Applications close at 11:30pm AEST 25 November 2026 (late applications will not be accepted).
The Australian Sports Commission is embarking on the Green and Gold decade. An exciting time filled with international sporting competitions on home soil, including the Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cup, and culminating in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have an ambitious new Strategic Vision and we need the best players on our team to help us deliver real results for the sporting sector and all Australians.
Are you up for the challenge?
About the team –Site Experience brings together the customer-facing services that shape how athletes, visitors, partners, tenants, event attendees and community users experience the AIS campus.
Through Visitor
Engagement and Events and Campus Services, the team delivers coordinated services across events, tours, aquatics, accommodation, dining, guest services and athlete support. We work closely with teams across AIS Operations to turn site and commercial strategies into practical services that increase demand, improve use of well-known AIS venues, including AIS Arena and the AIS Aquatic Centre, and create a safe, welcoming and active campus.
About the role –
As Director Site Experience, you will be the front of house lead for the AIS campus and play a key role in embedding the new People and Place operating model. You will , including visitor engagement and events, residences and sports camps, the AIS Shop, AIS Tours and AIS Swim School. Leading through two Assistant Directors, you will set clear service standards and create connected, high quality experiences for athletes, visitors, partners, tenants, event attendees and community users.
Working closely with the Directors of Site Operations, Site Strategy and Commercial Partnerships and Business Development, you will connect customer experience with safe, reliable operations and identify opportunities to grow demand, increase utilisation and strengthen commercial performance. You will use customer insights, operational and commercial data to understand what is working, identify emerging opportunities and translate strategy into practical plans that continually improve how AIS services and spaces are designed and delivered.
You will balance customer,
workforce, financial and operational priorities while maintaining strong governance and risk management, and bring a customer first, solutions focused approach to service recovery, using challenges as opportunities to learn, adapt and strengthen future service delivery. Success will mean more people choosing and returning to the AIS, stronger utilisation of venues and services, improved commercial outcomes and exceptional customer experiences.
About you –
You are an experienced, commercially aware and forward thinking leader with a solid focus on growing services, improving customer experiences and leading teams through change. You can connect front of house and back of house teams, champion new ways of working and keep the customer at the centre of decision-making in a complex environment.
You will bring
- Significant leadership experience across complex, multidisciplinary, customer-facing operations in a complex site, venue, hospitality, tourism, sport, commercial, recreation or service environment.
- A growth mindset and strategic outlook, with the ability to set direction, adapt to changing needs and identify opportunities to grow demand, improve services and strengthen performance.
- Strong commercial acumen, including experience managing budgets, high-value contracts, revenue streams, procurement, resource allocation and service-provider performance.
- Demonstrated success leading leaders and multidisciplinary teams through change, building capability and shared accountability while delivering strong customer, commercial and organisational outcomes.
- The ability to work in close partnership with operational leaders, align front-of-house and back-of-house teams, resolve competing priorities and build shared accountability across functions.
- The ability to translate strategy into action, developing business plans, operating models,
service standards and improvements that deliver measurable customer and commercial outcomes.
- Experience translating strategy and operating models into business plans, service standards and practical improvements that increase demand, improve utilisation, strengthen commercial performance and make the AIS a destination of choice.
- Strong governance, risk and compliance experience, including WHS, child safety, safeguarding, accessibility and public-sector accountability.
- Highly developed stakeholder engagement, negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to build productive relationships across commercial, government, sport, tourism and community environments.
- The ability to use customer, financial, operational and utilisation data to identify opportunities, measure performance, inform future priorities and provide clear, evidence-based advice to senior leaders.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including concise executive advice, reports, briefs and recommendations.
This position is offered as an ONGOING position and is located in Canberra. Why work with us?
We have offices located in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. Across all locations, we offer:
- Options for flexible working arrangements.
- Annual allowances towards training based on individualised career goals.
- Access to a customised ASC L&D; calendar for ongoing professional and career development.
- Generous superannuation scheme with up to 15.4% employer contributions.
- Corporate discount on AIS Shop merchandise.
- Access to Clearinghouse for Sport, an information sharing platform for Sporting professionals.
Additionally, our Canberra campus offers:
- Free onsite parking
- Onsite facilities including café, dining hall, gym, and swimming pool.
- Priority placement for your children to access the award winning, onsite AIS Caretaker’s Cottage Childcare Centre.
If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact:
- Contact Officer: Rachel Forte, General Manager, AIS Operations
- Phone number: [0401 053 939](tel:0401 053 939)
- Email address:
[email protected]
If you would like to learn more about this opportunity or to obtain the , click 'Apply' now
📌 Director Site Experience (Canberra)
🏢 Australian Sports Commission
📍 Canberra