Loughborough Sport Placements

Loughborough Performance Sport is committed to the development of aspiring coaches and practitioners in elite sport in the UK. Supporting around 500 funded athletes, scholars, and first team athletes across a range of sports and athletic disciplines, we provide a unique environment to develop in a range of inter-disciplinary sports programs.

This is an opportunity for aspiring practitioners to join our team of Strength and Conditioning practitioners in delivering support to our Performance Programmes, alongside studying MSc. The successful applicant will gain practical applied experience under the guidance of our experienced team. During the two years there is an opportunity to build up a portfolio of Continued Professional Development (CPD) and practical expertise, enhancing their employability within Strength and Conditioning.

Placement Roles

• Support permanent S&C staff with the provision of strength and conditioning to squads and individuals with the potential for ad-hoc projects with other sports.
• Assist with tasks such as performance testing, training load and wellness monitoring, seasonal planning and periodisation, and athlete education.
• Develop good relationships with coaches and other staff within the sports, as well as other practitioners to enhance the provision of support
• Contribute to development of educational resources for athletes and coaches

Outcomes

• Development of skills and experience in an elite strength and conditioning environment.
• Exposure to working with coaches and athletes in an elite sporting environment.
• Develop experience working with an inter-disciplinary team of Sports Science and Medicine practitioners.

Benefits

• Stipend of £6,500 per annum, to support you to undertake the placement whilst studying
• A unique personal development plan, focused on clear aims and objectives with the goal of developing the Placement Strength and Conditioning Coach into a competent practitioner
• A variety of CPD opportunities across all Sports Science and Medicine disciplines

It is expected that the successful applicant will use this opportunity:

• To develop skills relevant to achieving accreditation with the UKSCA.
• To have regular reviews with the relevant leading practitioners
• To have a structured individualised CPD plan

Time Commitment

The Placement student will be expected to commit a minimum of 21 hours per week across the full year (October – September) to this role, these hours will be balanced alongside your studies on the Strength & Conditioning MSc course. These hours will be variable and unsociable at times.

What are we looking for?

This role is only open to students who meet the MSc in Strength and Conditioning course criteria at Loughborough University for 2025/2026 academic year. Once the applicant is successful, they will be transferred onto the part-time pathway.

The applicant should have a clear desire to work in performance sport as a Strength and Conditioning Coach on completion of the placement. The behaviours that we strive for within the placement are high levels of passion, excellent organisation, and the ability to engage and integrate within a team of coaches, athletes and practitioners.

Application

As part of the application process, we would like you to submit your current CV as well as produce an application video. 

It’s up to you how you choose to produce the video, the only stipulations are that it is no longer than 5 minutes and you answer all questions (with relevant detail) set out below. 

1. Tell us about yourself
2. • Name
   • Recent experience in a sporting environment
   • Any other coaching experience
3. Tell us why you want to work in Strength & Conditioning?
4. Tell us about a time that you have had success when working with someone, to elicit a performance change
5. What about you as a person would make an athlete want to engage with you?
6. Physically demonstrate, and give only the main coaching points for the following exercises (if you have access to a gym, please demonstrate with load, if not, bodyweight will suffice):
   1. Squat
   2. Romanian Deadlift/Stiff Leg Deadlift
   3. Copenhagen (With rationale for exercise utilisation)

6. Please give us the details of your most recent references that are available to contact. 

Depending on compression, it may be an issue for some of you to email the video, if this is the case, there are other options available such as WeTransfer.

The application process will close 5pm Thursday 21^st August 2025. Interviews will be week commencing Monday ^1st  September 2025

Please send any informal enquiries to c.thorpe@lboro.ac.uk 

Loughborough Performance Sport is committed to the development of aspiring coaches and practitioners in elite sport in the UK. Supporting around 500 funded athletes, scholars, and first team athletes across a range of sports and athletic disciplines, we provide a unique environment to develop in a range of multi-disciplinary sports programs.

The Loughborough Sport Physiology team directly supports four Performance Programmes (athletics, swimming, cycling, and triathlon) and also has a commercial arm. On the commercial side, we provide support to a wide range of sports and athletes.

