Red Roses Sport Psychologist

Working with the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union & develop the sport for future generations. If our purpose resonates with you, and you recognise the value that sport can bring to people’s lives, we’d love to work with you. An opportunity has arisen for a Sports Psychologist to join our Red Roses team on a contractor basis.

Job Title : Red Roses Sport Psychologist
Department : Performance
Reports to : Discipline Lead for Psychology
Rate of Pay : £400-£500 per day
Job Level : Guide
Location : National
Engagement Type : Contractor
Working Hours : This is a part-time contractor role covering up to 100 days per year

Application Information:

• Please submit a CV and cover letter. Due to the nature of the role, we please ask you not to anonymise your documents.
• Vacancy closing date: Friday 17th April at 5pm

To help us get to know your unique experience and voice, we kindly ask that you complete your application without the use of AI‑generated content. This ensures we can fairly and accurately understand your skills, perspective, and suitability for the role. 

The Role:

This is an exciting time for Psychology at the RFU. The Psychology Team has expanded and developed over the last 2 years. The psychology delivery has been aligned from the Red Roses through the U21 and U18 in the women’s pathway. Following the success of the Red Roses on and off the field leading up to, during and following Rugby World Cup 2025 we are looking for an experienced sport psychologist to lead the Red Roses sport psychology delivery.

The focus of the work will be across individual, team and systemic work in conjunction with the Head of Women’s Performance, Red Roses Head Coach and the Lead Psychologist at the RFU. The aim is to create and deliver a psychology service which supports the growth of a mindset that is resilient and adaptable to the demands of elite sport, supporting the delivery of a Winning England aligned to the Every Rose Strategy. The role will involve attendance at selected competitions at home and abroad.

The primary focus of the work will be at camps and at competition, however, there will be days outside of camp to work with individual players and coaches. There will also be a focus on connecting with PWR sport psychologists. In terms of camps the aim is to support the head coach and coaches in the planning and delivery of camps which meet the relevant objectives of the performance plan. The work at competition will focus on systemic, team dynamic and individual work with players and coaches. You will also work with and through the MDT teams. This will involve supporting the doctors in their work on mental health.

You will join a team of psychologists working across both the Women’s & Men’s Pathway and supporting the Referees. There will be bespoke CPD provided alongside an emerging community of practice.

The role will involve attendance at selected competitions at home and abroad, and there will be scope to evolve and refine your arena skills. The role will involve technical supervision from the Discipline Lead for Psychology at the RFU alongside peer-supervision. 

Some key responsibilities include:

• Work with coaches and staff to create camps which meet the relevant objectives of the performance plan. 
• With support from the Discipline Lead for Psychology, develop and deliver immersed performance psychology provision focusing on individual, team and system.
• Deliver individual support to targeted players based on recommendations from IDPs.
• As agreed with the RFU Lead psychologist, deliver coordinated and targeted support with PWR & personal sport psychologists.
• Provide camp and competition support during all Red Roses competitions – including but not limited to Women’s 6 Nations, WXV & Rugby World Cup.
• Support the Doctors in their mental health role.
• Support the RFU IDP process and contribute accordingly to an aligned plan.
• Engage in supervision with the Discipline Lead for Psychology and peer supervision.
• Keep up-to-date player notes in line with industry guidelines.
• Work within the ethical boundaries of your training.
• In time to lead case formulation with the MDT around targeted players.
• Ensure that mandatory Mental Health & Wellbeing sessions are completed in line with RFU policy.
• Actively collaborate with colleagues to contribute to the development and delivery of the current strategic, business and operational plans.
• Act as an ambassador for, and promote the best interests of the RFU, including the promotion of our culture and core values – This Rose Means Everyone: Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other.
• Undertake other duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the post and the needs of the organisation.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.

Essential:

• MSc in Sport/Sport and Exercise Psychology
• CASES or BPS accredited or working towards accreditation and registration with HCPC (i.e., stage two or SEPAR, please provide evidence of supervisory relationship within application). 
• Extensive knowledge and experience of working with athletes in elite sport.
• Experience of being on tour or travelling with teams.
• Demonstrable experience of collaboration with high level coaches.
• Experience of working at a systemic and cultural level.
• Ability to foster positive working relationships across multiple stakeholder groups and excellent communication and presentation skills. 
• A focus on supporting athletes’ holistic development.
• Flexibility and openness to work irregular and unsociable hours outside of ‘normal’ office hours (evening, weekends, bank holidays).
• Driving licence.
• Committed to embodying the ethos our culture by using our three core values – Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other – to guide your day-to-day decisions, actions and interactions.
• Committed to actively contributing and building an inclusive culture in your role and day to day behaviours.

Desirable:

• A safeguarding certification.
• Understanding of individual development and learning plans.
• IT skills appropriate to the role.

Additional Information:

• Personal circumstances must allow the candidate to work extended hours on occasion during times of peak activity, including evenings and weekends.
• This role will require a DBS check.

About England Rugby

England Rugby or Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby in England. We deliver three core activities, and our purpose is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union and develop the sport for future generations.

Our core activities are:

• Rugby – supporting rugby from grassroots to performance level
• Commercial – building partnerships and hosting matches and events
• Running the business - ensuring our organization and people can thrive

Our Culture

At England Rugby, one of our core objectives is to drive rugby union to better reflect the diversity of society. We are aware that rugby, and sports in general, has not always been as welcoming an environment for everyone as we would like, and we are working hard to make rugby a more inclusive space for all identities.

We believe hiring people from underrepresented groups into positions at all levels is vital to creating spaces and initiatives that better support those identities. We would love to see applications from disabled people, LGBTQIA+ people, people from ethnically diverse communities, people of faith, people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and women and non-binary people.

We know that representation is more than just getting people through the door, it’s about keeping people by responding to structural barriers relating to identities and valuing the insights that different lived experiences bring. We have network groups that provide peer-to-peer support and drive forward change internally. We support colleagues to develop, and each colleague has access to a personal coaching platform that can provide same-day one-to-one coaching. We are pushing ourselves to create a more inclusive culture every day through role modelling our culture and core values; This Rose Means Everyone: Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other.

We know that flexible working is important to our colleagues, so our guiding principles are designed to support everyone to work in the way that suits them, their teams, and the organisation in the best way.

What we can offer you

We are proud of the range of benefits we can provide: