This role has now closed for applications.
Surfing England is the sport’s National Governing Body (NGB), looking after all forms of wave riding from grass roots to Team England. We run the UK’s largest programme of surf events, accredit and affiliate almost 100 surf schools and clubs, deliver coaching qualifications and training, look after the talent pathway across multiple disciplines and much more.
Supporting the development of adaptive surfing is one of our core aims as part of growing a ‘healthy surfing community’ and using surfing as a tool for positive change. We run an annual Adaptive Surfing Championships and the English Adaptive Surf Team is our most internationally successful team. In 2023 we supported the launch of the country’s first Adaptive Surfing Hub and we’re currently working on a new adaptive surf coaching award and training.
We’re delighted to now be in a position to bring some dedicated resource to helping build the adaptive talent pathway, from supporting the national team through to creating new entry points into surfing for those living with disability.
Role and Responsibilities
You will be the champion for adaptive surfing within Surfing England, creating a strategy for the ongoing development of the sport with a focus on performance and the competition pathway.
At the top end of the pathway, you will work with and support the Team England manager, coaches and support staff, helping to ensure they have the right structure, policies and procedures in place. The team manager will report to you, and you will have overall responsibility for ensuring there is a well developed and clear training programme in place and the team manager and coaches have access to the resources and support they need to deliver it. This will include ensuring really clear communication channels for volunteers and surfers alike.
Reaching further down the pathway you will develop a strategy, pulling in expertise from the adaptive surfing community, to create a pathway that supports more people living with disability to engage with surfing, and gives a clear route for progression for those with talent and a desire to become competitive surfers.
This will likely include the organising and delivery of small events and competitions as well as working with aa diverse mix of partners, including The Wave Project, our surf school network, club network, national disability charities and the Surfing England events team through our headline English Adaptive Surfing Championships.
As part of the growth aspirations for the role and adaptive surfing we are actively seeking public funding and commercial sponsorship. You will need to be able to turn your hand to funding applications and to present to commercial partners, exciting and engaging them about the opportunity adaptive surfing presents.
Key responsibilities
- Ownership of the strategy for the adaptive surfing talent pathway
- Bringing the adaptive surfing community together to feed into and share ownership of the strategy
- Supporting and enabling the Team England Adaptive management team to deliver the annual training programme and ISA World Games
- To organise and deliver events, which may include training for volunteers, taster days for surfers and entry level competition series events for those at the start of the pathway
- To look for and apply for funding, both grants and commercial partnerships
- To work across the Surfing England team, in particular with our clubs, welfare, events and coaching leads to ensure a joined up approach in the development of different aspects of adaptive surfing
Qualifications, skills and abilities
- Highly driven, proactive and can do attitude
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Excellent organisation skills and time management
- Experience working with disabled athletes and passion for adaptive surfing
- Able to work in high pressure situations
- Proven track record as some who ‘makes things happen’
- Ideally sports development qualification
We encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds. We believe a more diverse line up makes for a happier surfing experience, and a more diverse team enables more informed and better decision making.
Package
Salary: £30,000 pro rata
Days: 2 days per week
Employer: Surfing England
Contract: Initial contract 12 months, with intent to move to permanent
Location: Office based (Surfing England office, Braunton). Probation period will be office based, beyond that team members work flexibly around the needs of the business. All team members are in the office for the fortnightly team meeting, other days are a mix of working from home and office based in agreement with your line manager.
How to apply
Please send a cover letter and curriculum vitae (CV) to lineup@surfingengland.org to apply for this role. Please mark the subject ‘ADAPTIVE PATHWAY MANAGER’
The closing date for applications is 15th January 2024 and interviews will be held on the 30th and 31st January.
If you have any questions about the role, please contact Ben@surfingengland.org
