Volunteer Water Polo Assistant Coach– GB U18 Female Squads

Organisation: Swim England
Salary: Voluntary + Expenses
Location: Home Based with National Travel
Contract type: Volunteer
Closing date: 29 August 2025
Job Description: About Us
The Great Britain Water Polo teams are supported by Swim England, on behalf of Aquatics GB.

Swim England’s Purpose and Vision

As the recognised national governing body for swimming, artistic swimming, diving and water polo in England, Swim England helps people learn how to swim, enjoy the water safely, and compete in all our sports

Our Vision is to champion a healthy and successful nation through swimming and aquatic activity. The ability to swim is a life-skill that is essential to keep us safe in, on and around water. It is one of the nation’s most popular recreational activities enjoyed by millions of people in England.

Swim England, through aquatics, is uniquely placed to tackle inequalities and support health and wellbeing given the activities’ accessibility to people of all ages and abilities. On top of this, aquatics is made up of four amazing Olympic and Paralympic sports with our network of clubs and talent pathways supporting people to realise their full potential in the water.

Swim England Talent Vision…

“A connected and collaborative Aquatic system enabling sustained success on the world stage.”

Swim England Talent Mission…

“Develop the strength and depth of the Aquatic pathway through effective athlete development, to achieve high performance"

In March 2024 we published in full the findings of an independent listening research report commissioned as part of our pledge to create a better future for everyone involved in aquatic sports. We are committed to only recruiting individuals who are as passionate as we are about being on this journey.

To find out more about what we do to work towards achieving our vision, download the full candidate pack from the job description button.

Be a part of our journey to inspire and engage the aquatic community. Dive into your next career opportunity with Swim England!

About The Role
Are you an experienced, knowledgeable coach looking for a unique opportunity to shape the future of the national Water Polo teams? We are seeking a Volunteer Water Polo Age Group Assistant Coaches who are passionate about the sport, with the skills to lead the team to success and contribute to the culture and identity of Water Polo.
Swim England are hiring for a volunteer Assistant Coach to support both the Women’s U18 squads preparing for European championships 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 support the Volunteer Age Group Head Coach in delivering the periodised development plan for the Women’s Water Polo teams, and this is also a developmental role for aspiring Head Coaches of the future.

The role involves working directly with athletes under the direction of the Head Coach and specialist professionals to coach a team capable of competing at the highest level and achieving success.

A deep passion and understanding of the sport is essential; along with a commitment to fostering a positive competitive environment for athletes eager to reach their full potential. The Volunteer Age Group Assistant Coach will develop the players’ individual knowledge of Water Polo; providing individualised feedback to all athletes and teaching technical skills, game strategies and sportsmanship.

Commitment requirement:

As Volunteer Age Group Assistant Coach, you will support the Head Coach with all aspects of 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 support 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:

Essential

Be able to develop an individual’s potential and technical knowledge of WP
Have 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
An understanding of individual responsibility in complying with Health and Safety
Have a positive approach to being part of a team and be willing to follow direction from the Head Coach
Passionate about an open and fair approach to talent development
Understand 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 Role Description.

Desirable

Insight into or experience within, a national talent programme or equivalent.
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.

Please be advised that we cannot offer visa sponsorship and that you must have right to work in the UK to apply or be considered for this role. If you are a non UK/EU National, you must have an appropriate working Visa to undertake employment. You must also be working within the UK to apply or be considered for this role, due to the public liability insurance Swim England holds.
Swim England is committed to inclusion and embracing the spirit of all equalities legislation. As a Disability Confident Employer, we actively encourage applications from disabled people. We recognise that the diversity of our workforce is not reflective of today’s society and we are currently operating a pilot scheme whereby applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds can opt into our guaranteed interview scheme. Candidates that have opted into the scheme will be guaranteed an interview provided that they have demonstrated, within their application, that they meet the essential criteria for the role. When completing the application, applicants from ethnically diverse backgrounds are encouraged to ‘Opt In’ to the scheme, by ticking the box.

Where possible, Swim England will always make reasonable adjustments for accessibility to anyone who requires it. If you would like any of the documentation in a different format or would like to apply in a different way please get in touch via careers@swimming.org. All appointments will be made on merit, following a fair and transparent process, in line with the Equality Act 2010. However, the organisation may employ positive action where candidates from underrepresented groups can demonstrate their ability to perform the role equally well.

Swim England is also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

This vacancy is being managed via a Safer Recruitment Process and as part of this recruitment process relevant checks such as self-declarations, references and criminal record checks will be carried out, in accordance with Wavepower.
How to apply: To register with us and apply for this role please visit our candidate portal - link below: https://careers.swimming.org/vacancies/390/volunteer-water-polo-assistant-coach-gb-u18-female-squads.html