Sports Operations Manager at DeeCla Services Limited (DSL)

Our client is looking to hire its first senior employee to help lead its efforts in building a world-class sports development and management program.

The candidate will be extremely integral to ensuring the success of the foundation’s mission of creating a highly interactive, developmental and supportive sports scholarship program that changes the lives of Nigerian athletes.

This candidate will be joining an exciting and game-changing foundation that is one of the first to address the massive challenges faced by amateur sportsmen and women in their journey to becoming professional sportsmen/women and in reaching the top of their chosen sport.

Along the way, these athletes will face numerous challenges including a lack of financial resources, inadequate and low-quality coaching, lack of access to fitness equipment and resources to attain the right level of physical fitness required to become professional sportsmen and the lack of psychological and mental strength training.

Our client hopes to provide the relevant access, financial, morale and coaching support to provide a platform for these athletes to succeed at the highest levels of their sport.

This will be done by selecting a privileged group of individuals to join the inaugural foundation scholarship class of 2023.

ROLE AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with Trustees on a day-to-day basis in the management and operation of the Foundation.
• Responsible for driving the recruitment of the integral members of the founding team and liaising with the Trustees to ensure a consensus approach is taken to the recruitment of all members of the team.
• Responsible for driving and creating the culture of the Foundation and for developing a highly engaging, energetic, fun and team-work-based environment where people are hardworking, ambitious and are committed to achieve the high goals that have been set by the Foundation.
• Create a detailed operational plan and lay out the foundation’s overall strategic direction. This strategic plan will enable the Foundation to achieve all of the targets set by the Trustees.
• Work with third party advisors and/or agencies to determine the best location for the sports program. Followed by the creation of a cost benefit analysis and value assessment report that will be presented to the Foundation Trustees providing the reason for the location.
• Design and customize the foundation development program every year to ensure it caters the changing environment of the Foundation’s Scholars that are being selected every year.
• Develop and drive relationships with corporate sponsors that will support and provide adequate funding for the program
• Develop and drive relationships with media, marketing and advertising channels that will support the Foundation’s outreach strategy
• Ensure there is a cohesive media and marketing strategy in step with the operational and execution strategy
• Create an enabling environment that supports player welfare, mental health and educational development
• Drive overall ethos of excellence, hard work and teamwork throughout the organization
• Generate, articulate and then help with the execution of new strategic ideas that can aid the overall achievement of the foundation’s short and medium objectives
• Ensure that all financial payments to all relevant stakeholders are made promptly and on time
• Select, understand and manage an automated HR and Finance management tool for the tasks management and payment of all recruited staff working with the foundation.

KEY ATTRIBUTES AND SKILLS:

• Self-starter and ability to work by yourself and drive strategy and operational plans
• Strong writer that can write and corroborate detailed business plans or reports to drive the movement of an organization to achieve a strategic direction
• Focused and diligent in the daily execution of daily tasks and operations
• Detail oriented and takes time to check all work and ensures there are no mistakes in any work that is written or performed and is sent to third parties to review
• Strategic mindset with the ability to see the overall picture with a three-year birds eye directional view of where the Foundation is going and how it will achieve its goals
• Energetic and ebullient with a positive mental attitude, especially when things are not going well
• Great team player that is able to work with people of different ages, backgrounds and different cultures
• Strong communication skills in being able to relate well with people of different backgrounds and cultures but still being able to communicate effectively to get people to achieve set goals

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS:

• Educated to degree level
• First or second degree should be in a Sports related field
• Should have at least 5 years of experience in either a sports-related field either as a professional / semi-professional athlete or as a manager
• At least 5 years of experience of leading, coaching and motivating a team of staff to deliver excellent customer service preferably in a sports-related field or environment professional/semi-professional
• Experience working within a Higher Education sports environment
• At least 2 years of experience working with a non-profit or NGO
• Strong knowledge and level of familiarity with racket-based sports in Nigeria, particularly squash.

SALARY: N300,000 - N450,00