Overview
Community Programs and Partnerships Manager Jobs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia at Collingwood Football Club
Title: Community Programs and Partnerships Manager
Company: Collingwood Football Club
Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
About the Collingwood Football Club
Collingwood Football Club (CFC) was founded in 1892.
Local residents, community and business leaders and politicians all hoped that having their own football club could help bring a measure of pride to a downtrodden suburb.
In 2026, CFC is one of the great icons of Australian sport. Our history spans 130 years, 16 premierships and more finals appearances than any other club. Most importantly, Collingwood has grown from being a football club to a sports club with a commitment to our community.
The opportunity
The Community Programs and Partnerships Manager will lead the delivery and evaluation of all community programs, ensuring they are aligned with Club values, and deliver culturally appropriate and achieve measurable outcomes.
The Community Programs and Partnerships Manager is also responsible for managing partners and donors, ensuring regular communication and stewardship focused on outcomes.
Key responsibilities include:
- Program leadership: Oversee end-to-end delivery of the Community programs including communication and scheduling.
- Innovation: Develop and innovate where possible with the Head of Foundation to ensure we are ahead of the game with new ways of operating to ensure efficiency.
- Impact measurement: Ensure all programs are collecting robust data that reflects program KPI’s for the purpose of impact assessment and partner communication.
- Team management: Manage the Community Programs Lead, Community Programs Coordinator and Community Officer; set goals; encourage high performance; develop skills, facilitate support and program delivery.
- Partnerships & events: Manage corporate/philanthropic and program partners in collaboration with the Head of Foundation; execute stewardship strategy, communication and reporting; contribute to Magpie Nest, Wheelchair and Reclink events.
- Donors: In collaboration with the Head of Foundation, manage relationships with donors and ensure stewardship including communication, events and functions are effective and personalised to reflect their level of giving.
- Reporting: Provide stakeholders with measurable targeted quarterly reports that reflect their investment showing continued social impact and growth
- Grants & fundraising: Source, write and manage government and philanthropic grants; contribute to funding campaigns. Work with the Head of Foundation to develop new strategies that grow partnership outcomes and new areas of funding.
- Risk & compliance: Ensure all programs are adhering to OH&S and childsafe practices; manage incident response; uphold cultural safety and inclusion as per Club policies and procedures.
- Budgeting: Ensure budgets are adhered to and reflect value for money and donor intent.
- Game Day: Participate in game day and assist the Head of Foundation with other duties as required.
Capabilities & Experience
Expertise in community program leadership; stakeholder management; partner stewardship; grant writing; team leadership. Prior success managing offsite, multiprogram portfolios strongly regarded.
About you:
To be successful as the Community Programs and Partnerships Manager, you will be someone who:
- Has 5-7 years' experience in a similar position in the Community Programs and or Partnership space.
- Brings strong experience leading community programs end‑to‑end, ensuring delivery is high‑quality, culturally safe and aligned with organisational values.
- Excels in stakeholder and partner management, building trusted relationships with corporate partners, philanthropists and community organisations.
- Is confident working with data, impact measurement and reporting, ensuring programs demonstrate clear outcomes and value for partners and donors.
- Leads teams with clarity and care – setting goals, developing capability, fostering accountability and supporting high performance.
- Has proven success in grant writing, fundraising or sourcing new funding opportunities to strengthen program sustainability.
- Communicates with maturity, empathy and influence, navigating complex matters and providing high‑quality stewardship to partners and donors.
- Is proactive, innovative and solutions‑focused, always looking for ways to improve program efficiency, impact and operational excellence.
Football Clubs are fast-paced environments but you will engrain yourself into the Collingwood culture, remain agile, adaptable, and consistently champion our Company values of DO BETTER, SIDE BY SIDE, A NEST FOR ALL and FLY HIGHER.
What we offer
As a valued staff member of our Sporting Club you will be a part of a fun, inclusive and flexible work environment:
- Access to state of art High Performance Gym Facility
- Access to Professional Development and Learning Development Courses
- Access to tickets to all AFL and AFLW matches
- Access to exclusive partner offers, the likes of Nike, Emirates, AIA Vitality, La Trobe, CUB Economy, Business Class with Emirates, Sonos and TaylorMade
- Opportunities to support with Collingwood community outreach and volunteer programs (Magpie Nest Cafe)
- Behind the scenes access to Match-Day, including the ability to support in on-ground activations
To Apply
If you are interested in this position, please send through your CV and cover letter that addresses why you are interested in working with the Collingwood Football Club, how your skills/experience would qualify for the position, and how you would contribute to the culture of the organisation.
Please send this application to [email protected]. Applications close COB Friday 27 March 2026 (however, we may close this earlier if we receive a large volume of applications).
Please keep reading…
Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply when they check every box.
So if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point above, please still get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.
We believe in being a Nest For All – we champion respect, diversity and inclusion to make our Club a safe and welcoming place for all. The Collingwood Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and diverse candidates. We provide a welcoming, safe and flexible approach to work and provide an environment that benefits from and enables the best from everyone.
As an organization we are committed to protecting children and young people from harm. It is essential that anyone involved with the Collingwood Football Club understands their responsibility in relation to child safety. Our organization requires all applicants to obtain a ‘Working with Children Check’ prior to appointment.
- To learn more about working at Collingwood Football Club and our values, please visit https://www.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/76/careers
