Sport Assistant

University of Northumbria; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in the UK seeks a Sport Assistant to undertake a variety of customer-facing duties across their sports facility. The role emphasizes excellent customer service, teamwork, and health and safety awareness. Ideal candidates will have good communication skills, be proactive problem solvers, and demonstrate a commitment to providing a welcoming environment. This position offers flexible working hours, reflecting the university's commitment to inclusivity and work-life balance.

Benefits

Flexible working hours

Excellent pension schemes

Generous holiday entitlement

Qualifications

• Strong commitment to delivering excellent customer service.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Initiative to resolve practical problems.
• Knowledge of health and safety best practices in a sport environment.

Responsibilities

• Undertake a range of customer-facing duties within the sport facility.
• Ensure a welcoming and safe experience for all customers.
• Maintain knowledge of sport products and services.

Skills

Excellent customer service

Teamwork and independence

Verbal and written communication

Problem-solving initiative

Health and safety knowledge

Job description

About the Role

The Sport Assistant will be flexible and proactive, undertaking a wide range of customer-facing duties across the sport facility or service area. The role plays a key part in delivering a welcoming, safe and outstanding experience for all customers, while maintaining a strong working knowledge of Northumbria Sport’s products and services to provide consistent, high-quality support.

Further information is available in the job description.

About the Team

Reporting directly to the Duty Manager, the Sport Assistant role forms part of Northumbria Sport, a core department within Campus Services. The post will be based at Sport Central. Northumbria Sport is committed to delivering an outstanding customer experience through a wide range of sport, fitness and wellbeing programmes, and the Sport Assistant will play a key role in supporting this aim by delivering high-quality, safe and welcoming services to all users.

About You

You will demonstrate:

• A strong commitment to delivering excellent customer service, ensuring every customer receives a welcoming, professional and positive experience on every visit.
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a wider team, demonstrating flexibility and a proactive approach to daily tasks.
• Good verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to engage with a wide range of customers and colleagues.
• The initiative to identify and resolve practical problems, contributing to the safe and efficient operation of the facility.
• Knowledge or understanding of working in a sport, leisure or wet environment, with an awareness of health and safety best practice (a lifeguard qualification is desirable, or a willingness to work towards one).

Further information is available in the person specification.

If you would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Paul Coulthard, Duty Manager.

About Us

Join Northumbria University, a research-intensive institution unlocking potential and changing lives locally and globally. Named Times Higher Education's University of the Year in 2022 and Modern University of the Year in 2025, we rank top 25 in the UK for research power. Discover more about us. With over 37,000 students from over 140 countries, we offer world-leading research, award-winning partnerships, and an outstanding student experience. We empower our exceptional staff, promoting a positive work-life balance and offering great benefits, including excellent pension schemes, flexible working, generous holiday entitlement and more. Our Northumbria Values, co-created by our team, define who we are: Academic Excellence, Innovation, Inclusivity, Collaboration, and Ambition. Our Behaviour shape our work culture: We listen and learn, support one another, respect everyone, trust each other, and are bold.

Located in Newcastle upon Tyne and London, we are an on-campus organisation with flexibility in hours and location. We pride ourselves on diversity and inclusivity, holding numerous awards for gender and race equality, disability confidence, and research excellence. We also hold the HR Excellence in Research award for implementing the concordat supporting the career Development of Researchers and are members of the Euraxess initiative to deliver information and support to professional researchers. The University has implemented a range of flexible working arrangements, and we are happy to explore candidate requirements as part of the recruitment process.

Apply now and join a community committed to transforming society and the economy. Explore Our Exceptional People, Our Values and Behaviours page to learn more about our commitments and see our Privacy Policy for further details.