Swim Ireland is the National Governing Body (NGB) for Swimming, Para Swimming, Water Polo, Diving and associated Aquatic Disciplines on the island of Ireland. Swim Ireland’s Head Office is based at Irish Sport HQ, National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15 with circa 60 employees. Swim Ireland’s remit as a Governing Body is to increase participation, run the competitive aspect of our sport and to provide a framework for regulation. For further information, please see our website at www.swimireland.ie.
Swim Ireland is seeking an organised, people-focused Workforce Activator to join the Education team on a full-time, one-year, fixed term contract. The role will coordinate the Aquatic Workforce Activation Project, creating education, training and employment pathways into the aquatics and leisure sector for young people facing barriers to education or employment.
The Aquatic Workforce Activation Project is supported by the New Solutions Pilot Grants which is aimed at supporting social innovation initiatives in the Republic of Ireland to trial or test new products, services, practices or models to deliver better outcomes on at least one of the social inclusion themes below:
1. Increasing access to employment for disadvantaged groups
2. Increasing access to education for disadvantaged groups
3. Personal and social development of young people most at risk of poverty and social exclusion
4. Harnessing the potential of sport for social development and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups
The Aquatic Workforce Activation Project will support 50 young people aged 16 to 24 across hubs including Dublin, Kildare, Cork, Limerick and Cavan to gain recognised qualifications, employability skills, workplace experience and routes into employment.
The project will specifically target and support candidates living in areas most at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
· Manage day-to-day delivery across the five hubs, maintaining an implementation plan and meeting agreed activities, timelines, outputs and outcomes.
· Coordinate project launch, recruitment, training, workshops, placements, evaluation and close-out.
· Maintain project records and evidence for monitoring, evaluation and grant reporting.
· Work with the Swim Ireland Activation team and partners in each hub to identify and recruit participants using accessible and inclusive approaches.
· Assess participant needs, identify suitable education and employment pathways, and coordinate appropriate supports.
· Maintain regular contact and address barriers to participation, retention and completion.
· Create an inclusive, welcoming and supportive learning environment.
· Coordinate access to relevant Swim Ireland and aquatics education programmes, including the Direct Entry Level 2 Swimming Teacher qualification and lifeguard qualifications.
· Arrange schedules, pre-assessments, registration, venues, pool bookings, materials and participant communications with the Education Manager, Tutors and Education Support team and, where relevant external education providers.
· Support learner progression and resolve issues affecting successful completion.
· Support the development and pilot delivery of accessible opportunities, including the proposed Aquatic Assistant programme.
· Maintain accurate participant and course records in line with Education requirements.
· Coordinate employability, personal development and safeguarding workshops, using external providers where appropriate.
· Support participants with CVs, applications, interview preparation, career pathways and relevant Garda vetting.
· Build relationships with the Swim Ireland Activation team, Pool Operations Team and aquatics employers to identify suitable work placements and employment opportunities.
· Support transitions into work and track progression into further education, placements and employment.
· Maintain effective relationships with Local Sports Partnerships, Sport 4 Empowerment/ESF+ personnel, community organisations, employers and pool operators.
· Represent Swim Ireland professionally at meetings, workshops, events and stakeholder forums.
· Promote cross-team collaboration and identify opportunities to strengthen local aquatic workforce pathways.
· Monitor delivery against agreed outputs, outcomes and KPIs, including attendance, qualifications, placements and employment.
· Coordinate baseline and post-programme evaluation, gather participant feedback and adapt delivery where needed.
· Prepare progress and grant reports, case studies and evidence of social, economic and physical activity impact.
· Contribute to the final evaluation and recommendations on sustainability and national rollout.
· Maintain an efficient project administration process including general administration, database management and financial records.
· Attend Grant funder meetings as required.
· Support the Education team where required on planning, developing, scheduling and administration of education programmes, courses, events and training days.
· Work collaboratively across Swim Ireland and attend relevant team and project meetings.
· Maintain high standards of administration, confidentiality, safeguarding and compliance with Swim Ireland policies.
· Embed equality, diversity, inclusion, accessibility and participant welfare throughout delivery.
· Use resources responsibly and support value for money.
· Undertake other reasonable duties appropriate to the role, as requested by the Education Manager.
Experience
· Experience coordinating projects in education, training, sport, community or workforce development programmes.
· Experience supporting young people, hard-to-reach groups, learners or programme participants.
· Experience building stakeholder relationships
· Strong administrative experience, including managing priorities, maintaining records and contributing to monitoring and reporting.
Skills and Competencies
· Understanding of equality, diversity, inclusion and barriers to education and employment, with a commitment to Swim Ireland’s values.
· Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building and written and verbal communication skills.
· Strong organisation and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines.
· A participant-centred, inclusive approach and the ability to motivate and support people from diverse backgrounds.
· Ability to work independently and collaboratively, with attention to detail and a practical, solutions-focused approach.
Desirable
· Experience in sport, education, community or voluntary settings.
· Experience of working with Local Sports Partnerships, community organisations or people facing social, economic, educational or disability-related barriers.
· Experience coordinating qualifications, employment activation, work placements or career development.
· Experience of grant-funded projects, monitoring data or funder reporting.
· Knowledge of the aquatics and leisure industry or a relevant qualification in sport, social care, education or community development.
Essential Requirements
· Eligibility to work in Ireland on a full-time basis.
· Some evening and weekend work is expected, with flexible working hours also required.
· Full, clean driving license and access to vehicle.
· Excellent working knowledge of IT and software packages including MSOffice, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
· Appointment Subject to Satisfactory Safeguarding & vetting requirements and reference checks.
Applications should be by clicking on the following link:
Closing date for applications is the 25th November 2026 with interviews to be held w/c 7th December.
· The package will include a competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.
· Position Tenure: 12 month fixed-term full-time contract.
· Position Location: Hybrid/Swim Ireland Head Office, Irish Sport HQ, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
At Swim Ireland, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every element in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate to for this or other roles. Swim Ireland is an Equal Opportunities Employer.