Department: Nofio Ysgol Programme

Reports to: CEO

Salary: Up to £50k

Location: Hybrid - Office-based at Wales National Pool Swansea with remote homeworking and National Travel as required

Type: Full-Time role, 37 Hours per week

Note: Occasional work outside of core hours to support events and other organisational commitments

About Us

Swim Wales is the National Governing Body for aquatics in Wales, leading the development of swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming. Guided by our vision of “Aquatics for Everyone, for Life,” we are committed to creating inclusive, safe, and sustainable environments where individuals, clubs, and communities can thrive.

Role Purpose

Nofio Ysgol has been developed by Swim Wales as a structured, evidence-led programme to improve school swimming and water safety outcomes across Wales.

Current provision is inconsistent, with significant variation in access, quality, transport arrangements, delivery models and pupil attainment. Swim Wales data collected over the last four years highlights a concerning decline in national outcomes, with the Nofio Ysgol Gold pass rate recorded at 41% in 2022/23, 35% in 2023/24 and 39% in 2024/25. This programme responds directly to that challenge by proposing a coordinated national model that strengthens water competence, safety, confidence, physical literacy, wellbeing and lifelong participation.

An implementation plan for a new national School Swimming and Water Safety Programme was published on 24 July in line with Welsh Government's First 100 Days commitment. Backed by a four-year Welsh Government investment, the programme will ensure that all Year 4 and Year 5 pupils are offered a minimum school swimming and water safety experience of 20 hours of swimming and water safety education.

Nofio Ysgol aligns key priorities for a healthier and more active Wales, improved public safety and drowning prevention, equitable access for all children, increased sport participation, and essential life-skill attainment. The programme also supports schools to deliver the Curriculum for Wales expectation that pupils have an experience in, on and around water.

The Nofio Ysgol Programme Manager will lead the national planning, coordination, delivery and evaluation of this four-year, Welsh Government-funded programme, working in partnership with the Welsh Government, local authorities, schools, leisure operators and wider aquatics partners.

The postholder will ensure that the programme is inclusive, evidence-led and outcomes-focused, removing barriers to participation and connecting school swimming provision into the wider Swim Wales aquatics pathway and vision of Aquatics for Everyone, for Life.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the day-to-day management and national delivery of the Nofio Ysgol programme, ensuring that activity is delivered in line with Welsh Government expectations, Swim Wales priorities, agreed funding requirements, implementation milestones, monitoring arrangements and quality standards.

Manage programme planning, governance, risk, budgets, reporting and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that delivery partners have clear expectations, timely communication and the support required to provide a consistent and inclusive school swimming and water safety offer across Wales.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively across Swim Wales and with external partners to build a sustainable, accessible model that reduces barriers such as transport, facility availability, local delivery variation and additional access needs, while supporting progression from school swimming into wider aquatic opportunities, across our affiliated clubs, learn-to-swim pathways and lifelong participation.

Programme Leadership and Delivery

• Develop, maintain and deliver a national programme plan for Nofio Ysgol, including annual delivery plans, key deliverables, timelines, risk registers, partner actions, performance measures and reporting cycles.
• Lead the coordination and management of relationships with Welsh Government, local authorities, schools, facility operators, delivery partners and internal Swim Wales teams to ensure effective national implementation and sustainable local delivery.
• Lead the delivery of a national minimum school swimming and water safety offer for eligible pupils, ensuring consistency, quality and accessibility in swimming lessons, water confidence development, swimming competence, self-rescue skills and classroom-based water safety education.
• Manage programme budgets, funding allocations, procurement and commissioning activity, and financial monitoring processes, ensuring compliance with Swim Wales financial and procurement policies and funder requirements.
• Develop and oversee monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes, using data and insight to measure participation, outcomes, equality of access, learner achievement and programme impact. Produce clear and accessible reports, dashboards and insights to support Programme Board oversight, decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Identify, assess and mitigate programme risks and barriers to delivery, including transport, facility access, workforce capacity, regional variation, inclusion, Welsh-medium provision and support for disabled learners and those with Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
• Lead the development and continuous improvement of workforce training, resources, guidance and quality assurance processes to support safe, inclusive and high-quality programme delivery.
• Prepare and present reports, performance updates, briefings and recommendations for Swim Wales leadership, Welsh Government, partners and governance groups, ensuring clear communication of programme progress, risks and impact.
• Line manage, support and develop the Nofio Ysgol Project Manager/Coordinator, ensuring effective programme administration, partner engagement and delivery support.
• Champion and embed safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, accessibility and the Welsh language across all aspects of programme planning, decision-making and delivery.
• Lead continuous improvement and collaborative working across the programme, identifying opportunities to enhance delivery, maximise impact and support long-term sustainability.

General Responsibilities

• Promote Swim Wales and its activities, both within and outside the work environment.
• Uphold and deliver Swim Wales’ customer care standards in all interactions.
• Maintain awareness of, and comply with, all Swim Wales policies as outlined in the Staff Handbook.

The responsibilities above are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to undertake appropriate work outside of this job description from time to time.

This job description is subject to annual review to reflect the evolving needs of Swim Wales and the strategic direction set out in the Swim Wales and Sport Wales corporate plans.