Post:Senior Physiologist with Lead Responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION

Responsible to: Strategic lead

Hours of work: Such hours as necessary to carry out your duties. This will involve a minimum of 37 hours and may include working outside normal office hours at mornings, evenings, weekends and on public holidays.

Location: Normal place of work is Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. It will be necessary to travel to other locations.

Job Purpose: To drive and coordinate the delivery of physiology support to identified athletes, coaches and sports to improve performance, through working as part of an inter-disciplinary team, and developing, implementing and evaluating physiology services. To lead and manage the physiology service, in close collaboration with other discipline leads, to deliver against the Sport Wales strategies.

Main Tasks and Activities

In collaboration with the other discipline leads, drive and coordinate physiology services to deliver against the Medal Winning, System Building and Workforce Development strategies.
Provide leadership and line management to Sport Wales physiology practitioners
Provide or arrange professional guidance and support to all physiology discipline team members.
Oversee and quality assure relevant applied research and technical projects which contribute to the improvement of physiology service delivery within a world class high performance environment.
Ensure effective integration of contracted or NGB physiology team members
Manage the relationship with other external providers in the system (e.g. preferred regional practitioners) and review the effectiveness and impact of such outsourced services.
Promote and facilitate engagement with other disciplines and teams within Sport Wales and across the HCSI network.
Act as Laboratory Director for the BASES accredited physiology laboratory.
Lead on physiology support to athletes including day to day services at training sessions and conducting fitness testing as part of a sport science and medicine team working to support identified athletes and NGBs
Assist with the maintenance, calibration and quality control of the physiological testing equipment and the health and safety procedures for the BASES accredited laboratory in line with BASES guidelines
Deliver physiology support at training venues, camps and competitions around the UK and abroad
Identify, assess and develop key physiological attributes required for the sport
Where appropriate attend, contribute to, and provide regular reports within appropriate meetings which includes those of NGBs, Sport Wales and third-party key stakeholders
Maintain a comprehensive, indexed database of work conducted with athletes and coaches
Ensure that the delivery of the physiology service effectively meets its commitments to athletes, coaches and NGBs including appropriate training objectives
Be responsible and accountable for personal development in relation to the demands of the role
Work within BASES standards and guidelines, the HCSI professional code and UKAD guidelines

This list is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive as there may be other duties and responsibilities which Sports Wales may require the post-holder to perform from time to time in the implementation of its policies.

Sport Wales Institute – Our Principles

The Practitioner Lead Group are currently working to outline the shared principles of the institute team. In the meantime we agree to:

Provide the Highest Standards of delivery based on:-

Integration

Work collaboratively and effectively with all members of the performance support network in a way that best serves the interest of the athlete and needs of the sport.

Innovation

Proactively seek well-informed solutions to ensure resilient, agile and sustainable support to meet the performance requirements of the athlete and sport.

Integrity

Act with honesty and transparency at all times whilst listening to the needs of those around you. Do the right thing, even in high pressure situations, to deliver our strategic aims.

Sport Wales’ Behavioural framework

Teamwork...the power of working together

Being a positive impact on others, encouraging and supporting them when required.
Celebrating and recognising our successes together
Respecting others and earning respect
Investing time to actively listen and to get to know the person not just the face

Delivery...making a difference

Focussing on what will make the greatest difference - no matter how big or small.
Taking responsibility for our own delivery and development.
Trusting and utilising the skills and experience of others to get the job done.

Ambition...the pursuit of success

Setting our standards high and challenging constructively.
Seeking and being open to new ideas and expertise from around the world.
Enjoying and taking pride in the work we do.
Being courageous to do things differently

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications / Essential/Desirable / Assessed by
Degree level (or equivalent) in sports science or related area, specialising in the area of sport and exercise physiology / Essential / Sight of certificates
Masters level (or equivalent) specialising in a relevant field of sport and exercise physiology / Essential / Sight of certificate
BASES accredited physiologist or equivalent significant experience and practice in physiology; applicants coming towards the end of BASES supervised experience will also be considered / Essential / Sight of accreditation
PhD level (or equivalent) specialising in a relevant field of sport and exercise physiology / Desirable / Sight of certificate
Current first aid or basic life support qualification from a recognised organisation / Desirable / Sight of certificate
Experience
Direct line management experience / Essential / Application Interview
Experience of running and developing an applied physiology laboratory including the testing of athletes / Essential / Application Interview
Extensive experience in the provision of physiological support to athletes and coaches to improve performance. This experience should include a significant amount of work with national teams and their athletes / Essential / Application
Interview
Extensive experience of developing and implementing innovative ideas and putting them into practice, including working in an applied and integrated manner / Essential / Application Interview
Extensive experience of analysing the demands of a sport in relation to the performance outcomes and identifying the physiological requirements. / Essential / Interview
Practical task
Extensive experience of planning, implementation and monitoring physiology support programmes and modifying in accordance with results of assessment data / Essential / Application
Interview
Extensive experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team in the delivery of physiological services to high performance sport / Essential / Application
Interview
Extensive experience of dealing with national performance programmes within National Governing Bodies of sport / Essential / Application
Interview
Strategic planning experience, in developing, implementing and reviewing service delivery to improve performance and deliver upon organisational objectives / Essential / Application Interview
Experience of mentoring and developing other practitioners / Essential / Application Interview
Knowledge and Skills
An excellent understanding of effective leadership qualities, how to engage and influence others / Essential / Application Interview
Skilled in building and maintaining productive relationships with high performance staff / Essential / Application Interview
Excellent understanding of the needs of elite athletes and coaches in a high-performance environment / Essential / Application Interview
Thorough understanding of the various sports science and sports medicine disciplines / Essential / Interview
Proven ability to supervise athlete-testing protocols including the trialling of equipment and test protocols / Essential / Application Interview
Ability to scientifically validate and interpret the methodology of test protocols and data / Essential / Interview
Highly skilled in communicating complex data in terms that are easily understood by a wide range of audiences / Essential / Practical task Interview
Excellent presentation and communication skills that can motivate behavioural change / Essential / Practical task Interview
An interest in sport and recognition of the importance of promoting and supporting equality, safeguarding and anti-doping within sport / Essential / Interview
Excellent ability to engage and influence others, including high performance staff in NGBs as well as those in our team / Essential / Interview
Knowledge of the procedures required to manage and maintain quality control in a laboratory or testing environment and the importance of doing so. / Essential / Application Interview
Skilled in thinking strategically and ensuring delivery of team members aligns to strategic goals / Essential / Interview
Budget management skills and appreciation of cost effective service delivery / Desirable / Interview
May be required to work with athletes under 18 (DBS check required) / Yes
Sport Wales encourages ALL employees to work with and support the Sport Wales Strategic Equality Plan to deliver equality and diversity throughout Sport Wales to comply with current legislation.