Head of Performance

Chelsea FC
England, Surrey, Cobham
Negotiable
11 Apr 2019
09 May 2019
004646
Chelsea FC
Full Time

Department: CFC Women's Team
Location: Cobham Training Ground

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • To co-ordinate the provision of sports science across the women's 1st team, WSLA squad and regional talent club programmes.
  • Manage & lead the development of long-term load & athletic development planning - ensuring injury risk management & performance enhancement.
  • Act to reduce the risk of injury occurrence throughout the pathway through the development of appropriate screening and injury prevention strategies.
  • Design and/or enhance existing evidence-based protocols for return to train and return to play processes.
  • Lead and co-ordinate the MDT support for longer-term injured players, including the management of detailed planning and tracking for such athletes.
  • To create relationships with MDT staff, coaches, players and the wider business staff to facilitate strong operational delivery and deliver the strategic aims for CFC Women.
  • To liaise closely with the Manager, General Manager and Technical Director (RTC) regarding the current and longer-term performance of the athletes and squads.
  • To oversee appropriate Continuous Professional Development training for all CFC Women staff in the Sports Science disciplines.
  • To ensure the latest clinical, scientific and technical innovations for applied practice are implemented while maintaining the highest level of care.
  • To collaborate with other staff to design and implement systems and methodologies to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the department.
  • To manage the budget for these departments in cooperation with the General Manager.
  • To engage with CFC men's team staff as required.
  • To promote collaboration and knowledge share processes between CFC Women and other CFC teams and departments.
  • To liaise closely with national team's medical and performance departments to ensure players medical needs are met during international camps/tournaments.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION:
Knowledge:
Essential:

  • An extensive understanding of the various sports science/S&C disciplines and their impact on the training and performance of elite athletes.
  • An extensive understanding of scientific methods of trialling and validating assessment, monitoring and evaluation equipment and protocols.
  • A strong knowledge of fitness & medical screening/injury profiling in the elite sporting population.
  • Knowledge of football operations and of CFC Women /Women's football.
  • Clear understanding of relevant regulatory bodies in the industry (Sport Science).

Desirable:

  • Understanding of associated topic areas (Coaching/Talent Development/Youth Development/Female Athletes/Sport Medicine/Sport Psychology)

Technical/Work-based skills
Essential:

  • Extensive experience in the provision of strength and conditioning coaching within high performance sport.
  • Extensive experience in conducting scientifically underpinned assessment, monitoring and evaluation procedures. Includes the trialling and validation of equipment and test protocols.
  • Experience of using data management systems to ensure the secure and efficient storage of monitoring and evaluation data.
  • Knowledge and understanding of IT software and systems.
  • Proficient in the use of a PC, Tablets & MS Windows based computer applications.
  • Good understanding of MS Excel.

General skills and attributes:
Essential:

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills - the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels
  • Enthusiasm and willingness to be flexible
  • Pro-active and engaging style
  • Strong 'can do' approach
  • Remain calm under pressure
  • Rigorous attention to detail
  • Willing to self-evaluate and work towards continuous improvement
  • Good understanding of the wider business context
  • Good understanding of the flow and process of the football dept.
  • Strong organisational and leadership skills
  • Process driven
  • Able to create good relationships across numerous depts.
  • Ability to be flexible in working hours / days
  • Managing change and embedding new ways of working.
  • Delegation and holding others to account.
  • A great ability to reflect on current working practice & implement change where required
  • Ability to demonstrate passion & enthusiasm for your work but maintain a high degree of humility in its delivery & when dealing with others.
  • Demonstrate a continual desire for improvement

Desirable:

  • Passion for football and sports
  • Language Skills (European)
  • Understanding of women's sport in the UK

Experience:
Essential:

  • Experience in leadership role within elite sport of minimum 3-5 years.
  • Experience as an applied practitioner in Sport Science.

Desirable

  • Experience of working with female athletes
  • Experience working within youth development settings

Qualifications:
Essential:

  • Educated to degree level within Sports Science/Strength & Conditioning
  • Professional accreditation in field of training (e.g. UKSCA/NSCA, BASES or CSP, HCPC and AREA qualified)

Desirable:

Postgraduate qualifications (e.g. MSc/MPhil/MRes)
Further study in the field (such as PhD)

Please see Chelsea Careers Portal for full job description.