EURO 2028 Government and External Affairs Officer

We are the UK’s trusted high-performance experts, powering our greatest athletes, teams, sports and events to achieve positive success. Investing a combination of National Lottery and Government funds, we support our Olympic and Paralympic sports to realise their world-leading potential and help bring major sporting events to the UK. Our purpose is to lead high-performance sport to enable extraordinary moments that enrich lives.

We are on a mission – to create the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments; reaching, inspiring and uniting the nation. That mission is underpinned by three ambitions for UK high-performance sport; to keep winning and win well, to grow a thriving sporting system and to harness those to inspire positive change. Working with the sports and events we fund, DCMS, and our partner organisations across the UK high-performance system, we are building on 25 years of ever-growing success to write the UK’s next chapter for Olympic and Paralympic sport.

About UEFA EURO 2028

UK & Ireland celebrated making history following UEFA EURO 2028 being awarded in October 2023. This will be a unique and pioneering five-Association partnership to stage an amazing summer of football that will create memories to last a lifetime.

Contested every four years, the UEFA European Championship has been showcasing the continent’s top football talent since its inception in 1960 and is the world’s third largest sporting event. UEFA EURO 2028 is taking place across the UK & Ireland, who will jointly host Europe’s top 24 men’s national teams compete in a 31-day, 51 match tournament, attended by over 3 million spectators and with a global tv audience of upwards of 2 billion people.

As one of the world’s largest and highest-profile sporting events, UEFA EURO 2028 will attract the attention of the sporting and major event communities, the media, and the public at large across the UK & Ireland, Europe and the World. With its unique hosting model, the event promises to spread the impacts and benefits of the tournament across the nations and communities of the UK and Ireland.

The UK and Ireland Football Associations are supported by the government partners to deliver the tournament, and the partnership will continue to work together across governments and football associations throughout the tournament lifecycle. A special purpose vehicle is being established by the Football Associations, UK&I 2028 Ltd, to coordinate delivery of domestic partners responsibilities for the tournament. UK Sport is an enabling partner and will support this body and other partners throughout the tournament planning and delivery in a specific role as outlined above in this job description.

Roles in this programme at UK Sport are not directly operational delivery roles, (but may well be suitable to people with operational backgrounds); rather they are focused on supporting and enabling world-class delivery and ensuring that certain funded activity is delivered successfully, within budget and to the highest levels of probity and integrity.

About the role

The EURO 2028 - Government and External Affairs Officer will act as a central function to provide support to the Senior Responsible Officers (SRO’s) of the four Government Partners- UK Government, Government of Ireland, Welsh Government, Scottish Government -who are responsible for overall delivery of their respective government’s obligations to the UEFA EURO 2028 tournament. The role will specifically support Government Partners during the delivery phase (covering April 2025 – September 2028); by providing executive support to the Government Partners Group and supporting the Government Partners financial and technical assurance of UK&I 2028 Ltd, the special purpose vehicle coordinating domestic partner responsibilities for the tournament.

About you

The postholder will have a keen interest in major events, their impacts and a fundamental understanding of the benefits of working in partnership. You will have experience of working with, or a demonstrable understanding of the systems of government and the political landscape in the UK and Ireland. The postholder will ideally have a comprehensive understanding of the assurance and reporting requirements associated with major government projects and investments. You will understand how your work supports wider objectives and meets the diverse needs of your stakeholders. The postholder will also require a positive outlook and excellent interpersonal communication and stakeholder management skills. A sense of humour and an ability to manage relationships through UK Sport values will also be essential.

Role Requirements

The Government and External Affairs Officer will coordinate UK Sport’s responsibilities to service the needs of the four Government Partners (Government of Ireland, Scottish Government, UK Government and Welsh Government). The role will provide support throughout the delivery phase (April 2025 – September 2028), and be focused on:
• Providing executive support to the Government Partners Group, including to its Chair and the Senior Responsible Owners of each government partner
• Supporting Government milestone tracking, programme planning and decision-making
• Liaising with each government partner and UK&I 2028 Ltd to ensure that all government partner decision-making aligns with the needs of the programme and other governance

UK Sport also offers a competitive benefit package that includes:
• Defined contribution pension scheme
• Employer pension contribution of 10%
• 6 weeks Annual Leave
• A flexible approach to working where possible
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Enhanced Maternity/Paternity/Parental Leave
• Healthy Lifestyle allowance of up to £600 per year
• Cycle to Work Scheme