Sports psychologist

Job Title Sports Psychologist Department Performance and Medical Reports to Performance and Medical Director Direct Reports None Location Cobdown Park, Station Road, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 6AU Working Pattern 40 hours per week, to include evenings and weekends Level of DBS Enhanced Child Barred List About Us: The London City Lionesses are part of the Kynisca group, setting a vision and building an infrastructure in which all the players and staff can thrive. Owned by Michele Kang, our vision for Kynisca is to: 1. Become the most pre-eminent sports organisation in the world; 2. Have a high-performance culture of winning on and off the pitch; 3. Train women as women; and 4. Motivate and inspire the next generation of girls and women. Our Values: We Lead The Way | We Dream Big | We Get it Done | We Innovate | We Inspire our Community Role Purpose: The role of the First Team Sports Psychologist is to support the mental performance of our players on the pitch. The successful candidate will apply psychological principles and tools to help players maximise their competitive mindset, overcome performance blocks, and achieve consistency under pressure. The aim is to help individuals, and the team reach peak mental condition every matchday and training session. The ideal candidate will be a driven, experienced professional with a background in high-performance sport, ideally football. They will be confident in creating mental coaching strategies, delivering sessions to individuals and the squad, and helping players stay focused and mentally sharp in key moments. We are looking for a motivational expert who understands the demands of elite competition and thrives on supporting athletes to be at their best on matchday. Main Duties/ Responsibilities 1. Mental Performance Coaching · Design and deliver mental training programmes to improve focus, confidence, competitive mindset, and goal setting. · Use tools like visualisation, self-talk, routines, and performance preparation strategies. · Create psychology focussed coach development support plans and inform practice design in conjunction with the coaching staff · Assess, address and report the needs of individuals and teams in line with internal processes, through 1:1 meetings, group and team meetings, match, training and coach observations, coach and support staff interviews · Demonstrate and document the impact of interventions 2. Individual Player Support · Work one-on-one with players to help them overcome mental performance blocks, improve performance consistency, and increase self-belief. · Provide support around performance pressure, competition anxiety, and pre-game preparation. · Work with colleagues to ensure transition into, through and out of the Club and team is player focussed · Work with coaches to provide focussed support to individuals experiencing challenges such as injuries, international duty (preparation and return), trialist (including academy players), loaned players (in and out), new players, leavers, players affected by loss of form or confidence, selection decisions and wellbeing issues · Demonstrate and document the impact of interventions 3. Team Performance Interventions · Lead workshops to strengthen collective mindset, mental resilience and match preparation. · Help players prepare mentally for high-pressure fixtures and manage post-match reflections. 4. Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) · Work with colleagues to develop a performance wellbeing strategy and action plan and work with others to embed, including communication, roles and responsibilities and interaction with other teams · Work to ensure players understand the role of sport psychology, and that this works well with the wider MDT · Ensure the required plans and documentation is in place which includes wellbeing support procedures and referral processes where required · Ensure player needs are met effectively, utilising the MDT for player-focussed outcomes · Operate within professional boundaries, following agreed processes relating to referrals to other colleagues or external agencies · Provide input in to life skills/career planning alongside Performance Wellbeing Lead · Refer players to appropriate specialism as required 5. Monitoring and Feedback · Track psychological growth and engagement of players using structured tools. · Seek feedback from others and reflect on personal behaviour and performance to identify areas for improvement · Maintain professional records and provide feedback to coaching staff when required. 6 Personal and Professional Development · Dedicate time and resource to continued professional development, specifically in any areas which provides benefit to London City players · Keep professional qualification membership and supervision up to date and active · Participate in internal and external professional development activities and demonstrate a commitment to formal education programmes · Access formal supervision and other informal personal support when required in support of own wellbeing 7 . Other ad-hoc duties as assigned from time-to-time by management Club Accountabilities 1. To comply with all Club policies, procedures and practices and carry out your role diligently and in the best interests of the Club 2. To lead with a proactive, high-performance mindset and actively contribute to a winning culture on and off the pitch 3. To behave in a manner consistent with Club values and policies 4. To ensure compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements. 5. To keep confidential any information gained regarding the Club and its personnel. What we are looking for Qualifications and Training Essential · MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology or equivalent. · Chartered Membership with the British Psychological Society (BPS) or BASES Support Accredited or equivalent recognised body. · HCPC Registration · Proven experience in a high-performance sport environment. Desirable · Experience working in elite football, ideally in women’s teams. · Available to travel with the team and work evenings/weekends if required. · Ongoing professional development in applied performance psychology. · Qualification in counselling and/or therapeutic techniques such as CBT, ACT, REBT, EMDR · PhD in psychology/sports psychology (or equivalent) · Qualification in validated psychometric instruments Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential · Demonstrable experience coaching athletes for performance improvement. · Strong communication and motivational skills. · Expertise in mental skills training techniques. · Confidence working in 1:1 and team settings · Strong self-awareness and ability to develop effective relationships with staff and players · Ability to work effectively with others, in line with Club parameters relating to data sharing Desirable · Knowledge of elite football culture and competition structures. · Experience working in multi-disciplinary performance teams. · Understanding of competition cycles and performance periodisation. Characteristics · Passionate about women’s football and broader women’s sport culture. · Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to deal with matrix stakeholders & ambiguity. · High standards of personal integrity and EQ. · Comfortable and able to work on own initiative · Has a learning mindset; is keen to continue their self-development and keep up to date with best practice and learning opportunities · Continually seeks to improve efficiency and performance · Seeks out and embraces new ways of thinking and working – not afraid to fail. London City Lionesses is committed to safeguarding, health and safety, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. We prioritise the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, the well-being of all staff and visitors, and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported. These responsibilities are shared by all staff and volunteers, with safeguarding, safety, and inclusivity being collective priorities. All staff are required to adhere to the Club’s policies, complete relevant training, and actively contribute to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment. This includes timely reporting of concerns, compliance with health and safety regulations, and upholding the Club’s zero-tolerance approach to discrimination. For certain roles, additional checks, such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks or health assessments, may be required. Applications must include a fully completed application form; CVs alone will not be accepted. All candidates will be assessed on merit and their alignment with the Club’s values.