Organisation: Leicester Tigers
Salary: Dependant Upon Experience
Location: Leicester
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 11 April 2025
Job Title: Lead Performance Nutritionist
Responsible to: Head of Performance
Salary: (Dependant on experience)
Hours of work: 40 Hours each week
Closing date: 5PM, 11 April, 2025
Equality & Diversity: Leicester Tigers strives to create a diverse and inclusive environment where people feel entrusted to challenge, inspire and succeed. Leicester Tigers is an equal opportunities employer and will provide reasonable support to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process under the terms of the Equality Act 2010.
Job Purpose/Description:
Leicester Tigers Rugby Club is seeking experienced, dedicated, and knowledgeable applicants for the position of Lead Performance Nutritionist. Working as part of a High-Performance multidisciplinary team (MDT), the Lead Performance Nutritionist will be responsible for the development and delivery of the nutrition support service to the Senior squad to optimise their health and performance. In addition, the Lead Performance Nutritionist will supervise alignment delivery across the Academy, Senior Academy and Senior Men’s programmes.
Key Responsibilities:
Leadership and Management
1. Influence the environment and promote a culture at Leicester Tigers that supports nutrition as an integral component of high performance.
2. Align service delivery across the Senior, Senior Academy, and the Academy.
3. Work closely with Head of Athletic Performance and Head of Academy Athletic Performance to provide an aligned and coordinated performance nutrition and body composition strategy to Leicester Tigers Senior and Senior Academy players.
4. Lead and mentor participants in the internship program, maintaining regular meetings to build relationships and support ongoing professional development.
5. Be professionally responsible for own practice and the oversight of all aspects of service delivery at Leicester Tigers.
6. Lead the multidisciplinary team on integrated well-being projects with significance to nutrition.
7. Manage the nutrition, supplementation, and catering budgets to ensure high-quality, cost-effective nutrition delivery at the club.
Service Delivery
1. Employ strategies to support the training and match day demands of players whilst showcasing an in-depth understanding of the scientific principles underpinning sports nutrition.
2. Adopt a ‘food-first’ approach when delivering nutrition education to all players and coaches.
3. Collaborate closely with coaches, S&C, and medical staff to establish a comprehensive approach to athlete monitoring, development, overall well-being, and optimal performance.
4. Work with the Oval Park catering team to tailor menus that cater for the demands of the training schedule.
5. Collaborate closely with the Team Manager, coordinating with hotels and catering staff at away venues, as well as the in-house catering team at Mattioli Woods Welford Road, to ensure the provision of appropriate nutrition for the players.
6. Working in conjunction with the Head Coach, Head of Performance, and relevant staff, set and oversee performance-oriented body composition targets for individual players.
7. Actively collaborate with Return to Play (RTP) medical, S&C, and coaching staff on nutritional aspects of the RTP process.
8. Attend home and away matches to ensure prescribed menus and nutrition strategies are implemented.
9. Ensure timely 1 to 1 discussions, formally and informally, with players throughout the season.
10. Liaise with external caterers to ensure appropriate meal provision where needed.
11. Maintain effective relationships with identified nutrition and hydration partners and suppliers.
12. Implement best practice for food hygiene and undertake food safety training, if certification is not already held.
Communication
1. Meet regularly with the Heads of Departments on all aspects of nutrition service development.
2. Build and maintain relationships with all Heads of Departments on all matters that impact on nutrition service provision at the club.
3. Work closely with the catering staff and General Manager to coordinate produce ordering, invoicing, and budget control.
4. Be responsible for maintaining relationships with existing nutrition partners and identifying potential new partners in conjunction with the Commercial Departments.
Documentation and Reporting
1. Maintain records of all nutrition interventions and supplements received.
2. Provide monthly reports on nutrition service developments, body mass and body composition to Head Coach, Head of Performance, and relevant staff.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Education and Audit
1. Engage in continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to sports nutrition.
2. Provide Nutritional CPD to Performance & Medical Department.
Minimum Requirements:
Applicants must, at the closing date for applications, be able to display and provide evidence of the following qualifications/training, experience, specialist knowledge, skills/abilities and behaviours outlined below:
Essential Criteria:
1. Qualifications and Training: Degree (or equivalent) in Nutrition, Sports Science, Dietetics, or related subject.
2. Higher degree (or equivalent) in IOC diploma in sports nutrition or PGCert/Dip/Masters in Sports Nutrition.
3. Practitioner registrant on Sports and Exercise Nutrition register (Graduate minimum and working towards full practitioner status within a year).
4. ISAK Level 1 (or above) accreditation.
1. Knowledge: Detailed understanding of the nutritional issues (clinical and performance) relevant to high performance sport.
2. Thorough understanding of the various sports science and sports medicine disciplines.
3. An understanding of rehabilitation, recovery, regeneration, and robustness practices.
1. Experience: Significant experience in the provision of nutritional support to athletes and coaches in an elite sporting environment.
2. Demonstrable experience in all areas of planning, implementation, modification, and monitoring of specific nutrition programmes to support high performance.
3. Experience of analysing the demands of a sport in relation to their nutrition needs to develop, implement, and evaluate nutrition strategies.
4. A verifiable record of working within a multidisciplinary team in the delivery of performance nutrition support in elite sport.
1. Personal Qualities: Excellent communication & presentation skills.
2. Able to build rapport and motivate behavioural change.
3. Good IT (including dietary analysis), organisational and problem-solving skills.
1. Additional Requirements: Adaptable and flexible in working arrangements to support the needs of the organisation.
2. Available to work irregular and unsocial hours as required involving work outside normal office hours, at evenings, weekends, and Bank Holidays.
3. Full driving licence and access to a form of transport that will permit the jobholder to meet the requirements of the post in full.
Desirable Criteria:
1. Experience of working with elite rugby players or other collision sports.
2. Experience in academic and/or applied research in the field of performance nutrition.
3. Strong leadership and people management skills to promote and nurture a culture of performance excellence.
4. Budgetary management experience and appreciation of a cost-effective service delivery.
How to apply:
To apply, please download an application form from our website and send this completed to jointheteam@tigers.co.uk before 5PM, Friday 11 April 2025.
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