Senior manager
Also known as; National manager, regional manager, chief operating officer, chief executive officer, managing director, board director, trustee, regional director, senior leader, non-executive director, director of sales
Senior managers are individuals employed in the sport and physical activity sector who can take substantial responsibility for people, portfolio of programmes, projects, operations and/or services to deliver long term organisational success, with the professional recognition of their ability to deliver impact and demonstrate their commitment to continual learning and development.
What does a Senior manager do?
Senior managers in the sport and physical activity sector play a pivotal role in overseeing and shaping the strategic direction of various organisations within the sector. They are responsible for driving innovation, ensuring operational excellence and promoting the highest standards of professionalism and ethical conduct.
Key responsibilities of a senior manager may include:
- developing and executing long-term strategies that align with their organisation’s goals
- overseeing day-to-day operations including budget management, resource allocation and performance monitoring
- efficiently and effectively delivering programmes within financial constraints
- developing policies and ensuring regulatory compliance
- leading and developing a team.
Skills and behaviours
The following common or transferable skills are most frequently asked for by employers in Senior Manager job adverts across the UK:
| Skills and behaviours | % Prevalence in job ads |
|---|---|
| Communication | 52% |
| Management | 40% |
| Leadership | 30% |
| Teaching | 29% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 27% |
| Customer Service | 26% |
| Coaching | 25% |
| Planning | 25% |
| Motivational Skills | 21% |
| First Aid | 19% |
To find out more about the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate to become a senior manager, you can visit our occupational professional standards library.
How to become a Senior manager
There are several ways that you can gain professional recognition as a senior manager. Look at the options below to explore what option works best for you.
Complete continued professional development (CPD) courses with a training provider
If you already have qualifications in the sport and physical activity sector, then you can work towards becoming a senior manager by completing additional management and leadership focused CPD courses such as:
- Inclusive Leadership for Senior Managers
You can browse all of the CIMSPA-endorsed senior manager CPD courses in our Endorsed Training Directory.
Work experience
If you are already working in a relevant senior manager role within the sport and physical activity sector (example roles include leisure centre manager, business manager or sports development manager) and you have three years of experience within this role, then you can apply to become a CIMSPA Senior Manager Member. Your employer should support you to become professionally recognised as a senior manager with training, mentoring, and supervised experience to gain knowledge and skills as a key part of your career progression. This will enable you to undertake a higher-level senior management role and prepare you for future progression in senior management.
College or university
Some colleges and universities have embedded content aligned with the Senior Manager occupational professional standard into their learning programmes.
In the Endorsed Training Directory, you can check what courses our partner colleges and universities offer as well as course entry requirements, a summary of course content/material and more information on how to apply.
Apprenticeship
You can become a senior manager by completing a Senior Leader apprenticeship.
You can find out more about completing a Senior Leader apprenticeship via The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) website.
Professional Standards
CIMSPA is the guardian of a single professional and apprenticeship standards framework for the sport and physical activity sector – outlining the minimum knowledge, skills and behaviours an individual must understand and demonstrate for every occupation and job role in the sector.
This standards framework is driving the development of quality education products for our workforce and supporting employers in assessing which job roles an individual is qualified for.
Senior manager Courses and qualifications
MSc Sports Management
Inclusive Leadership for Senior Managers
What's the best role for you?
Career paths and progression
Career pathways
Side Steps
Next Steps
Aspirational Steps
Career progression
As a senior manager, you can also choose to progress your career by completing further training or continued professional development (CPD) in your role. This training can be added to enable senior managers to show their expertise in additional areas such as health and safety, risk assessment and leadership.
You can explore CIMSPA-endorsed senior manager CPD courses via our Endorsed Training Directory.
Continuing Professional Development
MSc Sports Management
Inclusive Leadership for Senior Managers
Find a job as a Senior manager
The content of the job posts displayed on the CIMSPA jobs board are pulled in through feeds from websites which are not under the control of CIMSPA.
CIMSPA will not be liable for any false, inaccurate, inappropriate or incomplete information presented on the jobs board.