The main client groups we work with are endurance runners, triathletes, cyclists, and motorsports, with athletes ranging from novices to professional sportspeople and world record holders. You can find out more about what we do on our webpage.

We have several opportunities for aspiring practitioners to join our team of Physiology professionals in delivering support to our Performance Programmes and commercial customers. The successful applicants will gain practical applied experience under the guidance of experienced, CASES accredited practitioners.   

During the placement there is an opportunity to build up a portfolio of Continued Professional Development (CPD) and practical expertise, enhancing their employability within physiology.

The positions are:

• 2 x part-time stipend paid MSc placements – combined with completing the MSc Physiology & Nutrition in Sport & Exercise at Loughborough University part-time over 2 years.
• 2 x voluntary roles for MSc students - combined with completing the MSc Physiology & Nutrition in Sport & Exercise at Loughborough University full-time over 1 year.

Two-year part-time stipend paid MSc placements:

October 2025 – September 2027
2 x Physiology Placement Roles (1 Cycling, 1 Triathlon)

Year 1

• Support a 2nd-year MSc placement student in providing physiology support to the University Triathlon/Cycling Performance Programme.
  
  • Assist with tasks such as performance testing, training load monitoring, environmental physiology projects and seasonal planning.
  • Develop good relationships with coaches and other staff within the sport, as well as other practitioners to enhance the provision of support
  • Contribute to development of educational resources for athletes and coaches
• Support the work of the commercial arm of the service – assisting in the delivery of running and cycling physiology assessments with a wide range of customers, environmental chamber work and any other related project work.
• Potential for ad-hoc projects with other Performance Sports programmes.
• Take part in a structured CPD programme with the physiology placement team

Year 2

• Lead the delivery of physiology support to the University Triathlon/Cycling Performance Programme
  • Contribute to the whole triathlon/cycling performance planning process as part of the interdisciplinary team working with triathlon/cycling
  • Design and deliver the physiology element of support as laid out in the triathlon/cycling performance programme. This will likely include elements such as:
    • Physiology testing
    • Training load monitoring
    • Environmental physiology projects
    • Seasonal planning
    • Bespoke support with individual athletes
  • Develop good relationships with coaches and other staff within the sport, as well as other practitioners to enhance the provision of support
• Contribute to mentoring year 1 MSc placement students
• Contribute to other work of the service including the commercial service when appropriate, including the opportunity to undertake extra, paid work for the commercial service.
• Take part in a structured CPD programme with the physiology staff team and contribute to the delivery of CPD to the 1^st year placement students.

Outcomes:

• Development of skills and experience in a CASES-accredited laboratory, overseen by CASES accredited physiologists
• Opportunity to undertake CASES Supervised Experience if desired
• Development of field-based physiology assessment and practice techniques
• Exposure to working with coaches and athletes in an elite sporting environment
• Develop experience working with an interdisciplinary team of Sports Science and Medicine practitioners

Benefits:

• You will receive a stipend for the duration of the two years, the value of the stipend payment is £6,500, paid in 12 equal instalments per year.
• A unique personal development plan, focused on clear aims and objectives with the goal of developing the Placement Physiologist into a competent practitioner
• A variety of CPD opportunities across all Sports Science and Medicine disciplines

It is expected that the Physiologist will use this opportunity:

• To attend CASES Supervised Experience workshops if registered for SE
• To attend and present at the annual CASES Student conference
• To have regular reviews with the relevant leading practitioners
• To actively engage in opportunities for development and in conjunction with the relevant lead practitioner, develop and follow a structured individualised CPD plan

Time Commitment:

The Placement Physiologist will be expected to commit a minimum of 21 hours per week to this role. These hours will be variable and unsociable at times.  You will be expected to communicate with your supervisor and any practitioners you are working with to ensure that your placement does not impact on your ability to attend lectures and other requirements of the MSc course.

Person Specification:

This role is only open to students that have a place confirmed on the MSc Physiology & Nutrition of Sport & Exercise course at Loughborough University for 2025/2026 academic year. Once the applicant is successful, they will be transferred onto the part-time pathway.

