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Careers

We’re looking for the best candidates to join us on the journey to building an active nation. We welcome ambitious people who share our mission and are driven to lead, collaborate and innovate to help get the nation active.

A group of women walking outside.

See our current vacancies

Take a look at our job opportunities, or create an account to register for job alerts.

Current vacancies

Who we are

Imagine a nation of more equal, inclusive and connected communities. A country where people live happier, healthier and more fulfilled lives. 

There’s no quick fix to make this vision a reality. But we know that being active is one of the most effective and sustainable ways to achieve it. This is why we exist.

Uniting the Movement, our 10-year strategy launched in 2021, is our plan to make being physically active a normal part of life for everyone in England – to make it easier for all of us as we go about our everyday lives.

Because currently, it’s not a level playing field.

And it’s not just about increasing the number of people taking part in sport and activity – the health and social benefits that getting active can have, including mental wellbeing and individual development, sit at the centre of our work.

Find out more about our strategy

What it's like working for us

Nilen Bhatt, from the strategy, insight and performance team, talks about his experience as a new starter in the organisation – from the moment he submitted his application to the moment he was offered his role – and how, when he joined our organisation, his line manager and the human resources team helped him feel welcome and ready to start his position in a confident manner.

Tim Fitches, from the strategy, insight and performance team; and Lindsay Games, from the policy and integrity team, talk about the different ways we ensure the mental and physical wellbeing of our employees are met.

Keeley Simpson-Guy, from the partnership team, and Nilen Bhatt, from the strategy, insight and performance team, talk about the staff networks available within our organisation, their involvement with these and the positive effects the connections born from these networks have had on their careers and even their personal lives.

Amy Connell, from the finance and corporate services team, discusses the different learning and development opportunities available to our employees and the support received after returning to work from maternity leave.

Esther Jones, from the policy and integrity team; and Tim Fitches, from the strategy, insight and performance team, talk about how the flexible working policies offered by the organisation have helped them manage their work-life balance.

Amy Connell, from the finance and corporate services team; and Keeley Simpson-Guy, from the partnerships team, talk about the different progression opportunities they enjoyed since arriving at Sport England, and about the key support offered by their line managers and our organisation, where progression is an important part of our culture.

Our recruitment process

We’ve made our recruitment process as easy and straightforward as possible.

Online application

Our initial online application form is a key part of the process, as the information you provide will be used in our shortlisting process.

We’ll ask you to provide details of your relevant skills and experience and any qualifications that may be relevant.

For select roles, you might need to provide a CV as well as a covering letter. It’s a good idea to take some time to make sure your CV is current and fully reflects your experience and achievements, and that your covering letter aligns with our provided job specification.

Interview

Once you submit your application, we’ll review it. If we feel you’re suitable we’ll invite you to an interview – this could be a telephone interview, a face to face interview or in the format of an assessment centre, depending on the position you’re applying for.

There may also be additional testing as part of our selection process and/or a second stage interview depending on the role you’re applying for.   

We appreciate every application sent through to us, so if you’re unsuccessful on this occasion, we’ll let you know by email and your careers portal will also be updated.

Anonymised recruitment 

Our recruitment system adopts 'anonymised recruitment’ to complement our unconscious bias training and support our Diversity Action Plan.

This removes the candidate’s name and other identifying factors such as age and gender, so we can ensure we hire based on merit only.

Our commitment to diversity

Group of people hold hands inside

Benefits of working at Sport England

We offer an attractive benefits package to all our employees, including:

  • Annual leave

    Annual leave entitlement of 32 days, in addition to public holidays (pro-rata for part-time colleagues). 

  • Pension scheme

    You’ll have access to a Group Personal Pension Plan (run by AVIVA).

    Employees can contribute up to 6.5% of their salary and we’ll contribute up to 11%. 

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  • Travel season ticket loans

    We provide interest-free loans for season tickets and other work-related travel costs up to the value of £7,500.

    This is applicable for those who’ve successfully passed their six-month probationary period.

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  • Healthy Lifestyle Benefit

    We offer financial support for employees to do regular fitness-based activity.

    An allowance of £500 per annum is available to every employee, which is automatically added onto your salary every month.

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  • Cycle to Work Scheme

    The Cycle to Work Scheme supports our commitment to promoting healthy living.

