Strength & Conditioning Lead - Sharks

The Strength and Conditioning Lead - Sharks is responsible for leading, designing, and delivering the strength and conditioning program for the Australian men's national water polo program (Sharks and National Development Squad) in the Sydney. Embedded within the daily performance environment (DPE), this role functions as a central member of the high performance team, collaborating in a cohesive multidisciplinary approach to the year-round physical preparation of athletes, including those participating in overseas competitions and the Australian Water Polo League.

The Strength and Conditioning Lead - Sharks drives the design, implementation and continuous improvement of individualised strength, power, speed, agility and endurance programs, working closely with coaches and the wider performance support team to optimise athlete readiness and reduce injury risk. The role takes responsibility for establishing the systems, standards and monitoring processes that underpin consistent, high-quality service delivery.

Liaising with the Sharks performance support team, the role contributes to a culture of continuous improvement, evidence-based practice, and integrated athlete planning, and provides regular physical performance reporting to inform coaching and program decisions.

Please note this position is a 0.6FTE and requires significant domestic and international travel (approx 50 - 75 days/year).

Program Design and Delivery

• Design, implement and manage individualised strength and conditioning programs both in and out of the water, tailored to the physical demands of water polo and in line with the coaches' training philosophies.
• Deliver strength and conditioning support and monitoring across the daily performance environment, camps, and competition.
• Build and maintain relationships with external S&C providers supporting Sharks and National Development Squad athletes based overseas or interstate, to promote alignment, consistency, and appropriate influence over training load and programming decisions occurring outside the direct national program.
• Contribute to injury prevention programming and collaborate with the Physiotherapy Lead on rehabilitation and return-to-training strategies to support safe progression back to full training and competition.

Touring and Competition Coverage

• Be available to travel domestically and internationally with national squads to provide strength and conditioning services at selected training camps and competitions.
• Serve as the primary strength and conditioning point of contact during tours, adapting programming to travel, facility and scheduling constraints.

Athlete Management System and Records

• Collect, store and interpret strength and conditioning testing and monitoring data.
• Provide timely and accurate physical performance reporting to coaches and the performance support team to inform program and selection decisions.
• Contribute strength and conditioning input to individual athlete performance plans, reflecting each athlete's physical development priorities in collaboration with coaches and the performance support team.

Performance Support Team Integration

• Participate actively in Performance Support Team (PST) meetings, providing physical performance updates and contributing to integrated athlete planning.
• Collaborate with the PST to ensure a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to athlete preparation.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with players, coaches, performance support practitioners and external providers to support athlete development.

Governance, Continuous Improvement and Professional Development

• Work within all relevant WPA, national sporting organisation, and Sport Integrity Australia policies, guidelines and position statements.
• Maintain best practice by monitoring and applying contemporary research and innovative strength and conditioning trends.
• Complete Sport Integrity Australia education modules and any WPA integrity and safeguarding training as required.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional development and evidence-based practice.