The Athlete Leader will play a critical system‑shaping role within the British Gymnastics World Class Programme (WCP) for the LA 2028 Olympic cycle, bringing an athlete perspective to support and shape wider British Gymnastics work. The role exists to embed Collective Accountability into day‑to‑day practice, supporting gymnasts, coaches and performance staff to share ownership, responsibility and decision‑making for performance outcomes. Using lived experience of high‑performance sport, the Athlete Leader acts as a credible bridge between athletes, coaches and the programme, translating intention into behaviour across training, preparation, competition and review.
Why This Role Matters
The Athlete Leader is a cornerstone in translating the LA 2028 Performance Plan from strategy into behaviour. By bringing athlete insight into the heart of the system, this role strengthens trust, accelerates learning and helps British Gymnastics deliver world‑class performances through Collective Accountability.
Main Areas of Responsibility
Embedding Collective Accountability
- Act as a visible role model for shared ownership of performance, helping gymnasts and coaches understand and apply Collective Accountability in daily practice.
- Support the shift from "gymnast as product" to performance as product, reinforcing individual responsibility within a team and system context.
- Reinforce consistent language, behaviours and expectations that translate the LA Performance Plan into lived experience.
Enabling Gymnast Ownership and Leadership
- Support gymnasts to actively own their Gymnast Plans (GPs), including goal setting, decision making, reflection and review.
- Help gymnasts develop the confidence and skills to contribute meaningfully to performance conversations with coaches and practitioners.
- Enable age‑ and stage‑appropriate leadership behaviours aligned to the Performance Pathway and Live, Train, Compete curriculum.
- Lead the Gymnast Panel (WCP and BG‑Funded Disciplines) as a consultation group to shape advances in ownership and leadership.
Supporting Coach Confidence and Co‑Production
- Work alongside coaches to rebuild confidence in leading performance standards ethically and effectively, informed by lived athlete experience.
- Act as a critical friend in navigating complexity, uncertainty and shared decision‑making within high‑performance environments.
- Help create psychologically safe conditions in which coaches feel able to challenge, support and co‑produce performance with gymnasts.
Bridging Club and WCP Environments
- Support improved understanding and connection between high‑performance clubs and the WCP, particularly around expectations, behaviours and roles.
- Reinforce coherence between Gymnast Plans, club practice and WCP objectives.
- Contribute to camps, reviews and conversations that strengthen trust and shared understanding across environments.
Culture Assurance and Feedback Loops
- Contribute to first‑party Culture Assurance mechanisms by capturing insight, feedback and lived experience from gymnasts and coaches.
- Support brief and debrief processes at camps and competitions with a focus on accountability, ownership and learning.
- Act as an early indicator of emerging cultural risks or opportunities, escalating appropriately through agreed assurance processes.
Championing Winning Well
- Help ensure that performance ambition and care for people are seen as interdependent drivers of success.
- Support behaviours that prioritise health, availability, ethical decision‑making and sustainable performance.
- Reinforce pride in representing Great Britain within a high standards, human‑centred system.
Promoting the Sport, Our Work and Its Impact
- Make club visits, engage in content creation, attend events and participate in stakeholder and media engagement activities to share positive messaging about BG and gymnastics.
Shaping and Supporting Organisational Projects
- Input to wider BG policies, programmes, activities, projects etc., giving insight and learnings to inform approach.
- Contribute to the development of supporting alumni projects and celebrating achievements.
Building Athlete Engagement
- Gathering feedback from athletes to inform recommendations around building stronger athlete/BG relationships.
- Drive athlete engagement, informing the process and delivery of athlete appearances and event appearances.
- Help shape M&C support for athletes by providing an understanding of athletes' needs, to inform how we can work more effectively, creatively and collaboratively.
Embedding Governance, Safe Sport and Inclusive Practice in Line with Our Values
- All employees of British Gymnastics have a responsibility to keep themselves, our sport, our members and our colleagues safe.
- This includes upholding our commitment to safeguarding, inclusive working practices, data protection, health and safety, financial management and risk management policies.
- It also involves promoting our rules and standards of expectations for members and reporting any suspected risks, breaches, misconduct or poor practice to the appropriate channel.
- The role does not require formal line‑management of staff, but the Athlete Leader acts as a credible bridge between athletes, coaches and the programme.
Key Relationships
- APA funded gymnasts (Senior, Senior Development, Junior)
- National and primary club coaches
- Head National Coaches
- Performance support practitioners
- Coach developers and Culture Assurance partners
- Communications & Engagement team
Qualifications
- Recently retired elite or international‑level gymnast or have comparable high‑performance athlete experience.
- First‑hand experience of World Class / Olympic pathway environments.
- Credibility with gymnasts and coaches through lived experience of high‑pressure performance settings.
- Analytical abilities, good IT skills (Microsoft Office suite).
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence without authority.
- High emotional intelligence; able to navigate sensitive, complex environments.
Benefits and Employment Details
- Fixed‑term, full‑time post: Athlete Leader – World Class Programmes – Fixed Term to March 2028 (LA Funding Cycle)
- 37 hours per week
- Salary £30,000 per annum
- 39 days annual leave (including bank holiday and company days) + 2 wellbeing days a year + weekly exercise and wellbeing hours
- Dual based role – working from Lilleshall National Sports Centre, near Newport, Shropshire (minimum 2 days a week) and from home
