Volunteer U18 Head Coach - Water Polo (2 x roles)

Organisation: Swim England
Salary: Voluntary + expenses
Location: Home Based With Regional Travel
Contract type
Closing date: 4 July 2025
Job Description: Are you a visionary leader with a passion for excellence in Water Polo? Do you have what it takes to inspire and lead the future development of the GB & England squads to new heights? Use your expertise to shape the nation’s elite Water Polo players and contribute to the culture and identity of Water Polo - Join us as a Volunteer Age Group Head Coach!

Swim England are looking to appoint two volunteer positions as Age Group Head Coaches to lead both the Men’s and Women’s U18 squads from September 2025-2027. Preparing both GB and England players who are preparing for European events in 2027.

Our ambition is to see the Men’s and Women’s Water Polo teams competing consistently on the world stage by 2032.

You will be at the helm of our U18 squads, responsible for developing and implementing world-class coaching strategies that drive performance and success. By working directly with athletes, coaching staff and sports science/medical professionals you will drive a dynamic and committed team capable of competing at the highest level and achieving success.

This is an exciting career defining volunteer opportunity working within the Water Polo Programme. Swim England’s new 10-year strategy recently launched, which focuses on ensuring our aquatics environments promote an open and welcoming culture, with participant welfare at their heart.

This role plays an integral part in achieving our ambitions as a best-in-class team by ensuring that every player has an individual development plan to enhance their own performance and improve the team’s results. Head coaches will be allocated to teams as a result of the interview and selection process.

Reporting into the Swim England Water Polo Programme Lead and the Swim England Head of Performance, you will lead on developing a strong culture within the Water Polo team, instilling positive and collaborative behaviours that demonstrate commitment to the sport.

Commitment requirement:

As Volunteer Head Coach, you will be the lead responsible for the full training and development of the squad. As such, this role will require travel both in the UK and internationally to attend training, camps and competitions. Locations in the UK will vary, with domestic training often in the North West, Midlands or the South East.

Why join us?

It’s an exciting time with the opportunity to be part of a change which will unite the water polo community,
Opportunity to lead a team competing on the European stage,
Access to dedicated coach development as set out in the Optimal Coach Development Framework (OCDF)
To find out more about the role, download the full Role Description and Person Specification document.

About You
In order to be shortlisted for the next stage in the process you must demonstrate within your application how you meet the following criteria:

We are looking for Coaches with experience and also a commitment to the principles outlined in the Optimal Coach Development Framework (OCDF) at the Performance Pathway and or junior international level.

Essential

UKCC Coach course or the older level 2 certification in coaching Water Polo
An appreciation of sports science, medicine and performance lifestyle disciplines and how they along with coaching, create a progressive talent environment
Knowledge of safeguarding and an understanding and commitment to safeguarding (Wave Power), inclusion, and equal opportunities
Demonstrate an empathetic, optimistic coaching style
Possess an excellent level of emotional intelligence and self-awareness
Understanding of the demands and challenges of managing a team both domestically and internationally, in training and competition
Coaching experience within a national and/or international water polo programme
The candidate must also be willing to undertake an enhanced DBS check alongside relevant safeguarding training. For a full list of criteria please download the attached Job Description.

Desirable

Coaching leadership experience within a national or international water polo programme(s)
Experience implementing practical systems and interventions
Insight into or experience within, a national talent programme or equivalent
Understanding of budgetary management and have experience of working within available funding
So if you feel you have the suitable skills and attributes for this position then we would like to hear from you. Please contact careers@swimming.org for an informal conversation regarding the role.
How to apply: To register with us and apply for this role please visit our candidate portal - link below: https://careers.swimming.org/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx