Location: Normal Place of Work Is Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens Cardiff

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post: Performance Nutritionist

Responsible to: Institute Managers

Location: Normal place of work is Sport Wales National Centre, Sophia Gardens Cardiff Travel within Wales will be required

Salary:

Job Purpose:

To devise, develop and implement the Performance Nutrition support programme to athletes from the Olympic and Paralympic sports on to the World Class Performance Pathway and to funded athletes from non-Olympic Commonwealth sports based within Wales.

Job Context

The Performance Nutritionist will be an integral part of the Sport Wales Institute. They will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team under the guidance of the Senior Performance Nutritionist and Institute managers to be involved in the design and development of the nutrition provision.

Key Tasks:

1. To devise, deliver and develop nutrition support to athletes from the Olympic and Paralympic sports on the World Class Performance Pathway and to funded athletes from non-Olympic sports based within Wales.

2. Liaise and work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team of support staff within the Sport Wales Institute and NGB’s to implement a performance nutrition service that contributes to enhancing the performance of athletes.

3. Where appropriate, advise and update Sport Wales Institute staff on nutrition issues that may be relevant to their job role e.g. Supplements, food safety risks, immunity strategies

4. Work alongside the Senior Performance Nutritionist and contribute to the development of the performance nutrition strategy and protocols across Sport Wales Institute to ensure that nutrition support provision is working towards improving the performance of athletes.

5. To carry out individual nutritional analyses, one-to–one consultations, group education sessions, supermarket visits, cooking workshops and training. 6. Work with senior performance nutritionist to develop department education resources to ensure a co-ordinated approach amongst nutrition providers

7. Work with coaches & other support staff to help create a high performance environment within the Sport Wales National Centre & sport training venues through the provision of Performance Nutrition support.

8. To work proactively within key sports and become integrated within sports to allow the anticipation of nutrition support required for athletes and sports before problems arise.

9. Attend, contribute to and provide regular reports at Sport Wales Institute and NGB meetings as appropriate.

10. Maintain a comprehensive, indexed, secure database of work conducted with athletes, coaches and sports

11. Develop & manage relationships with external organisations that can enhance the Performance Nutrition service within the Sport Wales Institute.

12. Where appropriate, liaise with GB practitioners within allocated sports to deliver a collaborative approach

13. Where appropriate, to design research projects to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in performance nutrition.

14. Work within the rules of the relevant Professional Code of Conduct, professional confidentiality, standards and guidelines.

This list is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive as there may be other duties and responsibilities which the Sports Council for Wales may require the post-holder to perform from time to time in the implementation of its policies.

Mark Nicholls 5 July 2012 PERSON SPECIFICATION Essential Desirable Education and Professional Qualifications

Registered Dietitian or Nutritionist (or eligible to attain this  status)

Degree level qualification in appropriate subject ü ü Accredited Sports Dietitian or Registered Sports Nutritionist ü Postgraduate qualification in an appropriate subject ü An internationally recognised post graduate qualification in sports nutrition e.g. IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition ü Food hygiene certificate ü ISAK level 1 accreditation

Experience

Experience of providing ongoing performance nutrition ü support to high performance athletes and/or sports

Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team in the ü delivery of services to high performance athletes and coaches.

Experience in supporting a team at an International ü competition or training camp e.g. food hygiene, menu planning ü Experience of using nutritional analysis software to analyse, interpret & adapt nutrition strategies ü Experience in the development of nutrition education resources for specific sports ü Experience in the design, implementation & monitoring of nutritional interventions for performance athletes e.g. weight loss, weight gain, supplement recommendations ü

Experience of strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of nutrition services to high performance athletes ü Experience in working with and supporting a team at a major international competition at senior or junior level (e.g. Olympic or Paralympic Games, World or European Championships or Commonwealth Games)

Knowledge

An understanding of the needs of elite athletes and coaches in a high ü performance environment

A good understanding of the various sports science and medicine discipline, recognising the role of each discipline in the provision of support services within a multidisciplinary team ü

Has a good awareness of the role of performance nutrition within a multidisciplinary team

A strong understanding of performance nutrition principles and their ü application to elite sports across a range of sport disciplines e.g. technical, strength/ power, weight class, endurance.

Has a good understanding of physiological requirements, biochemistry ü and nutrition science.

Has a good understanding of the clinical nutrition issues relevant to high performance sports e.g. bone health, female athlete triad, immunity ü strategies

Up-to-date knowledge of nutrition and nutritional supplementation ü strategies and products.

An understanding of anti-doping polices as enforced by national governing bodies, international federations, Olympic Associations and other relevant organisations. ü

Understanding of the coaching and training process and also of athletic performance in terms of periodisation and peaking.

A good understanding of the influence of travel on nutritional ü requirements including; gastrointestinal health, environmental influences, food provision and food safety & hygiene

Knowledge of nutrition programs appropriate to a range of ü sports with specific adaptation and modifications for gender and age ü

ü Skills, Aptitudes & Abilities

Is able to work as part of a multidisciplinary team to impact ü performance and is able to identify and input performance nutrition support within the MDT

Ability to implement innovative ideas and influence athlete and coach support programmes impact on performance ü

Ability to work under pressure ü

Ability to problem solve & make decisions in performance ü situations.

Ability to modify nutrition programmes according to the ü results of assessment data, in conjunction with coaches and other support staff

Ability to analyse a range of sport(s) in relation to their ü performance nutrition needs in order to develop, implement and evaluate nutrition programmes for individual athletes within these sport(s) ü

Ability to lead nutrition service within a sport with support from senior performance nutritionist where required ü

Ability to monitor and interpret body composition data and give appropriate feedback to athletes and staff ü

Ability to critically analyse scientific research and ü contextualise information to apply to high performance Sport ü Ability to provide nutrition advice to athletes presenting with a clinical condition ü

Ability to work both alone and as part of a team.

Welsh language Personal Qualities

Is able to respond & adapt positively to a variety of ü situations and people, in order to meet changing priorities

Good organisational skills with the ability to prioritise own ü workload especially under time constraints with conflicting demands ü Takes responsibility for decisions, accuracy and quality of own work. ü Excellent communication skills using appropriate language and style relevant to the audience ü

Highly motivated with a passion for high performance sport ü

A high work ethic with attention to detail ü

Efficient ü Ability to work without day to day direction

Is committed to personal CPD and takes personal ü responsibility for quality and continuous improvement. ü

Current driving licence

Other Considerations This post requires: - Ability to work irregular and unsocial hours as required involving work outside normal office hours, at evenings, weekends and Bank Holidays - Ability to travel within the Wales and throughout UK, including occasional overnight stays - Ability to travel abroad with sports if required

This role does involve training, supervising, working with and/or being in sole charge of children and young people. The successful applicant will therefore be required to apply for a disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). A disclosure is an impartial and confidential document that details an individual’s criminal record and where appropriate gives details of those who are banned from working with children.