Facilities Manager

ATHLETICS NORTHERN IRELAND

Job Title:Facilities Manager

Responsible to:Chief Executive Officer

Location:Mary Peters Track / Athletics House, Old Coach Road, Belfast, BT9 5PR

Working Week: 37.5 hours per week. Regular evening and weekend working will be required to meet facility and event needs.

Salary: £35,000 per annum

Contract: Permanent, subject to satisfactory probation and organisational requirements

Closing Date: 12 noon on Friday 18th September 2026

Annual Leave

20 days annual leave plus public holidays

Job Purpose

The Facilities Manager will be responsible for the effective day-to-day operation of the Mary Peters Track and Athletics House, ensuring that both facilities are safe, well maintained, welcoming and efficiently operated for athletes, clubs, staff, events and the wider community.

The postholder will manage routine facilities operations, maintenance, operational health and safety, facilities staff and contractors, customer service and venue readiness. The Facilities Manager will also provide practical operational support for events, facility improvements and agreed development projects, working under the direction of the CEO and alongside other Athletics NI staff.

Main Areas of Responsibility1. Day-to-Day Facilities and Maintenance

• Take day-to-day responsibility for the operation, presentation and readiness of the Mary Peters Track and Athletics House.

• Coordinate routine and planned maintenance of buildings, track and field infrastructure, equipment and other assets within Athletics NI's operational responsibility.

• Maintain practical records of inspections, maintenance, defects and remedial actions, ensuring issues are reported and progressed appropriately.

• Coordinate contractors and service providers for maintenance, cleaning and other routine facilities work, ensuring work is completed safely and to an appropriate standard.

• Ensure facilities are maintained to a consistently good standard of cleanliness, presentation and accessibility.

• Coordinate TrackMark requirements and other routine facility compliance checks.

• Manage day-to-day arrangements for security, keys, alarms, CCTV, access control, site access and car parking.

• Monitor utilities and routine facilities expenditure and identify practical opportunities to improve efficiency and control costs.

• Liaise with Belfast City Council on day-to-day maintenance and facilities matters in accordance with the management agreement and agreed responsibilities.

2. Health, Safety and Operational Compliance

• Implement and monitor day-to-day health and safety arrangements across the facilities in accordance with Athletics NI policies and with support from appropriate professional advisers.

• Ensure relevant facility and event risk assessments, inspections and safe operating procedures are current and applied in practice.

• Coordinate routine fire safety, emergency, first aid, AED/defibrillator and other required operational checks.

• Maintain appropriate COSHH arrangements for cleaning and maintenance materials.

• Maintain accurate records of accidents, incidents, near misses and remedial actions and escalate significant matters promptly.

• Ensure contractors, event organisers and service providers follow relevant site health and safety requirements.

• Support safe operation of athletics training and competition areas, including throws areas and other specialist facilities.

• Implement agreed actions arising from inspections, audits, incident reviews and advice from Athletics NI's health and safety advisers, Belfast City Council or other competent bodies.

• Ensure facilities and casual staff receive appropriate site-specific safety, fire and emergency information and training.

3. Staff and Operational Management

• Supervise facilities and operational staff, including casual staff, in accordance with Athletics NI and Mary Peters Track policies and procedures.

• Prepare and manage staff rotas to provide appropriate operational coverage while controlling staffing costs.

• Support recruitment, induction, training and day-to-day performance management of relevant staff.

• Set and maintain clear standards for customer service, conduct, facility presentation and operational delivery.

• Brief staff on bookings, events, maintenance activity, safety requirements and operational priorities.

• Ensure opening, closing, security and emergency arrangements are clearly understood and consistently applied.

• Promote a practical, professional and customer-focused working culture.

4. Customer, Bookings and Event Support

• Ensure facility bookings are operationally supported and that appropriate staffing, access and facility arrangements are in place.

• Maintain high standards of customer service and ensure operational issues, complaints and feedback are recorded and addressed appropriately.

• Work closely with the Commercial, Events and Marketing team and other Athletics NI staff to support championships, competitions, courses, camps and other activities.

