Salary: £45,000 – £55,000

Duration: Fixed Term Contract until March 2029, UK Sport funded

Remuneration: £45,000 – 55,000 Pro Rata + Benefits

Hours of Work: Full Time Employment. Open to discussions around part-time 0.6 FTE option

Reporting to: GB Surfing Chairperson

Location: Home based with National and International travel

OVERVIEW

GB Surfing was established in 2019 by the Surfing Federations of England, Scotland, Wales, and the Channel Islands in
response to the inclusion of shortboard surfing in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Surfing remained on the Olympic programme for Paris 2024, and has been confirmed for Los Angeles 2028, and Brisbane 2032.

In 2020, GB Surfing secured £1.35 million in investment from UK Sport to support the development of elite British surfers. This funding was designed to identify, nurture, and prepare athletes with the skills and resilience required to compete at the highest levels of the sport. A second cycle of funding has been awarded for the lead-up to LA 2028, amounting to £1.375 million.

PURPOSE

GB Surfing is responsible for elite surfing in the UK – preparing, selecting and managing the Great Britain surfing team for
Olympic-qualifying events and Olympic Summer Games. The organisation’s approach is based on a camps and
competitions performance strategy, focusing on the development of the GB Surfing Progression Squad, which currently
consists of seven athletes.

While GB Surfing oversees elite performance, the individual Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Channel
Islands) continue to manage the broader development of the sport, including grassroots participation and local
competitions.

JOURNEY

GB Surfing has made remarkable progress in a short time. Operationally, we began our work in late 2022, announcing the first training squad in November 2023. Since then, we have run three training camps in Australia, numerous camps across Europe, and collaborated with some of the world’s top coaches while providing support at major international events.

We proudly achieved Britain’s best-ever result at an ISA World Surfing Games and have successfully taken ownership of
the British Championships, rebranding it the GB Cup.

The Paris cycle focused on laying strong foundations for success by implementing a high-performance strategy that
maximised athletes’ time on task. We are now incredibly excited to be entering the LA cycle and starting out on the next
phase of our journey towards Olympic success.

AIMS

• To develop world-class athletes capable of competing at the LA 2028 Olympics.
• To be podium competitive at Brisbane 2032 and beyond.

THE ROLE

GB Surfing wishes to appoint a dynamic, energetic and highly organised Head of Performance (HoP) to oversee all
performance aspects of the organisation in line with the stated aims for 2032.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to shape the future of our sport and build a system that develops and
maximises the potential of our most talented and committed surfers.

The HoP will be directly accountable to GB Surfing’s Chair. Whilst leading the elite element of surfing in the UK, the position will play a key role in collaborating with home nation leads to unite the system and support the pathway.

The successful candidate will be expected to have prior experience in managing performance budgets. The HoP needs to have the flexibility to spend periods of time away from home supporting performance delivery. Travel (including overseas), weekend and evening work are the expectations for this role.

• Refine GB Surfing’s performance vision and strategy, based on LA28 investment and ensure alignment with GB Surfing’s strategic plan.
• Performance Lead for GB Surfing, responsible for the attainment of Performance targets within the organisation.
• Foster a culture of excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement within the performance department.
• Work with the Operations lead to ensure cross departmental integration and collaboration for maximising delivery of the strategic performance plan.
• Ensure the effective day-to-day management of two-line reports, the Team Manager and the Performance Coach.
• Lead, mentor and manage coaches and support team and additional contracted performance positions.
• Be responsible for the delivery of effective selection policies to GB Surfing squads and teams that maximise athlete development and performance.
• Oversight of Athlete Performance Award (APA) selection and the process by which APA’s are awarded to GB Surfing athletes.

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

• Attend training camps and competitions and ensure that the Daily Training Environment is conducive to improving surfer performance.
• Support the Coaching Team with the design and delivery of training programmes tailored to the needs of individual GB Surfing athletes.
• Lead the Process for Individual Athlete Reviews for selected athletes.
• Lead the process for the Selection and De-selection of athletes for GB Surfing squads and teams.
• Review the Athlete Health Strategy within the readiness framework and manage any Sport Science and Sports Medicine (SSSM) providers to ensure athlete health requirements are met.
• Review and evolve the GB Surfing Pathway Strategy to ensure a productive, aligned pathway that develops athletes with the right technical competencies and performance level to be eligible for selection to the GB Surfing Progression
• Squad, whilst building appropriate relationships and partnerships to deliver sustained pathway productivity.
• Manage and evolve the framework that defines the competencies, benchmarks and experiences that are needed at each age and stage of the pathway to develop into a world class surfer.
• Undertake an annual Talent Health Check of the UK Performance Pathway.
• Continually horizon scan for GB eligible athletes who live abroad.

