An exciting opportunity exists for an experienced Manager to join the team at Water Polo Australia for a 12-month maternity leave contract. The purpose of the WPA General Manager - Sports Development is to develop and implement a range of programs and initiatives to grow participation and retention in line with the Play Well strategy. 

The purpose of the Water Polo Australia (WPA) GM - Sport Development role has three distinct elements:

• to develop and implement a range of programs and initiatives to grow participation and retention. This will be achieved through engaging new participants of all ages and backgrounds and by developing a deep understanding of the participant experience to drive retention of existing participants.  All of this is to be achieved through the empowerment and support of State Associations and Clubs to deliver these initiatives. 
• to implement a learning and development framework for coaches and referees at all levels. The framework will facilitate a culture of continuous learning via affordable access to information and opportunities to learn and share knowledge.  The product of this framework will be coaches and referees who create an enjoyable, engaging and inspiring environment for water polo participants to drive participation, retention and overall performance. 
• to ensure an inclusive perspective is taken for all initiatives to enable diversity of participants and equity of access for all. Specifically, this should include, but not be limited to First Nations people, the LGBQT+ community and Culturally and Linguistic Diverse (CALD) Communities

The focus of this position is:

WPA Participation

• Develop and implement Play Well Participation growth strategy for Water Polo through strategic alignment of programs and initiatives in collaboration with State Associations and other delivery partners.
• Engage with partners to derive and use data to inform strategic decisions around growth opportunities.
• Provide ongoing support State associations and Clubs to deliver programs and recruit new participants and volunteers to the sport
• Provide ongoing support and resource development for State associations and Clubs to enhance their ability to service members
• Develop an integrated club recognition and reward program
• Facilitate the integration of member behavior awareness programs (Think.Act.Play.)
• Facilitate the integration of WPA IDE Strategy, RAP and Climate Action Strategy.
• Facilitate grants

Learning and Development

• Evolve and effectively implement a framework that facilitates the learning and development of coaches and referees from entry level to elite.
• Work collaboratively with the GM – Performance, GM -Competitions and Officials to facilitate opportunities to build the depth of coaching and refereeing talent in Australia by implementing a talent identification, development and management program to for an emerging cohort of coaches and referees at all levels.
• Develop and implement a strategy to increase the number of female coaches and referees with the appropriate skills, experience and knowledge to become outstanding coaches and referees.
• Oversee the ongoing development and curation of content and resources that is easily and affordably accessed via online and face to face channels.
• Oversee the management of the online learning platform and seek ways to commercialise and grow this platform

General

• Ensure technology platforms are fit for purpose as they relate to participant engagement and experience
• Manage the WPA Sport Development Budget
• Manage WPA’s relationship with Australian Sport Commission (participation)
• Engage with and maintain effective communication with WPA internal staff and key stakeholders to develop opportunities and resources that lead to successful organizational operations
• Adhere to and advocate all the WPA policies and procedures
• Manage issues professionally and reflect the WPA values in the everyday work environment in line with WPAs values
• Contribute & participate in the health & safety of all staff, athletes and visitors
• Any other tasks as reasonably requested by the CEO