The Young Kennel Club (YKC) Agility Team GB is looking for experienced people to join the 2016/17 coaching team. This is an exciting opportunity to work with some of the top YKC agility handlers in the UK helping them to prepare for an international agility competition.
The successful candidates will be required to work closely with the handlers, the parents and sponsors.
Attendance will be required for squad days, team days, the Performance Weekend and any extra training days and meetings as required to help the team to prepare. The team coach and assistants will also be required to work at the European Open Junior Championship in Luxembourg.
Working under the direction of the team manager, there are three roles available:
Team coach – Candidate will be responsible for coaching the team members at performance events, also coaching at ad-hoc training sessions, building a strong team and a team mentality prepared for international events. The coach will aid in the selection process and identify improvement opportunities for each team member. Experience in communicating with young people is essential. Experience in working across all levels of agility including judging, course design and developing high performance is desirable.
Team assistant coordinator – Candidate will be responsible for bridging the communication between the team, coaching team and parents. The coordinator will help and support parents to ensure they are fully prepared for all eventualities, both prior to the championships and at the event itself. The support will aid in the selection process of the squad. Experience in communicating with young people is essential. Experience with working with young people, including overseas travel, is desirable.
Team coordinator – This is a development role for a current YKC member. The candidate will be responsible for assisting the manager and the coaching team at selection days to produce the best possible team. They will also assist with ad-hoc training sessions, assist with building a strong team and preparing the team for international events. The coordinator will contribute towards the selection process. Experience in communicating with young people is essential and the candidate will have a keen interest in developing into a coaching role within Agility Team GB.
It is important that applicants for all roles have the following attributes: strong communication skills; a confident presenter to groups of handlers; able to operate under the pressure of international competition; a keen interest in sports performance; a critical eye for detail and a flexible approach to working with dogs and handlers and be able to commit to working in a high performance team.
Candidates should have previous experience of top level agility and a good understanding of international competition. It would also be advantageous to have international experience as an agility competitor.
These are demanding and yet fulfilling roles rewarded by representing Team GB and the opportunity to work with top young agility competitors.
People interested in applying for the roles should email their agility CVs and a covering letter before the closing date of 30th September 2016.