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Performance Director
British Triathlon
The British Triathlon Federation is the national governing body for triathlon, duathlon and associated multisport in Great Britain. It administers triathlon in England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Job Posted- 25 Apr 2026
Status- Full Time
Location- England
Closing date- 18 May 2026
Thank you for your interest in this rare and exciting opportunity to become the next Performance Director of British Triathlon.
We have just set our new strategy Going Further, Together with a clear intent to continue to be world leading in our performance by Powering the Podium for future success across our World Class Programmes, long distance and multi-sport.
The organisation is on an ambitious journey of transformation and as well as an outstanding leader who brings excellence in high performance sport we are looking for someone who will be a valued member of the executive team and able to contribute positively to the wider organisation strategy, leadership and culture. We are looking for a Performance Director who can build trusted relationships effectively and to unlock the next level of performance by empowering those in their team and more widely. We want someone who can lead with influence, not just authority and someone who understands the importance of culture, purpose, relationships and clarity.
We look forward to reviewing your application! Closing date 5.00pm Monday 18th May.
Ruth Daniels CEO
Why Join Us?
British Triathlon is one of the leading triathlon and paratriathlon federations in the world.
After the resounding success of the 2024 Paris Games, where British Triathlon delivered some of the most memorable and iconic moments of the Olympic and Paralympic Games - along with many ‘Paris Inspired’ swim, bike, run activities back at home - we are committed to fostering even more landmark and inspiring achievements for our sport, both on the world stage with our elite athletes, through our talent pathways and at grassroots level. We have a new strategy ‘Going Further, Together’ with a key strategic pillar of Powering the Podium, with the clear ambition to deliver a powerhouse of talent that maintains British Olympic/Paralympic success as well as supporting our long-distance, multisport and age group community. Developing our people and delivering excellence is what drives us.
Our focus extends beyond athlete performances and is underpinned by our purpose of opening up triathlon so athletes and communities can go further than they ever thought possible. We are building a future-ready organisation, that is financially sustainable, is able to invest back in our sport, be world leading and have a thriving community that can take our sport to the next level.
Equally essential is a major events strategy that brings elite level triathlon back to the UK and also amplifies the events already taking place in the UK, such as our Home Nation and British Championships and our Super Series – the future stars of triathlon. We are prepared to innovate and think differently – by doing so we believe we will learn and grow.
As we continue with this Olympic and Paralympic cycle, our new Performance Director will be at the forefront, as we plot our course for LA2028 and beyond. There are strong foundations in place with a world leading high performance team and athletes – World Class Programmes that can be taken to the next level and beyond.
This is an exciting time for triathlon and more broadly endurance sport – we would love you to be part our team!
About the Role
The Person
This is a role for a people centred leader, who is authentic, builds connections and trust, is quietly confident and inspires those around them to be their best selves.
The successful candidate will bring a background in elite sport and understand what it takes to drive sustainable success in a multi-disciplinary high-performance environment. You will have a high degree of emotional intelligence with an adaptive leadership style and operate effectively when under pressure. Your communications skills and style will be excellent, and you will be able to flex between athletes, team members, Board representatives and external stakeholders. You will be comfortable with responsibility and decision making but know when to seek support or advice. Importantly you will know when to listen and when to act; to support without undermining or micro-managing; to empower without abdicating responsibility.
You will know how to gain credibility with world leading coaches and practitioners and know how to continually improve the performance environment, develop people, deliver excellence, and genuinely care for the long-term success of the programmes and wider organisation.
The Role
- Drive a safe, supportive and performance focussed culture across the World Class Programmes and associated training environments that drives the development of people and delivery of excellence.
- Provide overall strategic leadership of the Olympic and Paralympic World Class Programmes. Including:
- Develop and implement a world-leading cycle/multi-cycle performance strategy that is aligned to the global performance standards required to deliver consistent medal winning performances at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and which is aligned to the wider culture of the organisation.
- Oversee and lead the UK Sport Olympic/Paralympic cycle investment submissions and associated reporting/management.
- Ensure alignment of athletes and staff with the strategy and continually measure, review and refine the performance impact.
- Provide and oversee the framework for the development and delivery of both national and individual athlete plans across the Olympic and Paralympic programmes. In doing so, ensure the identification and delivery of world leading technical, science and medicine interventions that drive athlete development towards global podium standards (aligned to What it Takes to Win ‘WITTW’).
