Athletes and Entourage Manager

Athletes and Entourage Manager

Reporting to Head of Sport

Location: Budapest, Hungary

Position Overview:

The Athletes and Entourage Manager plays a pivotal role in overseeing key projects related to athletes and their entourage during competitions. Reporting directly to the Head of Sport within the Sport Department, the position ensures the effective delivery of all athletes related projects.

The primary responsibility of this role is to oversee the development and implementation of strategies, programs and policies that support the well-being, performance, and rights of athletes and their entourage. The role ensures athletes have a strong voice in governance and that the entourage ecosystem upholds the values of fairness, integrity, and athlete-centred sport.

This role will be the pivotal within the ICF to ensure that all department take on board the point of view of the athletes in their daily work around the key stakeholders : coaches & athletes education (development department), team leaders and technical officials (sport department), sponsors (Commercial and Sponsorship department) and media (Communication and PR department).

Key Responsibilities:

- Play a key role in the planning, development, and oversight the activities of the Athletes Commission and Medical Commission.

- Manage communication platforms to engage with athletes worldwide and gather feedback.

- Foster athlete and community engagement, promoting a positive and inclusive sport experience.

- Liaise with IOC Athlete365, WADA, and other partners to disseminate resources and training opportunities.

- Promote and monitor athlete safeguarding policies.

- Coordinate and oversee the classification process of paracanoe athletes with the paracanoe committee.

- Manage the career of all ICF International Technical Officials (ITO) from the education to the nomination competitions.

- Manage education pathway for ITOS allowing a common best practice across all disciplines.

- Manage the nomination process and logistics aspects of all ITOs for ICF competitions.

- Support the budget management of all related programmes and projects.

- Evaluate the quality and impact of all projects through regular reviews and stakeholder feedback, driving continuous improvement.

- Undertake special projects or tasks as assigned by the Line Manager or the Secretary General

Education and Skills Requirements:

- A background in Sports Management, Sports Science, or a related field, or relevant experience in managing international sport programmes.

- At least 5 years of experience in a relevant field (e.g. para athlete classification, sport medicine)

- Strong understanding of athlete-centred principles, Olympic Movement values, and entourage dynamics.- Knowledge of sport event delivery strategies, technical programme delivery, and athlete support systems.

- Excellent interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.

- Experience in project management, strategic planning, budgeting, and stakeholder engagement across different levels.

- Leadership skills to support and guide teams in delivering successful programmes and initiatives.

- Well-organised, with the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment and a willingness to travel internationally.

- Familiarity with the global paddlesport landscape and the ICF’s strategic objectives.

- A commitment to ethical and sustainable practices.

- Willingness to travel extensively as required.

- Fluency in English (other official ICF languages an asset).