Job vacancy: WCPP Pathway Manager, Skeleton

The British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) are looking to appoint a World Class Performance Programme (WCPP) Pathway Manager within the sport of Skeleton.

Skeleton is an innovative and forward thinking performance sport that places winning medals at the centre of what it does, which has resulted in medals at each of the past four Olympic Winter Games.

Working as part of the Skeleton Senior Management Team and closely with the Skeleton programme’s world-class coaches and athletes, you will play a key operational role in ensuring that the talent recruitment of Skeleton athletes is optimised and that they have the platform to progress through the performance programme and ensure that Skeleton continues to deliver medals at the Winter Olympic Games.

To apply: please send your CV along with a covering letter detailing your ability to successfully fulfil the role to office@thebbsa.co.uk.

The closing date for applications is Friday, January 8, 2016.

JOB TITLE: Skeleton Performance Pathway Manager

DIRECT REPORTS TO: Skeleton Performance Director, Skeleton Head of Performance

SALARY: £30,000 - £40,000

LOCATION:

• The normal place of work will be the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) headquarters at the University of Bath.
• The successful candidate will be expected to undertake such travel as is necessary to fulfil the job to the satisfaction of the Skeleton Performance Director.

JOB PURPOSE

• To manage the delivery of a systematic, evidenced-based Skeleton Performance Pathway with a dominant focus on the Athlete Identification and Development aspects of the Pathway within the specific context of Skeleton’s 2018/2022/2026 World Class plan. The outcome being an oversupply of athletes making the required benchmarks at Talent, Development and Elite level of the Skeleton World Class Programme.

• To ensure that all athletes are provided with the quality accelerated coaching, training and development focussed competition opportunities needed to win medals, measuring individual progress against medal winning trajectories for Skeleton sport’s most promising 2018/2022/2026 medal prospects.
• Operate as a Senior Member of the Skeleton World Class Performance Programme Team (WCPP), ensuring senior international trends and gap analysis are continually considered and that intelligence and insights at Podium level is continually cascaded down the performance pathway.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level within sports management, sports development or sports science and/or elite level coaching.

Experience

• Minimum of five years working in high performance sport. This experience should include extensive frontline work with elite and development level athletes and work within national teams.

• Experience of planning, implementing and managing successful talent identification and development programmes within elite sport environments.

• Demonstrated ability to analyse the effectiveness of sports performance pathways and identify specific interventions to increase promotion rates of athletes within it.

• Experience in collecting, analysing and explaining complex data associated with talent identification and performance prediction to performance sports programmes.

• Knowledge and experience of elite level coaching and/or detailed knowledge and understanding of the international Skeleton environment.

• A proven ability to communicate complex information, orally and in writing, in terms that are easily understood by a range of audiences and stakeholders.
• Evidence in implementing change-strategies successfully within high performance environments.
• Highly competent in trend analysis, data mining and managing large longitudinal data sets that systematically track, monitor and ultimately reveal the route to excellence in Skeleton.

Knowledge

• Applied knowledge of the UK World Class sporting system and its connection to talent feeder programmes.

• Knowledge and understanding of the needs of elite coaches, in particular those working at the Olympic Development and Podium level preparing athletes for the international level competition i.e. World Championships and Olympic Games.

• A thorough technical understanding of the principles that underpin effective talent identification, confirmation and development within a performance environment.

• An understanding of the various coaching and sports science disciplines as they relate to the talent identification and development process.

• A sound understanding of the pedagogical development of elite level athletes.

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues faced by programme leaders responsible for developing athletes for senior international success.

Skills and Abilities

• Exceptional interpersonal skills such as the ability to influence, persuade and present compelling cases for improved practices amongst relevant stakeholders - comfortable being a ‘change agent’ and supporting others through change.

• Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills.

• Strong statistical abilities.

• A creative thinker with the tenacity and confidence to see things through to implementation and completion.

• Ability to lead and inspire others to achieve goals.

• A willingness to challenge existing paradigms in a constructive and meaningful way and provide an alternative perspective combined with the ability to accept, challenge and conflict in a positive manner.

• Can think strategically but can also translate strategy into effective delivery models of best practice.

• The ability to effectively manage up and downwards with an array of critical stakeholders.

• An ability to work under pressure, balance conflicting demands and meet tight deadlines.

• Use of technological systems for creation, storage and dissemination of information.

• Proven use of IT systems and high level of competency in the use of MS Office, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.

The post holder shares with all colleagues the responsibility:

i. For making suggestions to improve the working situation and contribute to positive employee relations within their area of work and the BBSA as a whole.
ii. To cooperate with measures introduced to ensure there is equality of opportunity in employment and sports equity; and in addition for post holders with a management responsibility to encourage their staff to ensure that they comply with all aspects of the equal opportunities in employment and sports equity policies and practices.
iii. For ensuring that the working environment is free of sexual and racial harassment and intimidation and any other form of harassment constituting unacceptable behaviour which is personally offensive.
iv. To comply with all aspects of the BBSA Health and Safety Policy and arrangements.

This description is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation.

Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK.