Unified Leadership & Athlete Leadership Consultant

Special Olympics•Washington, DC

17h•Hybrid

About The Position

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. This role reinforces Special Olympics’ commitment to inclusive leadership and shared decision-making.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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.

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.
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.