    This is done by allowing you to sacrifice part of your salary to get a bike on which you won’t be required to pay VAT. 

    Please note that tax and national insurance won’t be deducted. 

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  • Family-friendly policies

    To support families, we offer enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, in addition to statutory rights. We also offer flexible working options. All are subject to qualifying conditions.

  • Confidential counselling service

    A confidential counselling service is available to all employees free of charge.

    This service offers professional counselling and information services designed to help with a range of problems in the workplace or at home. 

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  • Commitment to development

    Personal growth is a key component to the success of our organisation - this is why we invest in your learning and development opportunities. 

  • Work-life balance

    We offer flexible working, you can read more information about our flexible working policies by getting in touch with our Human Resources and Development team.

Our values

Our values define who we are as an organisation and highlight what we do to go the extra mile to set us apart. From creating an organisation we all enjoy, believe and thrive in, to creating a positive employer brand and effective partnerships with our stakeholders.

'We are collaborative' is one of our values
'We are inclusive' is one of our four values
'We are ambitious' is one of our four values
'We are innovative' is one of our four values

We are Collaborative

One team, committed to delivering together and working with others to make a difference to people’s lives.

We are Ambitious

Determined in pursuit of our goals, prioritising work and partnerships that will most advance our mission, help us succeed and make a positive impact on the nation.

We are Inclusive

Harnessing our collective strength and respecting difference to create the conditions for everyone to engage and to excel.

We are Innovative

Curious, optimistic and relentless, we question established ways of working and learn from each other and from our experiences.

These values are an integral component to our recruitment and selection processes. This approach is intended to attract and select employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with our values.  

Of course, skills, experience and aptitude will continue to be important, but by integrating values into our selection processes, we ensure that we recruit the right people not only with the right skills, but with the right mindset.
 

Our commitment to diversity

Equality, diversity and inclusion are critical for our organisation to be successful. We strive to further each element in our workplace and the sports sector.

As an employer, we aspire to being a diverse, inclusive and responsible organisation. Our aim is to have a workforce that can reflect and understand the communities we serve.

Here, you'll be welcomed. We're proud of our open, welcoming and inclusive environment where you can be yourself and where everyone is driven by the same purpose.

Through our internal Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, we're also taking steps to inclusivity here at Sport England.

Our commitments are split into three categories. They are:​​​​​

Leadership, creating and sponsoring a climate for change

  • Demonstrating responsibility and sponsorship for diversity, equality and inclusion within their teams, and creating local cultures exhibiting inclusion, fairness and respect.

Attraction, progression and retaining talent

  • We’re committed to making sure every applicant is assessed solely on merit and relevant experience to do the job.  Ensuring our recruitment processes are transparent, equitable and fair.
  • We’ll make sure you’re treated fairly, regardless of a condition or disability and are happy to offer reasonable adjustments as part of our recruitment process to anyone who needs them.
  • As part of striving to further increase diversity in our own organisation, we’ve set a target of ensuring that, by 2026, we’re representative of the population and the people we serve, at all levels within the organisation.
  • Positive action initiatives to support career development. 

Improve our understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion

  • Inviting staff to get involved in awareness events celebrating our diversity.
  • Learning and developmental opportunities on a wide variety of equality, diversity and inclusion topics.
  • Support for our employee networking groups.
  • Continuing to support our commitments through the Race at Work Charter and the Disability Confident Scheme.

​​We recognise the achievements, talent, passion and experience in our staff, who can help deliver our strategic outcomes – you don't have to be sporty to work at Sport England.

Accreditations and charters

Our accreditations mean we’ve been assessed by leading national and international assessors and accreditation bodies against recognised standards and operate to the highest levels of equality, diversity and inclusion. 

In addition to this, we've signed up to the Race at Work Charter - about which, more information can be found below.

Stonewall

We're an accredited Stonewall Diversity Champion. Stonewall focuses on working with organisations to bring equality to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people at home, school and work.

We've also taken part in the Stonewall Workplace Index, which will indicate how far we’ve demonstrated our commitment to LGBT+ representation, identify areas for improvement and indicate how we’ve performed in comparison with the sector and region. 

Stonewall Diversity Champion
The Mindful EMployer logo

A Mindful Employer

Mindful Employer is a UK-wide initiative run by Devon Partnership NHS Trust, providing employers with easy access to professional workplace mental health training, as well as information and advice.

