West Harbour Rugby Union Football Club (WHRUFC) “The Pirates” were founded in 1900, and compete in NSW rugby union’s premier competition, the Shute Shield. The Club’s vision is to create a high performance club rugby community - thriving on its diversity and a “win-well” culture.

The WHRUFC Centre of Excellence and home ground at Concord Oval has recently undergone an $84m redevelopment, and significant further investment and expertise has seen the establishment of a dedicated High Performance Committee (HPC) aligning all its programs for excellence on and off the field. Player participation levels are at an all-time high and the foundations set for the right people to drive success.

The role is responsible for leading the Pirates Academy Program to support excellence on and off the field across the Colts and Pathways program (predominantly Pirate Pathway stages 2-4). The position forms an integral part of the High Performance Operations team, working closely with the Head of Colts and Pathways and Head of Athletic Development.

The Lead - Academy will have:

• A demonstrated passion for long-term athletic development and performance,
• Showcase skills in delivering individualised, and long-term pathway development programs for large numbers, and a wide variety of performance levels,
• Demonstrated experience in program management, working with coaches and multi-disciplinary teams will be highly regarded.

Position Description

This is a contract position (with the potential for part-time / full-time equivalent in the future), with both set and flexible days/hours around the annual rugby season and program. The Lead, Academy role will be based at West Harbour’s Centre of Excellence at Concord Oval. Work from home/alternative location flexibility is also available within reason. Direct report will be to the Head of Colts and Pathways. Other key internal relationships will be with the General Manager.

The key responsibilities of the role are:

• Strategic: Support the development and evolvement of 1, 3 and 5-year strategic plans and objectives for the rugby programs in collaboration with Mens, Women’s and Colts and Pathways leads, and within the parameters of the Club’s High Performance Committee policies and annual rugby budget;
• Programming: Develop Academy programs for 6-17 year olds to enhance the experience of players in the West Harbour Pathway as well as attract new players and increase performance of West Harbour State Championship teams.
• Assessment and Benchmarking: Perform regular standardised data collection and testing to deliver insights on athletic development status, progress and potential for the State Championships as well as the Pirate Pathways program;
• Coaching: Delivery of Academy programs for 6-17 year olds including but not limited to school holiday Try Rugby or skill development camps, state championships preparation programs and school engagement programs ;
• Pathways and Talent Development: Collaboratively support the coordination, delivery and evolution of key talent development and player welfare programs, and competitions such as the West Harbour Futures, Next-Gen and Elite Development Academies, Peak Pirate Program, NSW Junior State Championships and select representative tournaments;
• Mentorship & Stakeholders: Provide expertise and maintain regular communications with Super Rugby and community clubs to enable alignment of best practices;
• Community Engagement: Provide support in growing and nurturing the local community clubs, schools and junior rugby programs in collaboration with the West Harbour Juniors Committee, NSW and Sydney Rugby stakeholders.

• The following are compulsory requirements:

• Must be legally entitled to work in Australia;
• An ability to attend to work events outside of ordinary office hours;
• Valid Australian Passport and Valid Australian Drivers Licence;
• Clean Police History
• Valid Working with Children Check

Key Performance Indicators

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will cover the three strategic areas of Participation, Experience and Performance. They will be co-developed with the position holder as part of the Club’s annual strategy day and reviewed monthly - they will likely include, but are not limited to:

• Number of people attending school holiday camps especially the attraction of new players to our village club system (Participation)
• Feedback surveys from players, parents and club representatives (Experience).
• Program culture as measured by attendance at Future’s Academy and Next Gen Academy Events (Experience).
• Number and percentage of Academy players that graduate to the West Harbour Senior club either to the Colts or Women’s Programs (Participation).
• Position on State Championships competition tables (Performance).

Scope of Work and Financial Compensation

• Contract Length: 2 year commencing from 20th January 2025
• Term: Commences 20th January 2025 to 19th January 2027
• Compensation: $1,500 annual honorarium + profit share for school holiday camps
• In Kind: Gym Membership, Professional Development Network and Annual Plan, Player/Staff Family Membership discount.
• Days/Hours:
  • Futures Academy - 2-4 days during each school holidays to run day camps
  • Next Gen Academy - 12+ week day evenings at your discretion