Operations Manager in Portsmouth

Founded in 2022 by Sir Ben Ainslie CBE and Hannah Mills OBE, Athena Pathway is a registered U.K. not-for-profit, and part of the Athena Sports Group ecosystem. The programme aims to fast-track the development of British female and youth athletes into professional sailing, bring diversity and equity into all levels of the sport, and increase the accessibility of the marine industry more broadly, including in engineering and technical roles. Athena Pathway also fields the British entries for the Youth and Women’s America’s Cup, with the Campaign currently underway for the 38th America’s Cup, set to take place in Naples in the Summer of 2027.

About the Role

Athena Pathway is looking for an Operations Manager to support the planning and delivery of its Youth and Women’s America’s Cup campaign and wider programme activity in the UK and internationally. This is a hands‑on operational role within a highly collaborative, high‑performance environment, requiring strong organisation, practical judgement and a commitment to the programme’s ethos and wider purpose. The role will be based onsite in Portsmouth, with some flexible working permitted. UK and international travel will be required, particularly around training and event activity, with the possibility of short‑term relocation during critical Campaign periods.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the planning and operational delivery of Athena Pathway activity in the UK and overseas, including training blocks, regattas and commercial commitments.
• Support project management across programme workstreams, developing clear schedules, critical paths, logistics plans, people planners and delivery trackers.
• Coordinate day‑to‑day operational requirements across the team and wider Athena Sports Group personnel, ensuring clear communication and alignment across functions.
• Monitor operational deadlines, decisions, risks and dependencies, addressing or escalating issues where required.
• Help ensure programme activity is delivered safely, efficiently and in line with the team’s objectives, ethos and high‑performance standards, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement.

Travel, Accommodation & Logistics

• Manage team travel, accommodation and personnel movements across UK and international activity.
• Build relationships with hotels, landlords, travel providers and other relevant stakeholders to support reliable and cost‑effective delivery.
• Maintain itineraries, rooming lists, booking confirmations, travel records and cost tracking, ensuring information is communicated clearly and on time.
• Identify opportunities to improve travel planning, reduce unnecessary cost and make logistics more effective and consistent.
• Support visas, work permits, accreditation, event entries, sailor registrations and related administration where required.

Sailing Operations, Events & Stakeholder Support

• Coordinate day to day operational delivery for sailing blocks, events and activations, including practical requirements and general onsite support.
• Coordinate athlete and team commitments around sailing activity, including media, and commercial requirements.
• Liaise with event organisers, venues, suppliers and internal teams to ensure requirements are understood and delivered.
• Work with the commercial team to manage the delivery of hospitality programmes and guest, media, partner and stakeholder visits.
• Help ensure events and external‑facing activity are delivered professionally and reflect the standards and ethos of Athena Pathway and Athena Sports Group.
• Manage day‑to‑day procurement across programme activity, including supplier sourcing, quotes, purchase requests, approvals and order tracking, ensuring delivery in line with agreed budgets and programme timelines.
• Manage team kit, including inventories, distribution, branding and stock checks.
• Maintain supplier relationships and support value‑for‑money purchasing across all programme activity.
• Manage calendar coordination and meeting administration across programme activity.
• Develop and maintain effective systems, templates, trackers, shared folders and document management processes to support programme delivery.
• Contribute to team policies, procedures and ways of working across operational areas, ensuring they are practical and consistently followed.
• Support HSE and HR administration as required.

Finance Administration & Budget Support

• Work with Finance to support invoice processing, supplier records, credit‑card reconciliation, expenses and budget tracking.
• Assist with tracking spend against agreed budgets and highlighting risks or pressure points as required.
• Provide guidance to team members on purchasing, expenses, card use and approval processes.
• Support Team Leadership by tracking actions, risks, costs, activity and delivery milestones.

Sustainability

• Champion sustainable practices across all programme operations and delivery and assist with the implementation and tracking of the team’s sustainability plans as required.
• Identify opportunities to reduce operational impact without compromising safety, welfare or performance.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience in operations, logistics and project administration within events, sport, travel management or a comparable delivery‑focused role.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams, deadlines and moving parts at once.
• Experience coordinating travel, accommodation, logistics and personnel movements.
• Experience supporting procurement, supplier coordination and day to day financial administration.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively across athletes, coaches, shore team, senior management, suppliers and external stakeholders.
• Good judgement, discretion and the ability to stay calm and practical when plans change.
• Comfortable working in a small, fast‑moving and highly collaborative team.
• Able to operate in a high‑performance environment where standards, accountability and attention to detail matter.
• Willingness to travel and work flexibly around training, racing and event activity.
• Interest in sport, sailing, athlete development or purpose‑led performance programmes.
• Experience in sailing, high‑performance sport, marine operations or international event delivery.
• Experience coordinating complex group travel, accommodation or logistics across multiple locations.
• Experience with budget tracking or finance administration.
• Experience working with partners, guests, media or stakeholder activity around events.
• Italian language skills would be beneficial but are not required.

Candidate Profile

• Highly organised, reliable and proactive, with strong attention to detail and a practical, solutions‑oriented approach.
• Confident coordinating across different people, priorities and workstreams and professional and collaborative in communication.
• Proactive and comfortable taking ownership of operational detail.
• Able to bring structure, consistency and follow‑through to a busy programme environment.
• Comfortable contributing to a culture that is high‑performing, supportive and team‑oriented.