Join the NSW Institute of Sport - the home to Olympic and Paralympic athletes in NSW. 

About the role

Join NSWIS in a pivotal senior leadership role and help shape the future of high performance sport in New South Wales. As Director, High Performance, you will lead strategy, systems, and people, working closely with the CEO, Executive and Board while partnering with national sporting organisations and key stakeholders to deliver podium performances.

This role is responsible for Games (Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth) campaigns and major projects, such as the quadrennial NSWIS sport investment process. This critical senior leadership position also oversees NSWIS talent activities including the NSWIS Para Unit, designed to expand participation, improve pathways, and deliver specialised coaching and performance support for Para athletes in NSW.

This is a full-time position, attracting a salary with an annual total remuneration package of $247,846. The contract period for this role is up to 31 December 2028 in line with the Olympic cycle. 

This is an identified position requiring a National Police Check and Working with Children Check.

For further information about the role and the key accountabilities please see the job description.

About you

You are a bold, future-focused leader who is motivated by the ambition to position NSWIS as a world leading sporting Institute. You bring a disciplined, outcomes-driven approach and thrive in complex government and national system environments, with a demonstrated ability to translate strategic intent into effective, practical delivery.

You are driven by excellence and hold yourself and others to high standards. You are motivated by the opportunity to shape an organisation that enables athletes and coaches to perform at their best on the world stage. You combine strategic clarity with operational rigour, and you understand how to build the organisational capability, culture and partnerships required for sustained success.

You are the kind of leader who:

• Dreams boldly and acts decisively, with the courage to challenge the status quo and the discipline to deliver.
• Builds high performing teams and cultures, creating environments where people feel valued, supported and inspired to excel.
• Uses data, evidence, and insight to drive organisational intelligence and inform strategic decision making.
• Thrives in a system environment, understanding how to influence, collaborate and align with government, national partners, and stakeholders.
• Balances ambition with accountability, ensuring strong governance, financial stewardship, and risk management.
• Communicates with clarity and authority, able to articulate complex concepts and represent NSWIS credibly at the highest levels.

You are motivated by purpose, driven by impact, and ready to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of Olympic and Paralympic sport in NSW.

Familiarity with Australian state and federal government environments will be highly regarded.

Experience within the Australian sporting system or international equivalent is essential.

Essential Requirements

• Extensive experience within an equivalent senior leadership position or a talented person looking to progress.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, ability, and willingness to travel across NSW and interstate, as required.
• Thorough understanding of the requirements of high performance sport program leadership.
• Working with Children Check or be willing to obtain this prior to working with us.

Working at NSWIS

The NSW Institute of Sport [NSWIS] is a high performance sporting organisation that supports exceptional athletes and inspires NSW communities.  We reach all regions of NSW with an Olympic and Paralympic training facility based at Sydney Olympic Park and high performance hubs across NSW that provide world leading daily training environments. Our experts work in collaboration with national sporting system partners to deliver high performance support services and environments to prepare athletes and coaches for international competition.

NSWIS plays an integral part in Australia’s High Performance 2032+ Sport Strategy – Win Well.  We are committed to building an inclusive and sustainable sporting system that is athlete focused, exceptionally led and purposefully collaborative.

We ensure athlete safeguarding is prioritised and that the integrity of sport is embedded in our organisation. 

This recruitment may be used to create a Talent Pool for similar future roles that may arise over the next 18 months.

For more information about the NSW Institute of Sport please visit nswis.com.au.

NSWIS is committed to child safeguarding. We require all applicants that will work with Children to undergo an extensive screening process prior to appointment.

Commitment to Diversity

The NSW Institute of Sport is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce which reflects our community, sport partners, and athletes. We encourage applications from suitable candidates including; of all ages, genders, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, veterans, refugees, LGBTIQ+ community and people with disability.

The NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) recognises everyone is unique, and that you may require some adjustments to ensure you have the best opportunity to apply. If we can make some adjustments to the NSWIS recruitment/interview process, then please email nswis_recruitment@nswis.com.au and let us know.