Chief Executive Officer

Carlisle United Football Club is entering a decisive growth phase and is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead the club through its next chapter. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for driving performance on and off the pitch, setting clear direction, and building a culture of ambition across the organisation.

The impact you’ll make

You will lead the day-to-day running of the club, aligning football and business functions under one clear plan. You will turn ownership ambition into a practical strategy and ensure delivery across all departments.

You will take ownership of commercial performance, driving revenue across sponsorship, ticketing, partnerships, and other income streams. You will also lead the annual budgeting process, ensuring the club delivers against financial targets through disciplined planning and execution.

A key part of your role is overseeing the football operation at a senior level. You will ensure the right structure, leadership, and processes are in place to support performance on the pitch, while maintaining financial control and long-term stability.

You will build a high-performing culture, setting clear expectations, improving accountability, and driving better decision-making across the club. You will work closely with senior leaders to ensure alignment and consistent delivery.

You will represent the club with credibility across partners, supporters, and the wider community. You will maintain strong communication with ownership and the board, providing clear updates on performance, risks, and key decisions.

Your skills and experience

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Senior leadership experience within football.
• A track record of leading organisations and delivering clear strategic direction
• Strong commercial experience, with evidence of driving revenue growth in sport or entertainment.
• Experience managing and delivering against annual budgets
• The ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and align functions behind shared goals
• Good understanding of football environments and the factors that drive performance on the pitch
• Clear decision-making, resilience, and confidence in a visible leadership role
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to engage a range of stakeholders

This role suits a leader who wants to take ownership, drive growth, and play a key role in shaping the future of a football club with ambition.

The Executives in Sport Group are retained on behalf of Carlisle United Football Club to appoint an Chief Executive Officer. All direct applications and CV's will be forwarded to The Executives in Sport Group.

We ask that applicants complete our diversity monitoring form. You are not obliged to answer any of these questions but the more information you supply, the more effective our monitoring will be.

Carlisle United – CEO – Diversity Monitoring Form

All information supplied is anonymous and will not be viewed by recruiting managers.

Please note that due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide specific feedback on unsuccessful applications.