ABOUT AUSTRALIAN ATHLETICS

Australian Athletics (AA) is the governing body for Athletics in this country. It is a National Sporting Organisation whose major partner is the Australian Sports Commission. AA is responsible for all athletics activity, including high performance, participation, coaching, officiating, juniors, para-athletics, domestic and international competition. 

AA has a critcial role in leading, fostering and encouraging participation in athletics in Australia and promtoing excellence in performance. All employess are expected to behave in a way that is consistent with our organisational values and behaviours. 

ABOUT THE ROLE

Australian Athletics is stepping into its most exciting chapter in a generation. With a home Olympics on the horizon in Brisbane 2032, a world-class cohort of athletes capturing global attention, and a sport with deep cultural and community reach, there has never been a better time to shape the commercial and strategic future of athletics in this country.

The Head of Partnerships & Strategic Growth is a newly created senior leadership role responsible for driving the long-term strategic direction of Australian Athletics, managing and growing its partnership portfolio, and leading innovation and government relations activity. Reporting to the GM of Strategy, Sport Delivery and Commercial Operations, this role ensures the organisation's strategic ambitions are translated into practical, high-impact programs and partnerships.

Unlike a traditional commercial sales role, this position is focused on strategic value creation, applying strong commercial acumen to build the depth and quality of Australian Athletics' partnerships, develop new ideas that advance the sport, manage government funding relationships, and lead a team to deliver excellence in partner servicing, activation and retention.

This is a hands-on role for a commercially sharp, strategically minded leader who thrives in complex, multi-stakeholder environments, someone equally comfortable shaping strategy, negotiating with government, and coaching a team to deliver world-class partner experiences. You'll need to be willing to roll up your sleeves, lead from the front, and stay close to the detail while keeping sight of the bigger picture.

YOUR CORE DUTIES WILL INCLUDE

• Supporting the GM in shaping and executing AA's long-term strategic plan, contributing market insight and evidence-based thinking to board reporting and planning cycles
• Championing a culture of innovation, identifying new approaches to audience engagement and revenue diversification, and leading the development of new commercial products, programs and partnership formats
• Overseeing end-to-end management of AA's commercial partnership portfolio, with a strong focus on rights delivery, retention, renewal and upsell
• Leading partner servicing and activation across AA events and programs, ensuring brand integration is compelling, consistent and commercially valuable
• Building strategic relationships with government stakeholders at state and federal levels, and leading funding applications, acquittals and advocacy
• Managing AA's external commercial sales agency relationships, providing strategic direction, asset information and ensuring new deals can be delivered on
• Leading, mentoring and developing the Partnerships team, fostering a high-performance culture built on collaboration and accountability
• Partnering with Sport Delivery and High Performance teams to embed commercial obligations across events, kit, apparel and athlete-facing commitments

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate the following essential attributes:

• Ability to operate with initiative, self-direction and proactivity, identifying opportunities, solving problems and driving work forward without needing to be directed.
• Ability to operate with integrity and maintain confidentiality when dealing with sensitive information.
• A track record of successfully managing high-value strategic partnerships, including rights delivery, retention, upsell, activation delivery and stakeholder servicing.
• A keen commitment to clean sport and abiding by AA’s National Integrity Framework, including the Anti-Doping Policy, Safeguarding Children and Young Persons Policy, and Code of Conduct.
• A valid Working with Children Check and Police Check (or ability to obtain).

IDEALLY YOU WILL HAVE

• A degree in business, sport management, communications, public policy or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• Proven experience in a senior strategy, partnerships or stakeholder engagement role, ideally within sport, government or a complex multi-stakeholder environment.
• Experience managing or working alongside outsourced commercial or sales agencies, including briefing, performance oversight and deal handover processes.
• Experience in government relations, including developing funding submissions, managing grant acquittals and maintaining effective relationships with government bodies.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• High-level communication, presentation and proposal development skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing budgets and reporting against strategic KPIs.
• Familiarity with the structure and governance of Australian sport, particularly the relationship between national and state bodies.

WHY WORK FOR US?

Australian Athletics has a range of benefits to support a sustainable work-life balance that align to our Values and Behaviours, enabling you to bring your best self to work. All employees have access to:

• Parental Leave
• Diversity Leave
• Purchase Leave
• Mental Health Leave

AA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and actively encourages diversity and inclusion within our workforce. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, and people from every culture, gender and sexual identity, age, and ethnic background.