Workforce Development Manager (Midlands)

Workforce Development Manager - Midlands

Join our Workforce Development team and play a key role in growing the profile of CIMSPA through professional recognition, partnerships and local skills. You’ll lead on delivering local Sport & Physical Activity Skills Plans, build long-term employer relationships, and drive engagement with CIMSPA’s professional pathways in your region as part of our UK-wide team. Teamwork, peer learning and innovation are central to successfully delivering against our commercial and Sport England targets. 

We’re looking for a natural people-connector with strong partnership management experience, commercial acumen, and a deep understanding of the sport and physical activity sector. In this role you'll spend significant time working with our stakeholders and influencing at all levels, supporting employers to develop and recognise their workforce, and driving a more skilled, impactful workforce in the sector.

You’ll have a track record of meeting targets, generating income across multiple revenue streams, and understanding education and workforce development needs. To really thrive in this role, you will be someone who communicates with ease and genuinely connects with people. Extensive travel across the Midlands and regular time at our Loughborough Head Office (expenses covered) are required.

If you’re passionate about workforce development, collaboration, and making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

Key tasks include but are not limited to:

Relationship & Account Management

• Build and maintain strong employer partnerships, using local insight to shape skills plans.
• Promote professional recognition and support employers to engage with CIMSPA pathways.
• Manage a partner portfolio to retain relationships, grow income, and prevent churn.
• Lead workforce planning discussions to understand employer skills needs.
• Convert prospective leads into active partners and support effective onboarding with internal teams.

Income Generation

• Drive commercial income through partnerships and professional status growth.
• Meet set income targets by converting new employers and increasing yield from existing partners.
• Support accreditation, reaccreditation and professional status upgrades.
• Develop skills development proposals and identify new revenue opportunities.

Local Influencing

• Lead the development and delivery of local skills plans with regional stakeholders.
• Advocate for accredited and endorsed learning across employers and education providers.
• Strengthen links between CIMSPA, employers, and education institutions to align skills with workforce needs.
• Position CIMSPA within wider local and cross-sector skills initiatives.

Tracking & Measurement

• Monitor and report on partnership activity, income performance, and skills plan progress.
• Use Dynamics CRM to manage data, track interactions, and support reporting on trends.

Communication

• Work with Marcomms, accreditation, and education teams to create content, support onboarding, and align development opportunities. 
• Represent CIMSPA at events and engage stakeholders through clear, influential communication.

Please click here for the full job description.

Salary: £38,865 per annum
Closing date: Wednesday 18th February 2026 at 9am.

First stage - if successful, video interview submissions will take place and need to be received by Monday 23rd February 2026.

Second stage - if successful, interviews will be held at SportPark, Loughborough University on Wednesday 4th March 2026.

Please note:

• Using AI to write your cover letter is discouraged, as we want to understand your own voice, experience, and motivation.
• This is a remote role with substantial local travel requirements (travel expenses are covered).
• It will require occasional attendance (approximately every 6 weeks) at CIMSPA’s Head Office in Loughborough.
• Candidates ideally reside within or near the designated areas (Midlands).