Our goal is to help empower organisations – large and small – to take a lead in supporting the mental wellbeing of staff.

We’ve signed up to Mindful Employer’s 'Charter for Employers who are Positive About Mental Health', which is a voluntary agreement to embody these values of promoting mental health. 

The Charter is one element of the Mindful Employer initiative, which is aimed at increasing awareness of mental health in the workplace and supporting businesses in recruiting and retaining staff.

A Mindful Employer

Disability Confident employer

We’re part of the Disability Confident scheme and in 2018 became a recognised Disability Confident Employer organisation (Level 2).

It's a voluntary scheme which encourages employers to support and promote disabled people and reinvent what disability means in the workplace.

This encompasses a number of voluntary commitments to encourage employers to recruit, retain and develop disabled staff, such as offering work experience opportunities and implementing a flexible recruitment process.

We’ve committed to a number of pledges which include ensuring recruitment processes are inclusive, accessible and supportive of any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition.

The Disability Confident scheme
An image showing Sport England is a signatory of the Race at Work Charter

Race at Work Charter

We're proud signatories of the Race at Work Charter, committing to improving racial equality in the workplace against the five charter objectives.

Set up by Business in the Community, the charter aims to support employers to ensure ethnic minority employees are represented at all levels.

They provide the most relevant and insightful support to their members and inform engagement with government, industry stakeholders and employers when campaigning for wider societal and organisational change.

The charter's objectives include encouraging leadership, allyship and connections, encouraging business to take strategic action on leadership, promoting mentoring and sponsorship, championing progression for ethnic minority people and promoting the race and responsible digital business agenda.

Race at Work Charter

Student placement opportunities

We offer paid year-long student placement opportunities to help students gain hands-on experience within the grassroots sport sector, based in our Loughborough office.

We're in our third year of welcoming placement students to Sport England.

Our placements cater for a broad range of interests and are open to university or higher education students completing a placement year as part of their degree.

Please note, this isn't an internship or graduate position.

We currently offer roles in the investment (grant funding management) team and students will be involved in:

  • contributing to current grant management projects and the development of new funding programmes.
  • processing funding applications, supporting awardees and reporting on project progress.

We acknowledge that students can come from a range of university or high education courses, so we can be flexible with the work and specific duties can be tailored to the interests or studies of the student.

These could include work in the areas of audit, project compliance or fraud management, financial reconciliation and closure of Sport England’s National Lottery investments or the customer journey with Sport England.

We're now accepting applications for placement students starting in September/October 2023, click below for more information and to apply.

Apply for a placement

Frequently asked questions

There are lots of things we’re asked about when it comes to our recruitment process – the answers to the most common questions are all below.

If you have a question about applying for a role at Sport England, please see if your question is answered here first. If you can’t find the answer, please get in touch with us by emailing hrrecruitment@sportengland.org – we aim to respond within 48 hours.

  • I’m not really sporty – can I still apply?

    Absolutely, we’re looking for people who are great at their jobs, not those who are great at playing sport.

    We implement a merit-based system where neither activity level nor demographics come into play. Instead, we’re looking for ambitious, capable and professional individuals who can further our aims towards building an active nation.

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  • How do I apply?

    Our initial application form is based online - you'll need to register on our careers portal and create an account.

    This will provide you with a username and password that you’ll need every time you log in to the site.   

    Once you’ve entered your personal details, click on ‘current vacancies’ which will give you access to our recruitment portal. This is where you’ll find our most current list of roles we’re recruiting for. If you’re interested in applying, click ‘apply now’ and this will take you through to the application process.

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  • Why can’t you take my CV and covering letter instead?

    We’re committed to diversity and inclusion – one way to support this commitment is to take out information that could unconsciously affect the success of an application such as postcode, date of birth, name and gender.

    We acknowledge that this increases the length of our application process, but our values are a crucial component of our company ethos, which is why we only accept applications through our online portal.  

    If you have a disability and are unable to submit an application, please email us via hrrecruitment@sportengland.org.

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  • What is a selection/assessment tool?

    We use assessments in addition to the interview as they provide a good opportunity for you to show off your potential in a variety of work-based scenarios.

