Head of Player Development - Waratahs

About the role

The Waratahs Head of Player Development identifies, recruits, develops and retains talented male players across NSW for the Waratahs Development program. The role leads the Waratahs Pathways model, including the Satellite Academy network, across the Junior, Youth and Senior Academies, aiming for players to become Super Rugby Pacific, Junior Wallabies, Wallabies and Olympians. It is a high-level leadership position.

Key responsibilities

• Talent identification and LTAD: build a systematic approach to tracking male talent in NSW, maintain talent data and lead a team of talent development coaches
• Recruitment and retention: produce player development profiles and plans, a three-year depth chart, a recruitment and retention strategy and an annual operational plan and budget
• Pathway implementation: define a single performance pathway for male and female athletes, set minimum standards, and work with schools and academies
• Player development: Individual Development Plans, regular performance reviews, learning opportunities and a whole-of-player approach covering life skills and dual career needs
• Leadership: lead and manage the Academy staff, foster collaboration and champion innovation
• Alignment and improvement: integrate with Rugby Australia's high performance initiatives, benchmark the pathway model and embed data and analytics

Required profile

• At least five years' experience in player development, coach education, mentoring or similar at a senior level
• At least two years' experience leading and managing projects at a national level
• Experience leading multidisciplinary talent development teams, recruitment and succession planning, and managing a multi-site talent pathway network
• Experience in budget accountability and change management

Required skills

• World Rugby Level 3 qualification
• Current Smart Rugby accreditation
• First Aid and CPR qualifications
• Working With Children Check
• Desired: World Rugby Level 4 High Performance Coach, bachelor or master's degree in sports administration, coaching or science, postgraduate qualification in coaching, leadership or high performance