HR Manager

Organisation: UK Sport.

Salary: Grade: 5, £54,000 per annum plus generous benefits.

Location: Loughborough/London/Manchester based, with regular remote working.

Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent

Closing Date: Sunday, 16 August 2026

Interview Dates: Stage 1: 3-4 September 2026 (virtual on Teams)

                           Stage 2:10 September 2026

Who are UK Sport?

We are the UK’s trusted high-performance experts, powering our greatest athletes, teams, sports and events to achieve positive success. Investing a combination of National Lottery and Government funds, we support our Olympic and Paralympic sports to realise their world-leading potential and help bring major sporting events to the UK. Our purpose is to lead high-performance sport to enable extraordinary moments that enrich lives .

We are on a mission to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments; reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation . That mission is underpinned by three ambitions for UK high-performance sport; to keep winning and win well, to grow a thriving sporting system and to harness those to inspire positive change. Working with the sports and events we fund, DCMS, and our partner organisations across the UK high-performance system, we are building on 25 years of ever-growing success to write the UK’s next chapter for Olympic and Paralympic sport.

About the role

As HR Manager, you will play a pivotal role in shaping a positive, inclusive and high-performing employee experience across UK Sport. Acting as a trusted partner to staff and People Managers, you will provide expert advice, constructive challenge and practical support across the full employee lifecycle, empowering managers to discharge their people management responsibilities effectively.

The HR Manager (People and Development) leads UK Sport's people-facing HR activity and has responsibility for employee relations, recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, learning and development, employee engagement, internal communications, wellbeing and welfare initiatives, succession planning, talent development and EDI activity.

Working closely with Recruitment Advisory Services and Learning and Development colleagues, the postholder ensures people initiatives are aligned with organisational priorities, workforce needs and UK Sport's commitment to inclusion. Through confident leadership, thoughtful coaching and strong operational oversight, the role helps strengthen management capability, support organisational effectiveness and enable people to do their best work.

The HR Manager also leads and develops the HR and Employee Engagement Officer, providing direction, coaching and oversight to ensure high-quality HR and employee engagement services are delivered consistently across UK Sport.

Who will I be working with?

You’ll work closely with colleagues across UK Sport at all levels, as well as external partners and stakeholders, building trusted relationships that support effective decision making across the organisation.

This role supports our hybrid working approach, with regular office attendance required in line with team and organisational expectations.

About you

You’re a confident and trusted HR professional who builds strong relationships and provides clear, practical advice to managers and colleagues.

You’re comfortable supporting complex people matters, balancing empathy with sound judgement, discretion and a focus on organisational needs.

You enjoy working across the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to engagement, wellbeing, development and retention, helping to create a positive and inclusive employee experience.

You’re proactive, collaborative and committed to continuous improvement, with the ability to lead others, influence stakeholders and help people do their best work.

What you’ll bring

·      Experience delivering operational HR advice and support, including complex people matters

·      Ability to support, advise and influence managers and stakeholders effectively

·      Experience working with recruitment and learning and development specialists

·      CIPD Level 5 qualification, or equivalent qualification or experience

·      Strong judgement, discretion and confidence handling confidential matters

·      Excellent organisational, prioritisation and time management skills

·      Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills

·      Calm, proactive and effective in a fast-paced environment

·      A positive, professional and proactive approach, with a strong sense of personal accountability and ownership.

·      Forward-looking mindset with a focus on improvement and positive change

It’s a bonus if you also have

·      Experience supporting employee wellbeing, welfare or organisational health initiatives

·      Experience delivering or supporting employee engagement activity

·      Commitment to continuous professional development

·      Interest in supporting team learning, improvement and growth

UK Sport also offer a competitive benefit package that includes:

·      Flexible Pension scheme

·      Employer pension contribution of 10%

·      6 weeks Annual Leave

·      1 day Voluntary Work Leave  

·      A flexible approach to working in a way that suits you

·      Interest free season ticket loans

·      Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Parental Leave

·      Healthy Lifestyle allowance of up to £600 per year

·      Cycle to Work Scheme

How to apply:

To apply and for full job description, please login to our recruitment portal and follow the instructions at the following link:

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace culture where difference is embraced, and exceptional talents can flourish. We strongly encourage applicants from all backgrounds and walks of life, and we’re interested to hear from people that may require flexible working patterns or may want to work less than a full-time contract.

As we strive to ensure our workforce is more reflective of UK society, we particularly welcome applications from people with ethnically diverse backgrounds or with a disability or long term health condition as these groups are currently underrepresented at UK Sport.

We offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role if:

·      They have a physical or mental impairment that has a “substantial” and “long-term” negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities, or

·      Who do not identify as White British/English/Welsh/Scottish/Northern Irish

To qualify, you need to demonstrate in your application that you meet the minimum criteria for the role and belong to one of the above groups. If you have a disability, please contact us to discuss any adjustments you may need at interview or in the role, if successful.

UK SPORT IS PROUD TO BE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER. At UK Sport we are determined to lead by example, striving to be a role model organisation in all we do in equality, diversity and inclusion, from leadership to delivery.

LINK