COLLABORATION & COMMUNICATION

• Work closely with the Performance Coach to align performance goals with coaching strategies and to design training
  programmes.
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholder – UK Sport, UK Sports Institute (UKSI), British Olympic Association (BOA),
• International Surfing Federation (ISA), World Surf League (WSL), Surfing England, Scottish Surfing, Channel Islands Surfing Federation, Welsh Surfing Federation.
• Attend key UK and international competitions to provide the required support to GB Surfing athletes and coaches, as well as being an ambassador for surfing and GB Surfing.
• Attend stakeholder events. (PLX, PD Forums)
• Produce performance reports for GB Surfing Board members and be prepared to attend and update at GB Surfing Board meetings.
• Where appropriate, work with the operations lead on sponsorship activations and contractual obligations.

BUDGET & RESOURCE

• Develop and deliver annual performance budgets as agreed with the Board and the GB Surfing finance and operations
  lead.
• Overall responsibility and management for the annual performance department budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Identify funding opportunities for performance initiatives.

GOVERNANCE & COMPLIANCE

• Ensure best practice is followed at all times, including but not limited to anti-doping, safeguarding and the health and
  welfare of GB Surfing athletes, coaches and support staff.
• Ensure the integration of all GB Surfing’s policies into the performance programmes, specifically but not exclusively, equality, data protection, bribery and corruption and health and safety.
• Assist the Operations Lead in attaining Tier 3 UK Sport Code Compliance.

SPORTS SCIENCE & SPORTS MEDICINE (SSSM)

• Co-ordinate with coaches and support staff to ensure optimal athlete health, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.
• Proactively explore and capitalise on opportunities to access SSSM support for GB Surfing athletes at home and abroad (TASS / UKSI Medical / S&C)

KPIs

• Delivery of Outcomes as stated in the UKS/GB Surfing contracted targets and grant funding agreement.
• Delivery of Outcomes as stated in GB Surfing’s strategic plan.

PERSON SPECIFICS

• A track record of coaching, leading teams and developing and implementing successful performance strategies, ideally
  with experience of leading a sports team at international competitions.
• A thorough, working knowledge of pathway athlete development including growth and maturation, skill acquisition, physical literacy, injury management, educational attainment.
• A thorough understanding and commitment to safeguarding young people in a performance environment.
• Ability to build strong and effective relationships with athletes, coaches and a community,
• A provable history of effective decision making and remaining calm under pressure.
• Ability to manage budgets, maximise value for money and to be creative in resource management.
• Ability to develop and maintain strategic relationships, build trust and confidence with stakeholders.
• Possess well developed leadership skills, with the ability to adapt the leadership style to the relevant situation, whilst continually developing team members operational capability.
• A strong coaching background is highly preferable, specifically coaching at Pathway or national level.
• An understanding, knowledge and experience of Surfing is desirable but not a requirement. Exceptional candidates with a background in performance sport and a record of strong leadership, organisational skills and delivery of performance will be considered.
• The successful candidate will be subjected to DBS checks due to the nature of our work.

QUALITIES & COMPETENCIES

• Passion for sports and a commitment to putting athletes at the heart of the programme.
• A passion for establishing a high performing, collaborative culture, with a strong commitment to the delivery of wellbeing, excellence and quality.
• Creative thinker, able to proactively seek out and capitalise on opportunities to enhance the experience of GB Surfing performance, for athletes, staff team and the wider community.
• Possess strong planning and organisation skills, with balanced decision making and diplomacy.
• Motivated and results orientated, with the drive to take tough decisions and continuously raise the bar and achieve targets.
• Good self-awareness and emotional intelligence.
• A team player with an open and consultative style and optimistic approach.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to balance multiple workstreams and reprioritise frequently.

DIVERSITY IN RECRUITMENT

• GB Surfing values diversity and welcomes applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds.
• We are responsible for ensuring that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, gender, disability, ethnic origin, race, colour, parental or marital status, pregnancy, social or class background, nationality, religious belief, sexual preference or political belief or any other characteristic protected by the Equality Act 2010.
• GB Surfing is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, access to facilities and programmes and general treatment during employment.
• Furthermore, no applicant shall be placed at a disadvantage by requirements which are not necessary to the performance of the job or which constitute discrimination.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter.

Please outline your experience and suitability, including examples of your work in relation to our job description and
specification for the role.

Closing date 09.00 am on Monday 26 May 2025.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their
race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or age.

We will endeavour to make any reasonable adjustments that are necessary to support applicants during the recruitment
process. Please let us know if you require any of the following adjustments during the recruitment process: –

• extra time during tasks or video applications
• assistance if the test or assessment is on a computer, such as closed captions
• option to interview without the camera on
• sharing interview questions on screen (or on paper if interviewing in person)
• have an accessible car parking space reserved
• hold the interview at a specific time of day [please suggest]
• a British Sign Language interpreter
• anything else – please describe