Business Development Manager

About DFY Sports

DFY is a Brent-based charity providing inclusive, community-rooted sports programmes for over 1,800 children each week across IMD1–3 neighbourhoods. We deliver school PE, after‑school clubs, holiday camps, football, basketball, dance, and a growing mentorship strand. Our vision is to level the playing field for children who face financial, social, or systemic barriers to opportunity. The DFY Academy is our out‑of‑school pathway, currently spanning football, basketball and dance, with one in five places provided free for children who otherwise could not access sport. This role is central to strengthening, growing and sustaining the DFY Academy over the next three years.

Role Purpose

The DFY Academy Operations & Sales Manager is responsible for driving the growth, revenue and operational strength of the DFY Academy. The role has two core priorities: generating income through sponsorship, partnerships and participant growth, while ensuring the Academy runs smoothly across all sports. You will lead sales outreach, partnership building, Academy recruitment, parent engagement and day‑to‑day operations. This is a delivery‑focused role requiring consistent execution, ownership and the ability to operate independently in a fast-moving environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Growth & Sales
• Send daily outbound outreach to potential sponsors and partners to generate revenue
• Drive consistent weekly pipeline activity (emails, follow-ups, meetings booked)
• Convert interest into paid Academy places and partnerships
• Co-lead at least one fundraising or sponsorship meeting per year
• Drive Academy recruitment for basketball, dance and football
• Grow the Academy across new sports
• Build and maintain active relationships with schools, brands and community organisations
• Network locally to build partnerships with brands and other charitable organisations
• Contribute directly to revenue generation targets (tracked weekly and monthly)
• Operations Management DFY Academy
• Oversee all day-to-day Academy operations across all sports, ensuring smooth, reliable and consistent delivery without gaps
• Manage scheduling, communications, registrations, waiting lists and match logistics with high attention to detail and minimal errors
• Lead parent communication through structured systems (WhatsApp groups, booking platform), ensuring clear, timely and complete information at all times
• Introduce and maintain weekly reporting, attendance tracking and service quality systems, ensuring data is accurate, up to date and usable for decision-making
• Coordinate venues, safeguarding processes, equipment needs and timetables with proactive planning rather than reactive fixes
• Manage holiday camp integration with Academy recruitment and progression pathways, ensuring clear conversion from camps into long‑term participation
• Coach Coordination & Quality Assurance
• Line-manage DFY Academy staff, supporting the head coaches with the following tasks
• Support recruitment of new coaches, with a focus on female coaches and representation
• Ensure all coaches follow DFY safeguarding, inclusion and behaviour frameworks
• Conduct regular observations, feedback and development check‑ins
• Lead team briefings and ensure cross‑sport alignment
• Step into delivery for small clubs, trials or camps when required, modelling DFY’s coaching approach and ensuring continuity

Person Specification

• Essential Sales, Growth & Relationship Management
• Proven track record of meeting outreach, sales or recruitment targets
• Experience managing a tracked outreach pipeline (emails, calls, follow‑ups)
• Ability to convert interest into participants, partnerships or revenue
• Confident building relationships and representing an organisation externally
• Operational Management
• Experience managing operations at scale (scheduling, staffing, logistics, communication)
• Strong systems and administrative capability (CRM, scheduling tools or equivalent)
• Proven ability to deliver with accuracy and minimal supervision
• Able to manage multiple priorities without tasks slipping
• Community and Inclusion
• Experience working with diverse children, young people and families
• Strong awareness of safeguarding, inclusion and the impact of discrimination or systemic barriers
• Commitment to growing girls’ and boys’ pathways with equal care, ambition and respect
• Understanding that DFY Academy is not only about winning, but about creating safe spaces where every child can belong, play and progress
• Ability to challenge bias and avoid favouritism, ensuring both stronger and less experienced players are supported appropriately
• Mindset & Behaviour
• Highly organised with strong execution discipline and follow‑through
• Takes ownership of outcomes, not just effort
• Able to prioritise and deliver consistently in a fast‑moving environment
• Strong attention to detail with minimal need for correction
• Proactive communicator providing clear, complete and timely updates
• Comfortable being measured on output

Performance & Success Metrics (First 90 Days)

Success in this role will be measured through:

• Consistent daily outreach activity
• Clear weekly pipeline visibility (emails, responses, meetings)
• Growth in Academy numbers
• Operations running smoothly without repeated follow‑up
• Accurate reporting and attendance tracking
• Clear and reliable communication across all stakeholders

Desirable

• Sport and Programme Knowledge
• 1–2 years’ coaching experience in a school, club, academy or community setting
• Ability to assess coaching quality, session structure, player progression and behaviour management
• Experience in football, basketball, academy structures or youth development programmes
• Understanding of how to grow participation through outreach, parent engagement and school relationships
• Leadership & People Capability
• Experience setting expectations, giving feedback and supporting quality assurance
• Comfortable leading delivery environments such as academies, clubs, events or open days
• Experience supervising staff, volunteers or coaches
• Previous safeguarding training or experience handling low‑level concerns
• Experience adapting sport environments for SEND or EAL children
• Lived Experience
• Lived experience aligned with DFY’s communities, including IMD 1–3, ethnic minority backgrounds, multilingual households or experiences of exclusion
• Personal connection to Brent, Wembley or Northwest London communities

Salary & Benefits

Salary: £30,000 base
Bonus: Up to £5,000 annually based on agreed growth and sustainability targets
Holidays: 20 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays, Christmas shutdown (additional 3–4 days depending on the calendar)
Pension contribution in line with DFY policies
Free places at all DFY holiday camps for your children
Invites to ISC events, socials, and sports matches (tickets available for family when possible)
Professional development: Mentored weekly/fortnightly by Business Development Director as part of the leadership pathway
Opportunities to collaborate with professional athletes through ISC & DFY ambassador network

Working Hours

Full‑time: 40 hours per week. Combination of operational hours and some evening and occasional weekend work required.