National Community Coaching & Umpiring Manager

AFL - Australian Football League; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work options

Professional development

Wellbeing program

Partner discounts

AFL Silver Memberships

Parental leave

Job summary

The AFL, based in Melbourne, seeks a National Community Coaching & Umpiring Manager to shape national coaching and umpiring, leading the team and aligning governance, planning and delivery across Australia.

You will drive recruitment, development and retention strategies, coordinate with states, and oversee education frameworks while promoting inclusive environments for participants and officials.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a significant community sport workforce development portfolio.
• Proven people leadership with clear priorities and accountability.
• Knowledge of community sport systems and workforce retention factors.
• Experience overseeing complex multi-location programs.
• Strong stakeholder leadership and influencing skills.
• Data-driven decision making and analytics to assess performance.
• Clear communication, planning and change leadership.
• Inclusive, collaborative approach to teamwork and impact.

Responsibilities

• Set national priorities and annual plans for coaching and umpiring.
• Lead National Community Coach Lead and National Community Umpiring Coordinator.
• Establish governance, planning and performance arrangements across both portfolios.
• Oversee recruitment, development, recognition, experience and retention of coaches, umpires and umpire coaches.
• Drive progress on women and girls action plan.
• Use data to identify workforce risks and guide investments.
• Coordinate with State/Territory stakeholders around national priorities.
• Oversee education, accreditation and development frameworks.
• Promote safe, inclusive environments for coaches and umpires.

Skills

Portfolio leadership

People leadership

Community sport knowledge

Program management

Stakeholder leadership

Data-driven decisions

Change leadership

Collaborative approach

Job description

Join the team shaping the future of Australia’s game.

This is your chance to do work that has real impact, in an organisation that moves fast, aims high and plays a meaningful role in the lives of millions across the country through football.

Every role at the AFL helps progress the game, so more people can love it, connect with it and see what is possible through it.

The opportunity

The National Community Coaching & Umpiring Manager will shape the national direction of two critical areas of community football. Based at AFL House in Melbourne and reporting to the National Community Football Manager, this role provides strategic and operational leadership across the AFL’s community coaching and umpiring portfolios. You will lead national planning, strengthen governance and align initiatives that improve the recruitment, development, experience and retention of coaches and umpires. Through leadership of the National Community Coach Lead and National Community Umpiring Coordinator, you will maintain the specialist focus of each portfolio while strengthening coordination across workforce planning, education, technology, communications and participant experience.

What You’ll Own

You will set clear national priorities and bring stakeholders together to support consistent, inclusive and effective coaching and umpiring experiences across community football.

You’ll Add Value Through

• Setting and overseeing national priorities and annual plans for community coaching and umpiring.
• Leading and developing the National Community Coach Lead and National Community Umpiring Coordinator.
• Establishing effective governance, planning and performance arrangements across both portfolios.
• Overseeing strategies that improve the recruitment, development, recognition, experience and retention of community coaches, umpires and umpire coaches.
• Driving progress across coaching and umpiring priorities within the women and girls action plan.
• Using national data and stakeholder insights to identify workforce risks, assess performance and guide investment and improvement.
• Aligning State and Territory stakeholders around national priorities while supporting delivery approaches that respond to local needs.
• Overseeing the integrity and effectiveness of education, accreditation and development frameworks.
• Identifying opportunities to better coordinate technology, systems, communications and learning practices.
• Leading the design and evolution of national coaching and umpiring capability frameworks.
• Building alignment across internal teams and senior external stakeholders to resolve issues affecting national delivery.
• Promoting safe, inclusive and positive environments that support coaches and umpires to enter, develop and remain in community football.

What You’ll Bring

• Demonstrated experience leading a significant community sport, workforce development, education or participation portfolio.
• Significant experience leading and developing people, setting clear priorities and supporting accountability for outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of community sport systems and the factors affecting the recruitment, development, experience and retention of coaches, officials or comparable workforces.
• Proven capability overseeing complex programs or portfolios across multiple locations, delivery partners or stakeholder groups.
• Strong stakeholder leadership and influencing skills, with the judgement to navigate competing priorities and resolve cross-functional issues.
• The ability to use data and stakeholder insights to evaluate performance, identify risks and make informed decisions.
• Clear communication, planning and change leadership capability.
• A practical, inclusive and collaborative approach that strengthens teamwork, fairness and impact.

Why you’ll love being on our team

At the AFL, you will be part of a values-led team that aims high, backs each other and brings energy, care and integrity to work that matters.

This is a place where people play to win, play as one team and play with passion, while always staying grounded in fairness, inclusion and respect. We work hard, support each other and create the conditions for our people to grow, perform and thrive.

What You Can Look Forward To

• Play The Day Your Way, our flexible approach to working life, built to support you on game day and every day
• My Development, with coaching, mentoring, on-the-job learning and formal development to help you keep building your game
• Play Well, our health and wellbeing programme designed to support a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy workplace
• My Benefits, giving you access to a range of partner offers and discounts through our AFL Corporate Partners
• AFL Silver Memberships for permanent team members, so you can enjoy the action at Marvel Stadium and the MCG with family and friends
• 6 months paid primary parental leave with no qualification period for permanent team members

Everyone has a place here

Our game brings people together, and we want our workplace to do the same.

We are committed to building a culture of belonging and an environment where people feel respected, included and able to thrive, and where diversity of background, experience and perspective makes us stronger.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encouraged to apply.

Whether you’re a footy fan or new to our game, we welcome everyone to apply. We know great candidates don’t always tick every box. If this role excites you, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn’t perfectly match the job description.

The AFL is committed to promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our care.

Please note, we undertake several screening processes to ensure this commitment is upheld, this includes ensuring the successful candidate to this position holds a valid employee Working with Children/Vulnerable People check and a satisfactory criminal history record check.

Applications close 22 November 2026.