Academy Sports Psychologist

Organisation: Sale Sharks Rugby Club
Salary: £200 per day
Location: Carrington, Manchester
Contract type: Fixed Term (Part time)
Closing date: 19 December 2025
Interview date: 22 December 2025
Job Description: Our WHY

Sale Sharks Academy has been one of the most successful rugby union academies in the country with a long legacy of producing premiership and international players. Our vision of developing "A world class academy for the North West" is underpinned by 4 key objectives:

DEVELOPING OUR PLAYERS
SUPPORTING OUR PEOPLE
REACHING OUR COMMUNITY
IMPACTING NORTHERN RUGBY

The right academy psychologist is imperative for us to successfully impact all these areas.
Enhancing the performance of individual players and stakeholders as well as creating a culture that is genuinely psychologically informed and capable of challenging and supporting the whole person.

The ROLE to be completed

Reporting to the Assistant Academy Manager, the post holder will deliver sport psychology services aligned to the academy psychology strategy.
Work across the foundation, development and confirmation phases and lead the delivery of psychology support at the confirmation phase.
Contribute to the design and delivery of all phases of the program.
Work with coaches and MDT staff to enhance teaching, learning and feedback methods.
Contribute to the development and monitoring of multi-disciplinary individual development plans (IDPs) for senior academy players.
Embed psychological knowledge and skills across the MDT to make a psychologically informed environment.
Be a core member of Sharks Well-being Team - supporting complex cases related to performance and/or wellbeing.
Undertake other duties as directed by the Assistant Academy Manager to support the key objectives.

The PERSON we need

HCPC Registered Practitioner Psychologist (essential)
BSc (Hons), MSc in Psychology/Sports Psychology
Professional Qualification from either BPS QSEP, BASES SEPAR or HCPC Approved Professional Doctorate
Experience working as a psychologist in an elite sport academy setting.
Experience of delivering sport psychology support within youth development space .
Experience of delivering sport psychology services in collaboration with MDT and applying psychology at system level/utilizing systemic approaches.
Experience of working alongside MDTs to integrate psychology into the technical and tactical coaching programme.
Passionate about developing young people.
Commitment to learning, development and contributing to a world leading development environment.
Belief in the power of sport to act as a vehicle to develop young people.

Why Should you apply?

Working for a truly progressive organisation will allow you to make the biggest possible impact in the field of elite sports development. Your skills and future desirability will increase due to the academy’s wide range of interactions and affordances, which will elevate you as a practitioner.

Moreover it is supported by a competitive day rate, access to the performance gym, free parking and free beverages on site.
How to apply: Apply by email to laura.cordwell@salesharks.com with a CV and short covering note.