• Coordinate venue preparation for events, including equipment, access, staffing, contractors, cleaning, safety arrangements and reinstatement after use.

• Ensure facility users and event organisers receive clear operational information and comply with relevant site requirements.

• Support the practical implementation of booking, access-control and customer-management systems.

• Maintain accurate information on facility usage, memberships, casual use, bookings and hires as required for operational and management reporting.

5. Budget, Performance and Facility Improvement

• Monitor agreed facilities expenditure and staffing costs and provide accurate information to the CEO and Finance team.

• Provide concise monthly operational information covering facility usage, staffing, maintenance, health and safety and other agreed measures.

• Work with the Commercial, Events and Marketing team to support increased facility usage, membership, bookings and appropriate earned-income activity.

• Identify practical opportunities to improve operational efficiency, customer experience and use of available spaces.

• Provide operational input into agreed facility improvement projects and support their implementation under the direction of the CEO.

• Liaise with contractors, consultants and other advisers on practical site matters where required.

• Contribute operational knowledge to longer-term plans for the Mary Peters Track and Athletics House, including accessibility, event delivery, maintenance and customer needs.

General Responsibilities

• Act as an advocate for Athletics NI and Mary Peters Track and maintain high standards of professionalism, integrity and confidentiality.

• Comply with Athletics NI and Mary Peters Track policies, procedures and governance requirements.

• Work collaboratively with colleagues across Athletics NI and contribute to organisational objectives.

• Participate in staff meetings, performance review, training and continuing professional development as required.

• Undertake other duties appropriate to the level and nature of the post which may reasonably be required from time to time.

• Have access to a mode of transport that enables the postholder to carry out the duties of the role.

• Work flexibly, including regular evenings and weekends, in accordance with facility and event requirements.

Person Specification

Applicants should demonstrate the following essential requirements. Desirable criteria will be used where appropriate to distinguish between candidates who meet the essential requirements.

Qualifications / Experience

Essential

• Relevant qualification and/or substantial practical experience in facilities, leisure, venue, estates or operational management.

Desirable

• Relevant health and safety, facilities or leisure management qualification.

Facilities / Venue Operations

Essential

• Practical experience of managing or supervising the day-to-day operation of a public-facing facility, sports venue, leisure environment or comparable setting.

Desirable

• Experience within a sports, leisure, local authority or multi-use facility.

People Management

Essential

• Experience of supervising staff and organising rotas, work priorities and day-to-day operational cover.

Desirable

• Experience of working with a mix of permanent, part-time or casual staff.

Health & Safety

Essential

• Practical experience of applying health and safety procedures, risk assessments, inspections and incident reporting in an operational environment.

Desirable

• IOSH Managing Safely, NEBOSH or equivalent relevant training.

Maintenance & Contractors

Essential

• Experience of coordinating routine maintenance and working with contractors or external service providers.

Desirable

• Experience of planned maintenance or sports/leisure infrastructure.

Financial & Administrative

Essential

• Experience of monitoring expenditure, controlling operational costs and maintaining accurate records and management information.

Desirable

• Experience of supporting facility income generation or improving utilisation.

Customer & Event Operations

Essential

• Strong customer-service skills and experience of supporting bookings, facility users, events or other busy operational activity.

Desirable

• Experience supporting sports competitions, events, training camps or community programmes.

Partnership Working

Essential

• Ability to work effectively with colleagues, contractors, external partners and professional advisers.

Desirable

• Experience of working with a local authority, governing body, landlord/client or public-sector partner.

IT & Systems

Essential

• Competent user of standard office and digital systems, with the ability to maintain accurate operational records.

Desirable

• Experience of booking, access-control or facilities-management systems.

Knowledge

Essential

• Good practical understanding of the requirements of a safe, accessible and well-managed public facility.

Desirable

• Knowledge of athletics or athletics facilities.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Highly organised, practical and solutions-focused, with the ability to prioritise competing demands, remain calm under pressure and take ownership of day-to-day operational issues.

Desirable

• Evidence of contributing to service or facility improvement.

Other

Essential

• Ability and willingness to work regular evenings and weekends and to travel as required for the role.

Desirable

• Full driving licence.

WHJS1_NI