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Head Coach, Women’s Rugby

Reporting to the Director of Athletics, the Head Coach will be responsible for leading and developing Wesleyan’s new women’s Rugby program. This role will focus on recruiting and rostering a team of at least 15 new incoming student-athletes, coaching and mentoring student-athletes, ensuring compliance with institutional and club organization rules, and fostering a competitive, supportive, and student-centered environment.

The Head Coach must have outstanding technical, tactical and strategic knowledge of the sport of rugby. Responsibilities include the planning, development and implementation of all activities related to the program including, but not limited to, recruitment, supervision, mentoring, and coaching of student athletes, planning, scheduling, and instruction for individual and team development, practices, and training sessions.

The Head Coach will demonstrate exemplary ethical conduct and conformance to Wesleyan College, the Athletics Department, and club organization rules and regulations; the duties of the position are to be performed in compliance with all League and division rules and regulations; and any rules violations on behalf of themselves or any knowledge of violations within the department are to be reported to the appropriate parties. The Coach will have a demonstrated track record of success with strong organizational skills and an ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Recruitment

  • Recruit and successfully roster a minimum of 15 new incoming students to establish the rugby program.

  • Development and implementation of recruiting plan, associated strategy and maintain a database of prospective student-athletes in coordination with the office of enrollment management.

  • Use independent discretion and judgement in identifying student-athletes capable of competing both academically and athletically.

  • Responsible for managing a database of prospects and maintaining records of contacts, in compliance with club, Conference, and College rules and regulations.

• Coaching and Instruction

  • Builds relationships with players to provide mentorship, guidance, and support both on and off the field.

  • Coaches and instructs student athletes during practices and meets on how to perform their sport such as proper skills and instruction of fundamentals, physical health, team concepts, and safety.

  • Support the overall physical conditioning needs of student-athletes.

  • Conducts player evaluations and develops plans to enhance the student-athlete experience.

• Team Development

  • Seeks out, applies, and shares knowledge of sport trends and innovations in playing and teaching.

  • Assists with practice planning, workouts, scouting, film breakdown, and meet management.

  • Collaborates with the assistant coach to devise plans and strategies for upcoming meets.

  • Collaborate and communicate with personnel including athletic trainer(s), strength coach(es), equipment manager, senior staff, etc. if applicable on behalf of the team

  • Builds strong relationships with alumni, fans, campus partners and the broader community

  • Partners with campus stakeholders, such as Admissions to coordinate and organize campus visits for recruits, and College Relations to assist in coordinating fundraising and alumni outreach.

• Student Mentoring and Leadership

  • Be a leader among the student athletes.

  • Assist with the growth and development of the players meeting with them one-on-one and in group settings and being available for the team members.

  • Establish an environment in which athletes can gain self-esteem and develop a positive self-image.

  • Demonstrate an interest in the classroom efforts and off-season activities of your student athletes.

  • Provide leadership that promotes positive attitudes and good sportsmanship.

  • Work with student athletes in a fair, understanding, and tolerant manner.

  • Notify all members of the team of policies, procedures, and training rules as they pertain to the team.

  • Be responsible for the conduct of the student athletes at practices and games.

  • Promote unity within the coaching staff and within the framework of the athletic department. Provide ongoing individual support and guidance for team members.

  • Monitor the academic status of each athlete to ensure that team members are maintaining eligibility.

• Program Administration

  • Monitors the eligibility status of team members in cooperation with Athletics Compliance Officer and the academic officials of the College to ensure compliance with College, department, and Conference policies and regulations.

  • Adheres to club rules and compliance requirements.

  • Handles administrative duties as assigned (travel plans, equipment inventory/purchase & camps/clinics, etc.).

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience may be considered.

• Minimum of 1 years of professional coaching experience at the high school or collegiate level with evidence of increasing levels of responsibilities.

• Multi-year experience as a player and/or coach with the ability to instruct student-athletes on how to perform their sport and improve individual and team performance.

• Impeccable integrity and demonstrated capacity to teach, coach, and communicate broadly with student athletes, families, colleagues, media and the public; cultivate and sustain collegial relationships; build unity around difficult issues; be an active listener, facilitator, convener, and mediator.

• Recognized as an effective advocate for the student athlete experience and personally exhibit high ethical standards of conduct and confidentiality in managing complex data and confidential information.

• Ability to manage and maintain confidential and private information; uses confidential, sensitive and/or private records and information, protects information appropriately.

• Understand the importance of working in close partnership with students, faculty, staff, parents, administration, alumni, community partners, and prospective students.

• Have a personal style that is professional, personable, approachable, and politically astute.

• Ability to attract, recruit, retain, inspire and motivate highly qualified student-athletes.

• Effective interpersonal, written, and electronic communications skills, including the ability to convey complex information in accessible terms to diverse or multicultural audiences.

• Possess a deep understanding of a diverse student body and a demonstrated commitment to an inclusive environment that promotes and values diversity and cross-cultural experiences of its members.

• Ability to establish, build and maintain effective working relationships based on respect, empathy and honesty with diverse groups and individuals.

• Demonstrated commitment to student-athlete welfare and mental and physical well-being.

• Knowledge of the sport, including rules and strategies.