- Oversee strategic alignment of the British Olympic and Paralympic pathways to the WCP’s, ensuring:
- that the highest standards of safeguarding and best practice are maintained throughout
- that the activities and interventions throughout the pathway are effectively identifying and developing the next generation of globally successful triathletes/paratriathletes
- that the Home Nation (England, Scotland, Wales) pathway programmes are strategically and operationally aligned to deliver a consistent and effective athlete development experience
- the development and delivery of the Sport England Olympic/Paralympic cycle investment process (and subsequent reporting/management) and
- that the domestic elite competition programme (Super Series) is fit-for-purpose and aligned to the developmental needs of the pathway.
- Provide authentic leadership to the team of coaches, sports science/medicine, operational and pathway staff, including direct management of a senior leadership team of 7 and responsibility for the delivery of a formal coach development within the WCP and pathway.
- Lead the overall Olympic Games Project (and provide oversight of/alignment to the Paralympic Games Project). Includes overseeing the development/delivery of robust and clear qualification/selection processes, liaison with the BOA on all matters pertaining to Games’ delivery and acting as the Team Leader for the Games themselves.
- As a member of the Executive team understand the collective responsibility for setting the wider strategic direction for the sport and proactively contribute to the delivery of the wider British Triathlon strategy, culture and wider organisation leadership as an active, approachable and visible member of the executive team.
- Facilitate the link between the Performance directorate and key internal stakeholders, including the British Triathlon Board, the Triathlon England Board, the Sport Integrity team, the British Triathlon Athlete Commission (including Olympic and Paralympic Board representatives) and other department directors.
- Manage key domestic stakeholders, including UK Sport, Sport England, Home Nation federation partners, UK Sports Institute, the British Olympic Association, British Paralympic Association, university partners, agents, sponsors and media.
- Oversee and ensure an integrated approach to pathway development and progression to world class programme athletes, including a holistic approach to culture, coaching and coach development.
- Proactively contribute to the international relations agenda, developing impactful and trusted relationships with key World/European Triathlon and PTO personnel and driving the continual international development of the sport.
- Ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, anti-doping and health & safety practices across all high-performance triathlon/paratriathlon environments.
- Provide operational oversight of professional and multisport teams.
- Act as the public spokesperson for all performance matters, positively advocating for British athletes and the federation as a whole.
- Uphold the principles of good governance, as set out in the Code for Sports Governance, and ensure alignment with funder expectations (e.g. Sport England, UK Sport).
- Act as an advocate for the organisation’s values, promoting transparency, inclusion, and a positive impact through sport.
- Comfortable with technology and digital solutions with its application to high performance as well as operational improvement and efficiencies and role model and drive its testing and use.
- Oversee the overall Olympic/Paralympic annual competition programme, including selection policies for all major World Triathlon competition series and acting as the Team Leader at key international events throughout the year.
- Provide robust financial management of the WCP and pathways budgets (circa £11m and £2.8m respectively), including effective management of the 4-year UK Sport and Sport England grant funding and ensuring the most effective and cost-effective deployment of resource.
You can find more information about British Triathlon and the role by downloading the full job description below and the full candidate pack under "Job Advert". Please read both before applying!
Selection Process & Interview Timelines
Closing date: 18 May 2026, at 5pm
Step One:
- Initial screening and initial online interviews with longlisted candidates
by 26 May 2026.
Step Two:
- In-person interviews to take place over Thursday 4 and Friday 5 June by way of an assessment centre, which will involve an elimination process after day one.
- Day 1 will include an emergenetics selection programme (ESP) including feedback, and athlete, technical and capability interviews.
- Day 2 will include a presentation exercise and group discussion exercise, which will be briefed on the day or day before.
How To Apply
To apply for this exciting and influential opportunity, please click 'Apply Now' to start your application. In your application, please including the following:
- Your CV - detailing relevant experience and qualifications.
- A covering letter - explaining why you are the right fit for the role and what excites you about the opportunity.
- A short video (recorded on a phone is fine, but no more than 5 minutes please) that addresses the following question ‘“Tell us why this would be your next dream job and what are the key things you would bring?”.
Please note, you will receive an invitation to upload the video after the application has been submitted. If you have any issues uploading the video, you can also email it to the People Team who will attach the video to your application for you.
If you have any questions, or would like to discuss the role, please contact the People Team ([email protected]), Ruth Daniels CEO ([email protected]) or Mike Cavendish ([email protected]).