Loughborough Sport

Full time and open ended (subject to external funding)

Loughborough University National Tennis Academy (LUNTA) is looking for an experienced, enthusiastic, and dynamic Girls Head Coach to support the performance of developing elite junior tennis players as part of the LTA’s Player Pathway. The successful candidate will be responsible for the development and implementation of a world-class and transformative player development programme, to produce female players who upon departing the LUNTA meet the Pro Scholarship Programme (PSP) selection criteria and have potential to be inside the women’s top 100-ranked players, by nurturing the player, performer and person.

The Girls Head Coach will provide leadership to the Girls Coaching Team consisting of Academy Coaches and training partners, ensuring impactful coaching quality and appropriate training and competition provision for optimal player development. This role will form part of the LUNTA Senior Management Team (SMT).

The Girls Head Coach will be expected to act as Coaching Lead on a small number of players, which will require significant on-court presence, travel to tournaments with relevant players, and leading assigned player development.

Roles and responsibilities for this role include :

• Provide leadership in the quality of coaching provision to support the development of British junior international female tennis players during their journey at LUNTA. This will include assignment of Lead Coaches to players, oversight of the quality of on-court technical coaching provision, and involvement and oversight of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for all female LUNTA players.

• Direct line management, mentorship and support to the Girls Coaching Team. This will include creating Performance and Development objectives with reports that relate to outcomes for the Academy’s and player development successes, and progress in the development of an Academy Coach’s journey.

• Act as Coaching Lead for a small number of female LUNTA players, incorporating accelerated development in the Player, Performer and Person areas. This will include creating, driving, and communicating player IDPs, integrating and utilising Performance Support practitioners to align with the developmental work on the players you are leading, travel to domestic and international tournaments to support development during competition, and upkeep of relationships with player stakeholders including parents.

• Alongside Academy Director, Head of Performance Support and Boys Head Coach, provide oversight of all LUNTA players individualised training and tournament plans. This includes working with the Academy’s Operations Team to ensure effective and safe delivery of tournaments, and working with players, parents and staff to ensure tournament schedules are appropriate and relevant to development plans.

• Work with the Boys Head Coach to provide leadership and direction of coaching philosophy across both boys and girls at LUNTA. This includes designing a coaching strategy, philosophy and curriculum, aligned to the LTA's Performance Coaching Principles, and implementing this within the daily training and competition environment of the Academy. This will also involve communicating this effectively to the players, parents and an interdisciplinary staff team to ensure it is lived and breathed daily and upholding the principles of a LUNTA Code of Conduct.

Please note that this appointment will be subject to a satisfactory DBS check.

For more information on the role please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification.

Informal enquiries should be made to Nathan Miller, Academy Director, at n.miller@lboro.ac.uk.

Closing date for receipt of applications: Wednesday 19th February

Interview date: Thursday 27th February

Loughborough University is committed to achieving equity and valuing diversity in all aspects of employment and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.