Women's Pathway Senior Physical Development Coach

Women's Pathway Senior Physical Development Coach

At an exciting time for women's performance rugby in Wales, the purpose of this newly created role is to optimize the physical development of identified players on the female pathway in Wales to enable effective transitions of high potential players through the women's pathway, ultimately resulting in more players being physically ready for professional (or equivalent) and international rugby.

As such, the primary focus of this role is to lead & ensure a high level of physical development across all national pathway programmes, develop quality working relationships with Player Development Centres to drive physical progress amongst players, and building profiling and monitoring systems to track progress in physical development.

Closing Date:26 November 2025

Salary:£40,000 per annum

Location:WRU National Centre of Excellence, Hensol

Hours of work:35 per week. Monday to Friday. To be successful in the role, the postholder will need to be willing to work unsociable hours, including evenings and weekends and with some time spent working outside of the UK.

Our working hours are generally 9am - 5pm but our approach to hybrid working - 'Team Tactics'means you can flex your hours and attendance in the office to support a sustainable work-life balance

Responsible to:National Lead (Physical Performance), with dotted line to Women's Physical Performance Lead

Contractual status:Permanent.
Subject to 6-month probationary period

The Person Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Educated to degree level, within sports management, sports science, or coaching (post graduate education is desirable).
• UK Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) Accreditation, or ability to obtain it within 12 months
• Minimum of 5 years working in performance sport and/or talent development in an applied role. This experience should include extensive frontline work with regional and junior international/age grade teams and their athletes/coaches.
• A proven track record of successfully supporting the physical development and physical preparation of athletes for professional and/or international sport.
• Demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the developmental needs of high potential female athletes aged between 15 and 23.
• Experience in design, delivery and evaluation of age and stage appropriate physical development programmes
• Demonstrated ability to create engaging, inspiring, and challenging high performing learning environments.
• Experience and knowledge of working in a dynamic and complex environment that attempts to satisfy a multitude of stakeholders.
• Strong ability to build networks and relationships and use them to facilitate the accomplishment of ambitious work goals.
• Experience in collecting, analysing, managing, and integrating complex data to answer development questions and optimise development pathways
• A proven ability to communicate complex information, orally and in writing, in terms that are easily understood by a range of audiences and stakeholders
• Excellent IT skills, specifically Microsoft package
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of regulatory compliance
• Ability to communicate and work through the medium of Welsh is desirable

The Role Key Responsibilities, Tasks and Activities

As a member of the Physical Performance team and working as part of an interdisciplinary support team, the post holder will be responsible for implementing the Welsh Rugby Union's performance strategy in three main areas:

Individual Development Programmes

• In conjunction with the Women's Physical Performance Lead design and lead a philosophy and model for elite female athlete physical development across the entire female pathway. This should support the preparation of players to execute the Women's rugby playing philosophy and cope with the physical demands of the next phase of the playing pathway.
• In collaboration with PDCs S&C coaches (and other stakeholders), case manage a cohort of identified pathway players by developing, monitoring, and reviewing ambitious and challenging physical development plans aligned to senior physical performance requirements.
• Lead the day-to-day management and execution of physical preparation within the Wales Women's Pathway team programmes (U18, U20, and Celtic Challenge) to support the preparation and management of the squad and the small sport science and S & C workforce.
• Lead and coordinate the physical preparation program for the Wales Women U20 pathway team, including provision at all training days and competitions.
• Recruit and manage quality support S&C staff to support the physical development of aspiring women players across Wales.
• Collaborate with medical and coaching staff to ensure injury risk is minimized whilst pushing the boundaries to maximize physical performance.

System Support (Technical Leadership & PDCs)

• Work collaboratively to implement age and stage appropriate physical development in the Player Development Centre (PDC) network and Celtic Challenge programmes.
• Provide technical leadership and strategic support to those providing physical development services in our three new Player Development Centres (PDCs)
• Develop and deliver a programme of professional development on the development of physical capabilities and competence in female rugby players for those working in the PDC Network.
• Implement and deliver National Physical Profiling days in conjunction with Women's Physical Performance Lead, including the provision of accurate tracking and monitoring of the physical development of identified players within the pathway.
• Improve existing practitioner networks and cultivate satellite S&C coaching & facility relationships to support the women's pathway program across the Wales.

System Support (Female Athlete Health & Physical Development)

• Working closely with the Women's Pathway Physiotherapist to design and implement a female athlete health plan throughout the women's performance pathway, including but not limited to injury prevention programmes, education (for players, coaches, and parents), research, and physical health interventions.
• Build relationships with relevant partners for female athlete projects.
• Participate in and show a commitment to applied research across the organization as appropriate.
• Support pan Wales initiatives and projects of national importance related to the Women's Performance Pathway as determined by the Head of Player Development
• Be an active member of the WRU Pathway team bringing ideas and practice to our ways of working
• Carry out duties in support of the WRU Group Strategic Mission, Purpose, and Values

Key Relationships

• Women's Pathway Physical Development Coach
• Women's Pathway Senior Coach
• Performance Pathway Manager and Coach
• Player Development Centre Leads and PDC S&C Coaches
• WRU Physical Performance Team
• U20 & U18 Women's Pathway Team Management
• Schools & Colleges & Universities

Other

• Valid UK driving licence is required
• This role is subject to an enhanced DBS disclosure and reviewed regularly in line with and policy requirements

WRU Requirements

The WRU require that individuals are proficient in IT skills, specifically Microsoft packages. Excellent written and verbal communications are essential, along with the ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Ability to communicate through the medium of Welsh and a Valid UK Driver's License is desirable. This role is subject to a basic/enhanced DBS check.

The Perks

As a permanent member of the WRU Group, you will have access to our full range of employee benefits, including:

• Salary Sacrifice Pension (5% employee contribution,matched by WRU)
• WRU Group Ticket Allocation
• Employee assistance programme
• Team Tactics - hybrid working arrangements
• Free stadium parking and gym
• WRU Group store andtour discounts
• WRU Group partnershipoffers
• Eye Care Voucher Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme

Our Values

The WRU Group are committed to developing a culture whereby all employees are equally valued and respected. Our aims, together with our vision and mission, are underpinned by our core values and beliefs which embrace: Integrity, Excellence, Success, Courage, Family & Humour.

Inclusion At The WRU

The WRU Group are committed to building diverse, high-performing and engaged teams across Welsh Rugby. We are ambitious about providing a people first culture where everyone can belong, be heard and respected. We are happy to talk to you about our Crys I Bawb EDI Strategy () and you can also read more about our commitment in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

Diversity monitoring

We know that we deliver better services when our workforce reflects the full range of backgrounds and experiences in the society we serve.

To continue to do this we need your help in filling out a short monitoring form.

None of the information you provide will be visible as part of your application. It will only be used anonymously to monitor the inclusivity of our selection processes.

You can select 'prefer not to say' if you would rather not answer any question.