    Equally, assessment tools can provide you with an opportunity to find out more about us, the role itself and what it is we’re looking for exactly.  

    This typically involves exercises related to the role, i.e. a presentation, data analysis, aptitude tests etc.

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  • Where are you based?

    Our head office is located in Loughborough (SportPark, 3 Oakwood Dr, Loughborough, LE11 3QF)

    We also have offices based in London (10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU) and Bisham Abbey (Bisham Village, Marlow Rd, Bisham, Marlow, SL7 1RR).

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  • How should I prepare for my interview?

    Make sure you have a good look through the job specification and think of examples from your work or personal experience where you’ve demonstrated these competencies, skills and experience.

    It’s also a great idea to look through our website and get a good grasp on the kind of work we do and how the position you’re interviewing for might fit in. 

    Don’t forget to bring your passport with you as we require proof of right to work in the UK. If you don’t have a passport, please see the following question. 

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  • What if I don’t have a passport?

    If you don’t have a valid passport, see our list of alternative documents that you can provide to prove your eligibility to work in the UK.

  • Where will my interview take place?

    If you’re invited to interview, you’ll receive an email asking you to log in to the careers site to book a time slot which operates on a first come, first-served basis.

    The interview slots will specify where your interview will be taking place.  

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  • Do you pay interview travel expenses?

    Unfortunately, we’re not able to contribute to candidates’ travel expenses, so please bear this in mind before booking your interview. 

  • I’m having difficulty applying online – what do I do?

    Please email the recruitment team and we’ll be happy to assist you.

  • Can I get feedback on my interview?

    We offer feedback to all interviewed candidates.

    This can be arranged by emailing the recruitment team.

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  • How do I get notifications of new vacancies?

    You can register for job alerts on our website which you’ll receive via email.

    These email alerts are based on your profile information which you filled out when registering for the portal, so we’ll only send you job alerts for roles you’re interested in.  

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  • Who can help me with technical problems?

    If you’re having problems applying online, please email the recruitment team and we’ll try to solve the problem for you. 

  • Can I intern at Sport England?

    Yes, we offer a 12-week summer internship programme which gives students an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience within the sports sector.

    You can read more about the programme elsewhere on this careers page.

    Whether you're interested in grants management, research, legal services or volunteering, our internships offer you the opportunity to learn more and apply your skills.

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  • I didn’t get shortlisted – can I still get feedback?

    We’re unfortunately unable to give individual feedback to applicants who didn’t get to the interview stage due to the large amount of applications we receive across a wide range of vacancies.

  • What does ‘home based’ mean?

    Simply put, home based means your home location will be your office as opposed to being based in one of our offices.

    Where this arrangement is in place, we’ll liaise with you regarding the standard equipment and materials you’ll need to carry out your role.

    You’ll also be reimbursed for any travel costs you undertake on Sport England business as outlined in our homeworking policy (for a copy, please email hrrecruitment@sportengland.org). 

    Please keep in mind that you’ll need a dedicated office space if you’re working from home as we have a duty of care to all our employees, so your workstation should meet all health and safety requirements outlined in our policy.

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  • When will I hear the outcome of my application?

    We aim to inform all candidates of the outcome of their application within two weeks of the closing date.

    However, there are occasions where the volume of applications means the shortlisting process can take longer than expected. 

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  • I’ve been shortlisted for an interview but can’t attend any of the given timeslots – what do I do?

    Please contact our recruitment team at hrrecruitment@sportengland.org and specify which dates you’d be able to attend, and we’ll try to accommodate these changes. 

    We’ll advise if the interviews can only take place on the specified dates.  

     

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  • How will I find out if my application has been successful?

    We’ll keep you updated on the status of your application via the email address you used to register to our recruitment portal.

    We’ll send you an email confirming the following phases of the recruitment process:

    • When you start your application 
    • When you’ve submitted your application
    • The outcome of the shortlisting 
    • Invitations to book an interview 
    • The outcome of your interview 
    • Any ad hoc information and updates. 

    If you don’t hear from us via email, please check your spam/junk folder. You can ensure our future emails come straight to your inbox by marking our email as ‘not junk’ or adding our email address hrrecruitment@sportengland.org as a contact. 

    If you’re still not receiving our emails, you can check the status of your application by logging into your profile and clicking on 'my progress updates.'

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