Athlete Readiness & Performance Physiotherapist

Comunidad Lift; Gold Coast City; Hybrid; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Gold Coast SUNS is seeking an experienced physiotherapist to join our Performance and Medical team on a full-time basis. You will support health, wellbeing, rehabilitation and performance readiness of AFL players, collaborating across coaches, doctors and trainers to optimise availability for training and matches.

You bring a Bachelor or Master of Physiotherapy, AHPRA registration, and at least five years in elite sport.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master of Physiotherapy credential and current registration.
• Minimum five years of clinical experience in elite sport settings.
• Proven ability to assess, diagnose, treat and rehabilitate sporting injuries.
• Experience using athlete screening and performance data to guide decisions.
• Strong communication and collaboration within a multidisciplinary team.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
• Deliver hands-on physiotherapy to support athlete wellbeing and readiness.
• Develop individualized injury prevention and rehabilitation programs with the team.
• Undertake musculoskeletal screening and enable early intervention.
• Monitor injury and readiness trends and inform support decisions.
• Use athlete management and VALD systems to inform decisions and improve availability.
• Provide clear advice to coaches and staff regarding wellbeing and training availability.
• Collaborate with physiotherapists, doctors, performance staff, players and coaches.
• Support Academy Medical team by case managing rehabilitation of identified players.
• Provide coverage at training and nominated AFL and VFL matches.
• Maintain accurate medical and injury records.

Skills

Team collaboration

Athlete communication

Clinical judgement

Professional discretion

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor or Master of Physiotherapy

Tools

VALD performance systems

Job description

The opportunity

Reporting to the Head Physiotherapist, you will work as part of our multidisciplinary Performance and Medical team, supporting the health, wellbeing, rehabilitation and performance readiness of Gold Coast SUNS athletes.

While injury assessment, treatment and rehabilitation remain important parts of the role, your impact will extend well beyond the treatment room. You will use screening, monitoring, player history, objective information and strong working relationships to recognise potential issues early and help athletes prepare for the demands of elite football.

Your work will include:

• Providing high-quality physiotherapy assessment, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation
• Delivering hands-on physiotherapy that supports athlete wellbeing and performance readiness
• Developing individual injury prevention and rehabilitation programs in partnership with the Performance and Medical team
• Undertaking musculoskeletal screening and using the information to support early intervention
• Monitoring player injury and readiness trends and contributing to discussions about individual risks and appropriate support
• Using athlete management and VALD performance systems to inform decisions and improve athlete availability
• Providing clear advice to coaches and other football staff, with athlete wellbeing and training and match availability at the centre
• Collaborating closely with physiotherapists, doctors, performance staff, players, coaches, trainers and massage therapists
• Support Academy Medical team by case managing the rehabilitation of identified players.
• Providing coverage at training and nominated AFL and VFL matches
• Maintaining accurate medical and injury records.

About you

You are an experienced physiotherapist who understands the pace, complexity and shared responsibility that come with working in elite sport.

You can build trusted relationships with athletes while also contributing confidently within a multidisciplinary team. You are comfortable having balanced conversations about player wellbeing, risk, rehabilitation, training demands and availability, and you understand that the strongest outcomes come from collaboration rather than working in isolation.

You will bring:

• A Bachelor or Master of Physiotherapy
• Current AHPRA registration
• At least five years of clinical experience
• Experience working within an elite sporting environment
• Experience treating and rehabilitating sporting injuries involving elite athletes
• A strong understanding of rehabilitation, injury prevention and athlete screening
• Experience using the VALD suite of performance systems
• The ability to contribute effectively within a collaborative Performance and Medical team
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills
• Sound judgement, discretion and the ability to work calmly under pressure
• A commitment to ongoing learning and continuous improvement.

The environment

Elite football is demanding, fast moving and highly collaborative. Success in this role will require flexibility, strong professional judgement and a willingness to work around the training and competition schedule.

Just as importantly, you will need to enjoy being part of a team. You will be someone who shares information openly, respects different areas of expertise and builds genuine relationships with athletes, coaches and colleagues.

If your approach to physiotherapy is proactive, performance-focused and grounded in helping athletes remain ready for the demands of elite competition, we would like to hear from you.

THIS IS A FULLTIME, FIXED TERM ROLE

Essential Requirements

• Sports Medicine / Physio / Allied Health Degree