees national teams, the elite Suncorp Super Netball league, and fosters the sport at every level - from local courts to the global stage.

For nearly 100 years, Netball Australia has led, inspired, and supported a myriad of opportunities for thousands of communities and millions of Australians to play, deliver, watch, and ultimately love our sport.

We are rightly proud of our heritage, our standing, and our successes. Few teams in any sport, and even fewer organisations in any industry, enjoy the position and the positive pressure of being No. 1 in the World! You will be joining a team of passionate individuals who take pride in their skills, love what they do and thoroughly enjoy being part of making Netball one of the most loved sports in Australia.

About the Netball World Cup

The Netball World Cup (NWC) is the pinnacle tournament for the sport and occurs every four years. It brings the top 16 teams in the world together over 10 days, with teams competing across pool stages and finals to be crowned World Champion. In 2027, the NWC will be held in Sydney, Australia across August & September. In addition to generating significant economic impact - direct and indirect - for NSW and Australia, the Netball World Cup provides a significant moment for NA in its centenary year to drive interest, awareness and participation in the sport. NA’s vision for the tournament is to deliver an innovative and record-breaking NWC that inspires a new generation of fans and players, achieving record commercial return and celebrating athletes on the global stage. It plans to achieve this, via the Local Organising Committee (LOC), through a focus on five Key Performance Areas being: Operational Excellence - How the Tournament is delivered. Fan Engagement - How the fan interacts and experiences the NWC. Commercial Return - Maximising profit to reinvest back into the game. Legacy & Inclusion - Leveraging the NWC to foster positive relations and grow the Game of Netball in Australia. Governance & Finance - The governance, administration and financial management of the Tournament.

About the Role

The GM Tournament Operations is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of all operational aspects of the 2027 Netball World Cup (NWC). This includes the management of venues, workforce and volunteers, netball-specific logistics, match scheduling, integrity frameworks, and operational policy delivery. The role plays a key leadership function in ensuring world-class tournament operations that meet international standards and create an exceptional experience for players, officials, fans, and stakeholders.

Throughout the duration of the NWC, the following are key areas of responsibility:

Tournament Operations

• Lead all operational planning and delivery for NWC 2027, ensuring venue, team, official, and competition readiness in accordance with World Netball standards.
• Oversee the integrated operations program across match, training, and non-competition venues, ensuring seamless coordination of scheduling, logistics, and service delivery.
• Drive operational alignment across LOC departments, delivering a unified, athlete-centric tournament experience and stakeholder-ready environment.
• Manage core logistics including transport, accommodation, equipment distribution, and operational overlay requirements.

Venue Management

• Oversee all aspects of venues readiness, including compliance with World Netball and Government requirements.
• Lead relationships with venues, facility managers, government agencies to ensure venues are fully operational and tournament-ready

Workforce & Volunteer Management

• Design and once approved, deliver a comprehensive tournament workforce strategy including recruitment, onboarding, training, deployment, and recognition of all paid staff and volunteers.
• Ensure appropriate resource planning across relevant functional areas, including venue-based roles, with a focus on flexibility, inclusion, and community engagement.
• Foster a values-led workforce culture aligned with Netball Australia’s commitment to respect, inclusion, wellbeing, and high performance.

Match Schedule & Event Delivery

• Manage the operational execution of the tournament match schedule, ensuring alignment with broadcast, ticketing, venue, and transport plans.
• Lead the coordination of matchday operations across all host venues, integrating competition, spectator, and ceremonial elements to deliver a premium event experience.
• Collaborate with Fan Experience, Commercial, and Media teams to ensure the matchday delivery enhances both the live and broadcast product.

Netball Operations

• Oversee end-to-end competition operations, including team services, training site readiness, match management, scheduling, and technical delivery.
• Ensure compliance with World Netball competition requirements.
• Coordinate directly with team liaison officers, officials, and technical delegates to deliver a high-performance, athlete-first competition environment.

Integrity, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure all operations are compliant with relevant legislation, tournament standards, and World Netball integrity frameworks.
• Manage tournament-wide risk management processes, including incident response planning and emergency protocols.
• Lead the development and implementation of key tournament policies, including safeguarding, anti-discrimination, and health & safety.

Policy & Procedure Development

• Develop, document, and implement tournament-wide operational policies and SOPs to ensure consistency, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Embed robust operational processes that support the delivery of safe, inclusive, and efficient services across all LOC departments.
• Lead a continuous improvement approach to tournament operations, refining procedures through test events, simulations, and feedback loops.

Stakeholder Coordination

• Act as the key operational liaison between the LOC and key stakeholders, including World Netball, government agencies, emergency services, and venue partners.
• Represent the LOC in operational working groups and coordination forums.
• Provide timely updates to the LOC COO, LOC Executive and key partners on readiness, risk, and tournament delivery.

About You

• Major Event Operations: Minimum 8-10 years' experience in senior operations roles within sporting events.
• End-to-End Tournament Delivery: Proven track record delivering large-scale, multi-venue tournaments across planning, operational readiness, and event-time execution.
• Venue & Competition Operations Expertise: Extensive experience managing match and training venue operations, competition logistics, team services, and integration with broadcast, ticketing, and fan experience.
• Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with national and international governing bodies, venue owners, emergency services, government agencies, and commercial partners.
• Workforce & Volunteer Management: Experience in leading cross-functional, multi-level workforce teams including paid staff, contractors, and large-scale volunteer programs.
• Risk & Compliance Oversight: Sound knowledge of legislative and regulatory requirements across WHS, integrity, safeguarding, child protection, and emergency response.
• Budget Management: Strong financial acumen and experience managing large operational budgets, procurement processes, and value-for-money assessments.
• Policy & SOP Development: Demonstrated ability to write, implement, and manage operational policies, playbooks, and standard operating procedures.

Essential Skills

• Leadership & Influence: Inspirational leader who can mobilize diverse teams, drive accountability, and embed a high-performance culture under pressure.
• Strategic Thinking & Execution: Able to plan long-term while also delivering complex, real-time operational outcomes in high-tempo environments.
• Problem-Solving & Agility: Calm, pragmatic, and solutions-oriented approach to high-pressure, fast-changing situations and decision-making under stress.
• Project Management: Advanced skills in milestone tracking, critical path management, resource planning, and interdependency mapping across functions.
• Collaboration & Communication: Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; confident presenting to executives, partners, and public sector leaders.
• Technology Literacy: Competent in using tournament management software, accreditation systems, workforce rostering tools, and collaboration platforms.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualifications in Event Management, Sport Management, Business, Operations, or related disciplines.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised groups tend to only apply when they check every box. If you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily meet every single point above, please still get in touch. We’d love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.

Additional Information

Reporting into the LOC COO, this full-time role will be based at Sydney Olympic Park, on a fixed-term basis through to November 2027. Given the unique nature of the sports industry, and the domestic & global reach of our organisation, travelling and working outside of Netball HQ and traditional office hours may be required from time to time. Our teams work flexibly, and we encourage the successful applicant to discuss flexible working options with their new Manager.

We reserve the right to shortlist and interview suitable candidates as they are identified, so if this sounds like you, and we hope it does - please don’t delay your application. We do not take for granted the high volume of applications we receive, but please be aware this means we are only able to contact shortlisted candidates. Applications close 5.00pm on 8 August 2025.

Netball Australia & its subsidiaries takes its Safeguarding responsibilities seriously and we provide an environment that is safe for our child and adult beneficiaries. All successful candidates will undergo a criminal record and Working with Children check prior to employment and must be able to hold valid checks at all times throughout their employment. We provide our staff and volunteers with ongoing supervision, support and training in their work with child and adult beneficiaries. We have a collaborative, supportive and diverse culture and promote the continued development of our team members! We believe your religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification or culture do not define you nor impact your application or employment with Netball Australia. We are a sport for all people across the community and take pride in providing a diverse, inclusive and safe environment for all.