INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Paddle Australia (PA) is the National Sports Organisation (NSO) responsible for the management, coordination, development and promotion of paddling in Australia. PA is recognised by the Federal Government and represents the interests of its members to government and the public.

PA is committed to the provision of a high standard of competition, safety and opportunity for paddling participation in Australia. This includes the development and delivery of the successful Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint Olympic and Paralympic programs and the six non-Olympic disciplines (Canoe Polo, Freestyle, Marathon, Ocean Racing, Wildwater and SUP), as well as recreational paddling.

PA is recognised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF); Oceania Canoe Association (OCA); the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and Australian Institute of Sport (AIS); Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) and Paralympics Australia. PA works in close partnership with the various State Institute and Academies of Sport (SIS/SAS) in delivering its high performance programs in Canoe Slalom, Canoe Sprint and Para-canoe. As the peak body for paddle related activity in Australia, PA works collaboratively with six (6) State Paddle Associations (SPAs), around 110 active clubs, eight (8) disciplines and approximately 12,000 members, instructors and coaches. 

Operating in a commercial and inclusive manner with government, business and community, PA ensures the value of competitive and recreational paddling is understood and supported in all policy and business decisions.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES

• Work collaboratively with coaches and the performance support team to maximise athlete performance through adopting a performance problem solving approach.
• Deliver and develop systems that provide best practice objective assessment and feedback to impact athlete technical and physical development which is aligned with the sport’s What It Takes To Win (WITTW) framework. This includes utilising physiological, performance analysis and biomechanical tools and equipment in the assessment or evaluation processes.
• Contribute to the development of Individual Performance Plan (IPP’s) and regularly review the associated specific development priorities and performance metrics to measure progress.
• Provide specific and relevant evidence-based performance testing and regular tracking/monitoring of identified athletes and provide timely feedback and interpretation of data for PA coaches.
• Work collaboratively as part of a high performing team, establishing and maintaining effective partnerships with key internal and external stakeholders to identify, lead and deliver high quality integrated outcomes.
• Provide performance support to the National and State programs as required.
• Collect, store and share athlete data in the Athlete Management System (AMS) and Ludum and any other approved data storage platforms in line with PA’s expectations and data governance policies.
• Contribute to the sharing of high-performance knowledge through the production of resources and the development of collaborative communities within and across the practitioner groups in collaboration with other performance support staff.
• As a member of the PA performance support team, take shared accountability for setting a high-performance culture to enable successful outcomes.
• Work collaboratively with the wider Australian High-Performance system (including state institutes, AIS, international and professional elite sport networks) to share knowledge and leverage opportunities.
• Undertake domestic and international travel as required to support athlete preparation and performance at training camps and competitions.
• Integrate with all performance support staff to apply a holistic approach utilising innovative solutions and deliver joint projects and initiatives that support PA to keep pace with emerging technologies.

General

• Be aware of, understand and comply with PA Policies (available on the PA website).
• Partner with and work effectively and collaborative across PA to achieve organisational goals, targets and objectives.
• Provide regular updates to the Performance Support & Innovation Manager and/or Head Coach on progress and/or issues, as required.
• Proactively plan, manage, coordinate, track and run assigned tasks.
• Attend and participate in meetings and events as required.
• Uphold and foster a culture of high performance, excellence and continuous improvement within PA.
• Conduct thorough checking of work by others and self-checking of information and documentation.
• Ensuring documentation kept up to date and in good order.
• Undertake other reasonable tasks as delegated by Performance Support & Innovation Manager.
• Perform general office duties as required.
• Adopt continuous learning and improvement processes in all aspects of the position.
• Implement, participate and promote PA national program initiatives, protocols, values, policies, processes and procedures.
• Travel domestically and internationally in line with the operational requirements of the job

KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

Experience/Skill Level Required

• A minimum of 2 years in a high-performance sporting environment or equivalent. Experience working with National/State Sporting Organisations and Sport Institutes is an advantage.
• Experience working within interdisciplinary teams and an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of other Performance Support disciplines and associated collaborative opportunities.
• A comprehensive knowledge of scientific first principles that can be applied across a broad range of sport science discipline areas.
• Knowledge & understanding of current quality assured, evidence-based, best-practice processes for physiology and biomechanics in the sports environment.
• Well-developed understanding of the sport-specific determinants of performance and competition enhancement strategies.
• Well-developed knowledge of training science: principles and practices
• Demonstrated ability to provide individual athlete profiling (incorporating physical, technical and tactical analysis, and experience delivering performance support to coaches and athletes, particularly utilising contemporary technology and equipment. These include various ergometers, instrumented gym equipment, force plates/load cells/strain gauges, GPS devices, inertial measurement units, physiological monitoring equipment, performance planning/management software etc.
• Demonstrated success in utilising scientific knowledge and skills for planning and supporting athletes across a season/campaign to contribute to successful outcomes and performance progression.
• Ability to distil complex concepts and results into clear sport-specific context and at an appropriate level of technical language for the target feedback recipient.
• An ability to collect, analyse and interpret information, think laterally, develop and implement innovative performance solutions to benefit Canoe/Kayak athletes and coaches.

Aptitude & Interpersonal Skills

• Passion for excellence with a strong desire to excel and willingness to establish and strive for stretch goals.
• A willingness to learn, adapt and bring new ideas with the goal of continuing to improve.
• Strong professional communication (both verbal and written), negotiation and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to understand, respond to the requirements and be empathic to elite athletes and coaches.
• Ability to lead, drive and manage change through influence rather than authority.
• Proactive, self-motivated and has a passion to achieve excellence.
• Ability to delegate, influence and motivate people at all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to motivate and inspire individuals towards achieving higher levels of performance.
• Capacity to establish the trust and respect of the internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong ability to transfer information, skills and knowledge to other staff members.
• Strong leadership, project management and staff management skills.
• Ability to work well both within a team environment and autonomously.
• Strong organisational, planning, multi-tasking and prioritisation skills to achieve deadlines.
• Demonstrates initiative when undertaking tasks.
• Committed towards undertaking duties efficiently with a strong attention to detail.
• Excellent internal and external stakeholder management.
• Professional personal presentation suitable for the position.
• Strong skills in forward planning, analytical and strategic thinking.
• Strong judgement and problem-solving skills with a capacity to deal with complexity.
• Ability to promote, interpret, communicate and work in accordance with the policies and procedures of the organisation.