Who we are:

Surfing Australia is a National Sporting Organisation (NSO) that was formed in 1963 to establish, guide and promote the development of surfing within Australia. Our purpose is to create a healthier and happier Australia by enriching communities through surfing. Our vision is to continue to be one of Australia’s most loved sports, creating authentic heroes and champions to inspire the next generation to learn a skill for life.

About the role:

The Head of Participation & Community leads Surfing Australia’s Participation & Community function to grow an inclusive and active community through surfing, while setting the global benchmark for sport education. The role is responsible for shaping strategy, driving delivery across priority programs, and ensuring national consistency, quality and impact across the participation pathway.

The role works closely with Surfing Australia’s six state associations to develop systems, processes and support mechanisms that strengthen the network and deliver a high-quality sport development pathway.

This role reports to the Chief Executive Officer and is based at Surfing Australia’s High-Performance Centre and HQ in Casuarina, NSW.

Monthly Domestic travel required

Key Measures of Success:

- Growth in participation numbers and quality of participant experience across Surfing Australia programs.

- Effective delivery of the department’s strategic priorities and annual objectives.

- Strong engagement and alignment across the national network, including state associations, surf schools and boardrider clubs.

- Sound budget management, reporting and compliance outcomes.

- Growth in partnerships, funding, grants or other sustainable revenue opportunities.

- High-quality team leadership, capability development and performance outcomes.





- Continuous improvement in systems, service delivery and operational effectiveness.

Key Attributes:

- Demonstrated leadership experience in sport development, participation, community programs or a related field.

- Experience leading strategy development and operational delivery across multiple programs or workstreams.

- Understanding of the surfing network, delivery ecosystem and national coastline.

- Strong stakeholder management capability, including experience working with state-based or federated networks.

- Experience managing budgets, contracts, reporting and compliance obligations.

- Commercial acumen, including experience identifying funding opportunities, partnerships or revenue growth initiatives.

- Solid people leadership skills, with experience building team capability and performance.

- Well-developed communication, planning and organisational skills.

- Experience managing systems, platforms or service operations relevant to program delivery.

If you want to join a business full of passionate, energetic, and hardworking people, apply now. In your cover letter, please include an explanation of why your experience is specifically relevant to this role with Surfing Australia and why this is your next career move.

APPLICATIONS

Applications should be sent directly to Nick Chandler (*@chandlerexecutive.com).

We thank everyone in advance for their application for the role, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Surfing Australia is an equal opportunity employer who supports inclusive, flexible, and accessible working arrangements for all. This includes persons with disabilities, culturally, religiously, and linguistically diverse people, diverse age groups, diverse sexual orientation, and gender.

📌 Head of Participation & Community (Coolangatta)
🏢 Surfing Australia
📍 Coolangatta