Unified Leadership & Athlete Leadership Consultant

Consultant Role (Unified Leadership & Athlete Leadership)

Estimated Time Commitment: 240-400 hours and possibly additional hours depending on project needs

Department: Leadership & Organizational Development         

Reports to: Manager, Global Leadership Development

Project Duration: 12 months (June 2026 – June, 2027)

Organization Summary:

Founded in 1968, Special Olympics is a global movement to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities. We foster acceptance of all people through the power of sport and programming in education, health, and leadership. With nearly four million athletes and Unified Sports® partners and one million coaches and volunteers in more than 170 countries, Special Olympics delivers more than 30 Olympic-type sports and nearly 50,000 games and competitions every year. Learn more at SpecialOlympics.org.

Consulting Overview:

The Athlete Leadership and Unified Leadership consultancy is a 12-month consulting project intended to provide advisory input, expertise, and co-creation support for Athlete Leadership and Unified Leadership initiatives.

The consultant will contribute to the review, adaptation, and strengthening of leadership content, trainings, and events to ensure they are accessible, relevant, and reflective of athlete perspectives. serve as a thought partner, co-creator, and advisor, ensuring that leadership content, trainings, and events are meaningful, accessible, and reflective of the real experiences of athletes with ID. This role reinforces Special Olympics’ commitment to inclusive leadership and shared decision-making.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Unified Leadership Advisory Support
• Provide structured feedback (verbal and/or written) on Unified Leadership training content, materials, and implementation approaches.
• Participate as a co‑facilitator, speaker, or panelist in Unified Leadership sessions when needed.
• Advise on best practices for meaningful inclusion of people with ID in leadership roles and decision-making structures.
• Review leadership materials for accessibility, clarity, and relevance from an athlete perspective and suggest improvements.

• Athlete Leadership Curriculum Support
• Contribute to the review, adaptation, and co-creation of content for the Leadership & Skills Curriculum.
• Support the development of practical tools, reflection activities, and real-life application exercises.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate pilot sessions, provide feedback, and support the evaluation of participant experience.

• Events Engagement
• Participate (virtually or in person, as agreed) in webinars, staff meetings, trainings, and events.
• Participate in focus groups representing the athlete perspective.
• Support preparation of athlete speakers and leaders when requested.

• Advisory & Representation
• Serve as an advisory voice in strengthening inclusive practices within Leadership Development structure.
• Participate in periodic check-ins (weekly or biweekly) with the Global Manager for Leadership Development.
• Participate as a panelist for job interviews.

Required Qualifications:

• Deep experience and familiarity with the issues concerning intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID).
• Experience with Special Olympics programming
• Experience participating in Athlete Leadership trainings or councils.
• Experience in Unified Leadership initiatives.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of Special Olympics.
• Strong communication skills (verbal and/or supported communication methods).
• Access to a computer and internet for virtual meetings
• Reliability and ability to meet agreed timelines, with support when needed.
• Willingness to share experience to improve leadership programming.
• Experience co-facilitating training or serving as a speaker or a panelist.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback.

Desired Qualifications:

• Participation in regional or international Special Olympics events.
• Interest in curriculum development or content creation.
• Completion of the “Introduction to Athlete Leadership” and “Understanding Leadership” modules from the Leadership & Skills curriculum of Special Olympics.
• Basic digital skills (Zoom, email, shared documents).
• Strong self-advocacy skills.