Schools Engagement Manager (12 month fixed-term)

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, NA 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.

With over 8.2 million Australians interested in netball, and over 4 million considered to be core fans of Suncorp Super Netball, our game is in great shape with the incredible success of our elite competitions propelling strong participation and fanbase growth domestically and globally.

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.

On the cusp of our centenary, and significant opportunity leading into the 2027 Netball World Cup in Sydney, there has never been a more exciting time to join.

About The Role

This exciting position will be responsible for is responsible for implementing and evaluating school engagement strategies, including developing and improving access for Netball in schools through advocacy to increase participation in the sport overall. The focus shall be on the delivery of the education-sector component of the Australian Netball pathway, and its associated program and products This role will predominantly be based at Netball Australia HQ (Fitzroy) on a 12-month, fixed-term basis covering Parental Leave. The successful candidate can commence in Dec 2025 or Jan 2026.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Evaluate and recommend scalable versus bespoke engagement strategies for schools.
• Use ActivXchange/Kinetica or similar platform to identify and prioritise schools for engagement with Netball / Sporting Schools programs.
• Support teacher engagement via Member Organisations Teacher Ambassador programs and provide follow-up resources.
• Build internal capacity by providing training and guidance to Member Organisations to ensure they have necessary skills and knowledge to engage effectively with primary and secondary schools.
• Develop and maintain stakeholder databases for schools including Sporting Schools.
• Coordinate, facilitate or support school engagement activities as required to enhance awareness and participation, build relationships, and gather stakeholder feedback.
• Develop and standardise engaging presentation materials with some customisation flexibility.
• Lead the review, development and implementation of a three-year national school engagement strategy focussed on entry level WWNSG, First Nations, All Abilities and the provision of supporting resources.
• Collaborate with the WWNSG Manager to leverage the rebrand into schools.
• Coordinate with Media and Marketing Team to increase Netball brand awareness and program visibility.
• Build and maintain relationships with key influencers, community leaders, and partners to amplify our message and reach.
• Complete all reporting requirements, including those relating to government funding as well as program evaluation.

About You

Experience In:

• Program development and rollout, preferably in educational or sport settings.
• Creating, maintaining, and influencing strong relationships with all key stakeholders.
• Delivering results through cross-functional working.
• Engaging and influencing at all levels within an organisation.
• Leading cross-functional and cross-organisational projects.

Key Skills:

• Sound understanding of physical literacy and physical development milestones.
• Strong project management and strategic/operational planning skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Critical data analysis skills, solutions focus and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Be able to work independently and within a small and broader team environment.
• A good understanding of a sporting ecosystem and school/education landscape.

Key Attributes:

• Alignment to, and champion of our DNA.
• Strong task alignment ability
• Ability to flex between strategic and operational matters as required
• Current Working with Children Check and National Police Clearance/willingness to obtain.

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.

What We Offer

• Vibrant Culture: A supportive, inclusive, high-energy, and values-driven team with a passion for our sport.
• Hybrid Working: Flexibility to work from home alongside office connection days, based on role requirements.
• Employee Wellbeing: Additional Wellbeing Leave, Annual Flu Vaccinations & Skin Checks.
• Paid Parental Leave, Fertility Leave, Birthday Leave.
• Pets in the Office Fridays, Opportunity to attend Netball matches, and free breakfast bar on-site

The role is based at Netball’s Head Office in Fitzroy/Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung country where you will be spoilt for choice on great coffee spots! 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. 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 & interview prior to the advertisement expiry, so if this sounds like you, and we hope it does – please submit your application as soon as possible. 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.

Netball Australia takes our 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.

Recruitment agencies - thanks for thinking of us, but we have this one covered!