Strategic Communications – BRITISH BOBSLEIGH & SKELETON ASSOCIATION

The Overview

As Britain’s most successful winter sport, our elite bobsleigh and skeleton teams have a proud history of
success at Olympic, World, European and Youth level. Following two gold medals at the Milan-Cortina
Games in February 2026, we are now focused on building towards the French Alps 2030 Olympic cycle:
sustaining skeleton’s success and converting bobsleigh’s World Cup momentum into Olympic medals.
The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) is the National Governing Body for the sports of
bobsleigh and skeleton in the UK. We set out to encourage, promote and develop both sports, with a clear focus on identifying and supporting athletes with the potential to win medals on the world stage.

BBSA receives around £10m of UK Sport investment to deliver the World Class Programmes for bobsleigh and skeleton throughout the four-year French Alps 2030 cycle. Our HQ is based at the University of Bath where the majority of athletes train full-time, accessing the dry push track and high-performance support services of the UK Sports Institute. From October to March, athletes and staff travel extensively to train and compete on ice tracks across Europe, North America, and Asia.

The Opportunity

This is an important moment for BBSA. There are many challenges and financial pressures in the current
sporting landscape, but also opportunities to explore novel and more sustainable approaches to delivering
our programmes. To ensure we continue on the right path to delivering winning performances, we are
looking to recruit a number of independent non-executive directors to bring fresh perspectives and
additional skills to our Board.
We are a collaborative, hard-working and active Board that is looking to attract similarly motivated
individuals. As a small organisation, we need people who will contribute strategic insight while also being
willing to get close to the work. A successful candidate will need to be able to ask good questions, support
the executive team, and be prepared to roll up their sleeves and get involved; to go above and beyond to
support the organisation in our commitment for excellence and to ensure we meet both our strategic and
performance goals. By joining our Board, you will have responsibility for overseeing a functional area and
either leading or contributing to the work of a sub-committee.
Post the 2030 Games in the French Alps, UK Sport has confirmed that funding for both sports will be via
the newly created Sport Org. Candidates should be ready to be part of the transition plan and be willing to
contribute to its success.
As well as having the skills, expertise and enthusiasm to join our Board, we are seeking individuals who are
a strong cultural fit and who share the same core values that we strive for as an organisation:
➢ Integrity
➢ Teamwork
➢ Commitment
➢ Excellence
If you are a strategic, values-led leader who is passionate about sport and wants to help shape the future of
Britain’s most successful winter sport, we would love to hear from you.
Applications are welcomed until 25 October 2026. First round interviews via Teams will take place week
commencing 2 November and final interviews in person week commencing 16 November.
INED – Strategic Communications
Role Specific Responsibilities
Key Priorities:
The BBSA is entering an exciting period of transition and transformational change. To help guide us
through this next chapter, we are seeking a visionary candidate with deep strategic communications
expertise for the role of Strategic Communication INED (SC INED) with demonstrable proven expertise in:
Leadership in a high-stakes, public-facing sectors (e.g., sport, education, civil service, non-profit or
another complex stakeholder setting;
Transformational Storytelling: Own the narrative around our major change programmes, ensuring
alignment, empathy, and clarity across all external and internal touchpoints,
Strategic Governance: Sound knowledge of corporate governance, risk management, and the
ability to hold the executive team accountable;
Stakeholder Harmony: Build robust communication channels that strengthen stakeholder trust,
soothe friction points, and foster a truly transparent culture.
As a key member of our Board, you will play a pivotal role in shaping how we connect with the world. You
will provide the strategic oversight needed to develop a clear, forward-thinking communications strategy,
helping BBSA tell its story more effectively across the broader sport system. As SC INED, there will be an
element of working with the operational delivery staff. You will inject strategic clarity into our storytelling,
developing bonds across our complex ecosystem of funding partners, change management systems,
athletes and the public.
If you excel at strengthening internal and external stakeholder engagement, navigating organisational
evolution, and turning complex narratives into compelling advocacy, your voice will be vital to our future.
Board Specific Abilities
The successful candidate will have the following core skills as a Board Director:
A drive to provide entrepreneurial leadership and an independent perspective to the overall running
of the organisation;
The ability to think creatively and strategically; the skills to enhance and constructively challenge
current thinking at Board level;
The integrity to ensure that the organisation complies with all rules, regulations, laws, codes of
practice, guidelines, principles and generally accepted standards of performance and integrity;
A drive to take an active part in Board committees in accordance with their terms of reference;
The willingness to proactively scrutinise the performance of the executive and the sub-committees
in meeting agreed goals and objectives, and monitor the reporting of performance;
A curiosity to understand the objectives and responsibilities of UK Sport and the impact on the
BBSA.
Terms of Appointment
Our preferred candidate will:
Be ready to commit sufficient time to the role. There is a need to be more hands-on in the role due
to the limited financial resources of the organisation. We estimate circa 2-3 days across a calendar
month;
Be willing to attend Board meetings, held online predominantly, with quarterly in-person meetings in
Bath or London;
Understand the term of office for the INED position will be for a period of up to 4 years (extendable
by one additional term);
Recognise the roles are not remunerated but BBSA will reimburse expenses for Board activity;
Be aware that at the BBSA we believe great ideas come from diverse teams. We are committed to
creating an inclusive culture and warmly welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds,
identities, and lived experiences.

We look forward to receiving your application no later than 25 October 2026. Applications should be sent
to The BBSA Office office@thebbsa.co.uk and should be entitled: BBSA INED APPLICATION_SC