The Queensland Academy of Sport’s mission is to inspire extraordinary sporting success. We recently brought this mission to life when 191 Queensland athletes proudly wore green and gold while representing Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Paris 2024 will go down in history as Australia’s best ever Games, setting the bar high for the next Olympic and Paralympic cycle. The QAS is now on a mission to deliver more medals across more sports at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, in anticipation of hosting Australia’s most successful Games in Queensland in 2032.
The QAS supports more than 500 elite athletes on their sporting journey from talented juniors to Olympians, Paralympians and World Champions. Our expert staff support athletes through in-house programs, partnerships with State and National Sporting Organisations, and individualised support for athletes on medal-winning trajectories to help them perform when it matters most.
Our ambitious high-performance strategy for the 2032 Games is to create more medal-winning moments for Queensland athletes that inspire their state and nation. While this strategy defines our goals, our organisation’s culture is what will help us achieve them. Therefore, the QAS is looking for highly talented and motivated individuals whose values and behaviours align with ours, to join our QAS Team.
Our values permeate every aspect of QAS, and if they resonate with you, you will excel and thrive in our organisation. If you want to contribute to something transformational and significant, and are committed to continuous improvement, join us on this important mission.
Your contribution and key accountabilities
Through transformational relationships, lead the QAS Para Unit to develop medal potential athletes for future Paralympic cycles
Collaborate proactively with sports to ensure a robust and effective Athlete Plan (AP) is in place for supported athletes that is informed by eligibility and classification profiles and is aligned to the respective sport’s What It Takes To Win (WITTW) framework to increase the likelihood of medal outcomes
Provide timely advice to the Executive Director – Talent and Coaching, senior management, Paralympics Australia, Australian Institute of Sport, sporting organisations and other stakeholders on talent development strategies to select and develop future generations of medal-winning Paralympic athletes for 2028, 2032 (or Winter equivalents) and beyond across Para sports (both QAS supported and non QAS sport programs)
Work with sports and QAS specialist functions to support, track and monitor the progression of athletes who are supported through the Para Unit, ensuring that the supported athletes receive the right support at the right time aligned to Athlete Plans.
Work closely with the QAS Classification and Network Lead and QAS Talent and Coaching team to ensure alignment of Para coach development activities and recruitment strategies to optimize attraction and retention of new para athletes and coaches in the Para Unit.
Lead and facilitate 6-monthly Athlete Tracker processes in partnership with sports and QAS specialist functions to review athlete progress and identify actionable insights.
Work with the QAS Talent and Coaching team to develop a Para Talent Plan selection process that is evidence-based, manage the selection process in accordance with agreed criteria, and review the selection process annually to ensure the criteria is aligned to deliver future medal outcomes. Communicate this process with sports, emerging athletes, coaches, parents and other relevant stakeholders.
Provide regular updates on athlete progression to QAS Talent and High-Performance Programs teams and sports to ensure seamless transition through QAS pathways to enable Queensland to have an over-supply of athletic talent for future Paralympic cycles
Work with the QAS Talent Identification and Development Lead and Talent Team as required to help design, deliver and facilitate state-wide Talent Search initiatives including identification, confirmation and development, ensuring programs are responsive to needs, meet quality standards and are sustainable in a high-performance environment.
Liaise and negotiate with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, managing conflicting priorities within tight timeframes; resolving issues and negotiating outcomes to positively influence athlete outcomes that support the QAS 2032 Strategy
The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our athletes.
We are committed to an environment where athletes from any background are heard, treated fairly and free from abuse.
Please provide the following to assess your suitability:
a current contemporary résumé
a brief response (1-2 pages) to the ‘What we are looking for’ section describing why you are the best suited person for this role. Our department values inclusion and diversity so please include information that will help us understand how you could contribute to our workforce diversity.
Two referees are required who have a thorough knowledge of your work performance and conduct. Please ensure that one of the referees is your current or immediate past supervisor.
For more information on the role and how to apply, please contact: