Strategic Sport Development & Partnerships Specialist

Special Olympics; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full benefits package

Job summary

Special Olympics International is seeking a dynamic Specialist, Sport Development & Sport Partnerships to advance priority sports and strengthen global partnerships. The role collaborates across the Sport & Competition department to drive strategic initiatives and support reporting and documentation for impact.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, this 2-year position emphasizes partnership cultivation, program administration, and development of sport-focused stories and tools for global outreach,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Excellent written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Strong writing, editing, and attention to detail.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Experience managing external partnerships and stakeholder relationships.
• Background working with individuals with intellectual and/or other disabilities.
• Familiarity with Special Olympics or similar organizations.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Support the Manager, Sport Development in the execution and administration of the TopGolf partnership.
• Support sport development grant processes, including proposal review, distribution, and tracking of program impact.
• Support the development of impact reports, success stories, and documentation required for internal and external reporting.
• Support the registration, development and execution of the annual Topgolf Invitational Tournament & Unified Fore Joy ProAm.
• Assist in the advancement and implementation of strategic initiatives to develop priority sports, both summer and winter, across the global Special Olympics Movement.
• Collaborate with the Sport Development team to contribute to the planning, execution, and monitoring of sport-specific development goals.
• Contribute to the creation of sport-specific stories, informational materials, and operational documents.
• Ensure sport development and partnership resources are accessible via appropriate web platforms and communication channels.
• Lead the development and annual update of sport one-pagers, capturing the global status & key metrics for each sport.
• Support the coordination and contribution to biennial Sport Reports, sharing with the wider movement the status of Special Olympics’ sport.
• Assist in cultivating, coordinating, and managing relationships with International Sport Federations (IFs), Multi-Sport Organizations, and other key sport partners.
• Contribute to the execution of partnership strategies, event involvement, and long-term collaboration planning.
• Support the annual Sport Partnership Survey, including data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Help manage content updates for the Sport Partnerships webpage and Sport Partnership Toolkit.
• Assist in planning and coordination efforts for hosting sport partners at global events, including the Special Olympics World Games.
• Assist in developing and maintaining detailed project plans to monitor progress across sport development and sport partnership initiatives.
• Coordinate meetings and communications with internal teams and external partners, as needed.

Skills

Excellent communication

Writing and editing

Team collaboration

Relationships management

Disability awareness

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Special Olympics International is seeking a dynamic Specialist, Sport Development & Sport Partnerships to advance priority sports and strengthen global partnerships. The role collaborates across the Sport & Competition department to drive strategic initiatives and support reporting and documentation for impact.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, this 2-year position emphasizes partnership cultivation, program administration, and development of sport-focused stories and tools for global outreach,