Athlete Leader

British Gymnastics has the following 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

31 days annual leave (including Company days) + Bank Holiday + 2 wellbeing days a year + weekly exercise and wellbeing hours

This is a dual based role working from Lilleshall National Sports Centre, nr Newport, Shropshire (min 2 days a week) and from home

Role Summary:

The Athlete Leader will both play a critical system‑shaping role within the British Gymnastics World Class Programme (WCP) for the LA 2028 Olympic cycle, together with bringing an athlete perspective to supporting and shaping wider British Gymnastics work.

As part of the World Class Programme, the role exists to embed Collective Accountability into day‑to‑day practice by supporting gymnasts, coaches and performance staff to share ownership, responsibility and decision‑making for performance outcomes. Drawing on lived experience of high‑performance sport, the Athlete Leader will act as a credible bridge between athletes, coaches and the programme, helping translate intention into behaviour across training, preparation, competition and review.

Working alongside coaches, performance staff and Culture Assurance mechanisms, the Athlete Leader will help normalise co‑production: empowering gymnasts to take responsibility for their performances while supporting coaches to lead with confidence in environments shaped by increased scrutiny and change.

This role is central to delivering a world‑leading performance system that wins well—achieving medal success as a consequence of a healthy, accountable and person‑centred culture.

Why This Role Matters

The Athlete Leader is a cornerstone role 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.

Please refer to the Role Profile for full details

Main Areas of Responsibility:

1. 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.

2. 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 cur