Senior Lecturer / Associate Professor in Sport Management and Leadership

Faculty of Health
Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand 

• Full-time 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE)
• Continuing (permanent) position
• Generous annual leave provisions and professional development opportunities 

What You Will Do

University of Canterbury invites applications for a continuing appointment at the level of Lecturer to Associate Professor within Te Kaupeka Oranga | Faculty of Health. This is an exciting opportunity to join a collegial, future-focused Faculty and contribute to high-quality teaching, research and service in Sport. 

The appointee will play a key role in delivering high-quality teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This includes developing curriculum and coordinating sport and exercise courses that focus on strategic leadership, management, and organisational behaviour to prepare students to lead effectively in the industry.

The successful candidate will also play a pivotal role in advancing the Faculty’s research profile, driving a coherent and ambitious research agenda aligned with national and international priorities. They will be expected to champion research excellence, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and actively pursue external funding and partnerships to support sustainable and innovative research initiatives. They will also be expected to supervise postgraduate research students and help ensure that academic programmes remain current, impactful, and responsive to emerging needs in the field.

This appointment represents a significant opportunity for an accomplished academic to shape the direction of research and education within the Faculty of Health and to contribute meaningfully to institutional, national, and global priorities in sport.

Who You Are

We are seeking an academic staff member with a completed PhD in sport management, leadership or a closely related field. Those with extensive industry experience that have commenced a PhD, will also be considered. This position would be particularly relevant for those with experience in strategy, leadership and/or management theory, organisational behaviour and structure, marketing, communications, community engagement, ethics and/or law and governance.

You will bring:

• Strong evidence of expertise and experience in your sport discipline
• A strong track record of coordinating and leading undergraduate and postgraduate courses in sport, or other relevant educational experience
• An emerging or established programme of research in your field, including evidence of high quality research publications, external research funding, and postgraduate student supervision, commensurate with your academic experience
• Established organisational and industry networks related to your area of expertise
• A commitment to inclusive teaching practices and reflective professional development.
• Active commitment to upholding the values, tikanga (protocols and processes), kawa (rules) of cultural practice and traditions as guided by mana whenua, Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and valuing te reo Māori 

Who You Will Work With

Faculty of Health offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and research activities that respond to the dynamic nature of the health and sport sectors and their workforce. We offer undergraduate programmes in Sport and Health as well as postgraduate programmes in Counselling, Social Work, Child and Family Psychology, Nursing, Health Leadership and various population health and clinical endorsements within the Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Health Sciences. 

For more information on our Faculty please visit us here. 

Why UC

Engaged, Empowered, Making a Difference.  

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

What we offer 

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment, this includes:

• relocation support
• five weeks annual leave and five days university holidays
• UC Parental Leave (up to 9 weeks paid) + 26 weeks Government paid parental leave and onsite childcare facility
• widely accessible sabbatical provision
• generous employer contribution to superannuation (up to 6.75%)
• University and Faculty scholarship support for post-graduate students
• a unique bequest funded endowment (Erskine Fund) that supports an extensive visiting fellowship programme
• flexible working arrangements
• supportive working environment
• professional development and study opportunities
• living in revitalised Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand
• a unique working environment in a beautiful campus with access to UC facilities such as the recreation centre and Staff Club at discounted rates plus onsite cafés and eateries, and more.

For more information on our Benefits, please visit here.

This role sits within the Academic Staff, Associated Staff and Support Staff Collective Agreement and the following salary scale applies: Senior Lecturer $119,586 - $135,630, Senior Lecturer Above the Bar $141,600 - $ 149,806, Associate Professor $155,592 - $167,718. 

The closing date for this position is: 3 May 2026 (midnight NZ time)

Please note, applications will be reviewed after the close date.

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted on our careers website (via the 'Apply' button above) and should include the following:

1. a 1-page cover letter, a 1-page research statement outlining your research interests and goals,
   and a 1-page teaching philosophy statement (combined)
2. a Resume which includes a list of relevant research publications (combined).

Please note, only 2 documents can be uploaded in the application process. 

We do not accept applications by email, however, we are happy to answer any queries at WorkatUC@canterbury.ac.nz 

For further information specifically about the role, please contact: Skate Millar sarah-kate.millar@canterbury.ac.nz 

For overseas applicants, please visit Immigration New Zealand website, to review the latest health and visa requirements for visiting and working in New Zealand.