Waratahs Head of Player Development

NSW Waratahs; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

NSW Waratahs seeks a Head of Player Development to lead long-term talent pathways and ensure a pipeline of players into Super Rugby Pacific. The role drives LTAD-aligned identification, development, recruitment and retention across NSW, including the Satellite Academy network and junior to senior levels.

The post requires strategic leadership, budget oversight, and a strong track record in national-level talent development programs, with a focus on high-performance standards within the Waratahs

Qualifications

• Five years' experience in player development delivery at senior level.
• Two+ years leading national-level projects.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary talent development teams.
• Budget accountability in performance programs.
• Experience managing multi-site talent pathways.
• Proven recruitment and succession planning capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop LTAD-aligned identification and tracking of male talent across NSW.
• Lead recruitment and retention strategies and annual development plans.
• Oversee a three-year depth chart for player recruitment and retention to feed Super Rugby Pacific.
• Manage player development budgets in coordination with leadership.
• Deliver an annual development plan and monitor progress.
• Champion the Waratahs Pathway and Satellite Academy model across academies.
• Collaborate with Waratahs Director of Performance and national stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment with LTAD principles and Waratahs Way criteria.

Skills

LTAD-aligned talent development

Strategic pathway leadership

Talent recruitment & retention

Budget management

Stakeholder collaboration

Performance pathway planning

Education

World Rugby Level 3

World Rugby Level 4 High Performance Coach

Bachelor/Master in sports administration, coaching or science

Postgraduate qualification in coaching/leadership/high performance

First Aid and CPR qualifications

Smart Rugby accreditation

Tools

Smart Rugby accreditation

Job description

The Waratahs Head of Player Development is responsible for identifying, recruiting, developing and retaining talented male players across NSW for integration into the Waratahs Development program.

The role will lead the strategic development and delivery of the Waratahs Pathways model, including the Satellite Academy network, across the Junior Academy, Youth Academy and Senior Academy. The player development program will be grounded in long term player development principles and it will maintain world class standards of coach and player development. Players within the program are expected to develop into Super Rugby Pacific players, Junior Wallabies, Wallabies and Olympians.

This is a high level role requiring leadership and management across a number of areas to ensure a pipeline of talent to the highest level teams in NSW and Australia.

Key Accountabilities

• Develop and maintain a systematic, LTAD aligned approach to identifying and tracking key male talent within NSW

Maintain systems, data and knowledge to continuously determine the talent requirements and player depth across the pathway

Identify, lead and manage an effective team of talent development coaches throughout NSW, aligned to the Waratahs Way development model

Effective Recruitment & Talent Retention

Lead the production and implementation of individual player development profiles and plans across all age groups and report bi-annually on player progress

Lead the production and implementation of a recruitment and retention strategy, based on the individual player development profiles

Develop and maintain a threeyear depth chart for player recruitment and retention in order to produce the required players at a Super Rugby Pacific level

Manage the player retention budget, in consultation with the Waratahs Director of Performance and the National Head of Player Development

Produce an annual Player Development operational plan and budget with monthly progress monitoring and reporting

Develop position-specific identification and recruitment opportunities to address positions of need.

Contribute to the development and maintenance of positional depth charts with the Waratahs Director of Performance and Head Coaches of the Waratahs Men's program

Impactful involvement in national depth chart development and discussions

Strategic Leadership & Pathway Model Implementation

Lead the implementation of the Waratahs Pathway to ensure a single, clearly defined performance pathway for male and female athletes throughout the state

Lead the production of agreed Player Development Minimum Standards across the talent pathway and monitor club and school level compliance

Ensure LTAD principles, coaching standardisation and Waratahs Way selection criteria are consistently applied across all Academy programs and environments

Develop and maintain strong relationships with key schools and programs across NSW to promote player development, recruitment and retention

Agree and implement an annual calendar of key face to face meetings and knowledge sharing opportunities with stakeholders such as schools, associations and Shute Shield academies

Develop and provide expert technical advice, guidance, resources and tools in components of player development systems for use by key delivery partners

Influence and be involved in national strategic planning and initiatives for male and female talent pathways

Player Development & Pathways

Ensure every pathway player has an Individual Development Plan

Conduct regular individual performance reviews in conjunction with Waratahs Academy staff

Work closely with performance support and coaching staff to monitor player progression

Support leadership development throughout the playing group

Develop position-specific learning opportunities

Adopt a Whole of Player approach to development, working closely with the Rugby Union Player Association's Waratahs Player Development Manager and the Advantage Line programme to support pathway players' off-field growth, life skills and dual career (educational/vocational) needs alongside their rugby development

Leadership, Personal Development & Culture

Effectively lead and manage the Waratahs Academy program staff

Ensure an inter-disciplinary approach to working is adopted and engage fully with performance support staff in strength and conditioning, medical, nutrition and performance psychology to run a world class program

Complete bi-annual performance evaluation plans with all direct reports and identify development opportunities based on them

Engage fully with all national agreed elements of personal and staff development

Promote the Waratahs values and behaviours

Build a connected, accountable and resilient team culture

Develop the leadership capability of players and staff

Maintain high standards of professionalism

Foster collaboration across all departments

Champion innovation and continuous learning

System Alignment

Support the integration of Rugby Australia's high performance and talent development initiatives

Work collaboratively with the Waratahs Director of Performance to implement the Waratahs High Performance Strategy as it pertains to the Waratahs Academy and talent development

Promote alignment across Academy and Pathway programs

Innovation, Research & Continuous Improvement

Benchmark the Waratahs Pathway and Satellite Academy model against leading domestic and international player development programs, identifying opportunities for improvement

Embed data and analytics into talent identification, player monitoring and selection decisions across the pathway

Pilot and evaluate new pathway initiatives, sharing learnings with Rugby Australia and other state unions

Contribute insights and best practice to the LTAD framework

Stakeholder Engagement

Represent the Waratahs professionally with Rugby Australia and other stakeholders

Present regular performance updates to the Waratahs Director of Performance and Rugby Australia's General Manager of Men’s High-Performance & Competitions

Ensure all player development programs and projects operate within Rugby Australia and Waratahs policies, integrity requirements and relevant regulatory obligations (e.g. Working With Children, Child Safe Standards)

Capabilities, Experience & Qualification Requirements

Capabilities

Contemporary athlete development principles

Talent Development planning and periodisation

Australian and international rugby development systems

Rugby Australia High Performance framework

Coach development principles

Player welfare, dual-career and life-skills development frameworks

Experience

A minimum of fiveyears' experience in player development delivery, coach education and qualification, mentoring, etc. at a senior level

Minimum of two years' experience leading and managing projects at a national level

Led multidisciplinary talent development teams and managed coaching staff

Experienced in recruitment and succession planning

Successfully delivered rugby programs and developed elite pathways

Experienced in budget accountability

Managed a multi-site or geographically dispersed talent pathway network, e.g. regional/satellite academies

Experienced in change management including the delivery and evaluation of new pathway programs

Qualification Requirements

Required

World Rugby Level 3 qualification

Current Smart Rugby accreditation

First Aid and CPR qualifications

Working With Children Check

World Rugby Level 4 High Performance Coach

Bachelor or master level degree in the areas of sports administration, coaching or science, with application in the areas of player or coach development

Postgraduate qualification in coaching, leadership, high performance or executive management