Please note that in switching to the part-time route, you would not be eligible for any scholarships or bursaries which may have been agreed for full-time study.  Also changing to part-time may affect your student loan, and you may be eligible for Council Tax. 

The applicant should have a clear desire to work in performance sport as an applied physiologist on completion of the placement.  Qualities we are looking for include excellent communication skills, a desire to learn and develop, and an ability to engage and integrate within a team of coaches, athletes and practitioners

One-year, part-time voluntary MSc placement roles

October 2025 – September 2026
2 x Physiology Voluntary Placement roles in Athletics (1 Sprint & Para, 1 Endurance) alongside full-time MSc Physiology & Nutrition of Sport & Exercise course

Loughborough Students’ Athletics Club (LSAC) is the most decorated student athletics club in British history, having secured 75 of the last 80 British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Track and Field Championships. The club has developed world-class athletes, including Lord Sebastian Coe, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paula Radcliffe, Steve Backley, Zak Skinner, Lisa Dobriskey, and Emily Diamond. Loughborough Students’ Athletics Club (LSAC) supports approximately 100 of its highest-achieving members each year through its Performance Programme.

This programme offers access to elite training facilities and comprehensive support services, including coaching, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition, performance lifestyle, biomechanics and physiology.

These two placement opportunities are to provide physiology support to:
Placement 1 - Sprint and Para
Placement 2 - Endurance.

This role is only open to students that have a place confirmed on the MSc Physiology & Nutrition of Sport & Exercise course at Loughborough University for 2025/2026 academic year.

Role description:

• Assistance in the delivery of applied physiology support, including (but not exclusive to):
• Lab- and field-based physiological assessments
• Training load monitoring
• Athlete education
• Competition support (prior to and during)
• Involvement in the sport’s planning processes
  • Work in an integrated manner with Loughborough’s practitioners (strength & conditioning, nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy, biomechanics and performance lifestyle) and performance coaches
  • Possible contribution to ad-hoc projects across other parts of the physiology team such as the Loughborough Sport commercial service

Benefits:

• Personalised Coach & Volunteer Academy (CVA) kit package (subsidised).
• Access to the CVA’s Reward & Recognition scheme as a result of logging hours
• Work and learn alongside experienced Sports Science and Medicine practitioners and elite coaching staff
• Development of soft skills
• Access to a comprehensive yearlong CPD programme
• A bespoke personal development plan and mentorship from a member of the Loughborough Sport Physiology team
• Exposure to a network of coaches & practitioners across the UK elite sport system

Person specification:

• Commitment – Maximise the placement opportunity and ensure our athletes get the best support possible
• The ability to talk to and engage with people – coaches, athletes, colleagues
• Willingness to commit to learning and upskilling daily
• Attention to detail
• Innovative thinking and a willingness to try things
• A professional attitude and approach, respect for others

Other requirements for the role:

• Willing to commit a minimum of 10 hours per week to the role
• Confirmed place on the MSc Physiology and Nutrition of Sport and Exercise course at Loughborough University for the 2025/2026 academic year
• Available to attend athlete training sessions and competitions outside of normal office hours (evenings & occasional weekends)
• A clear desire to work in performance sport as an applied Performance Physiologist on completion of the voluntary placement

 Application for any of the above roles:

To apply for any of the above the roles, please send your CV with covering letter - clearly stating whether you wish to apply for the part-time stipend paid placement, the voluntary placement role or both, and explaining your experience within applied physiology / sports science and what you can bring to the role - to the Physiology Team: sportscienceservices@lboro.ac.uk

As part of the application process, we would also like you to produce an application video. 

It’s up to you how you choose to produce the video, the only stipulations are that it is no longer than 5 minutes and you answer all questions set out below. 

1. Tell us about yourself - introduce yourself and tell us why you want this role
2. Give us an example or two of things you have done that demonstrate you possess the relevant skills and qualities for a role with us.
3. Explain the procedures and reasons for doing a VO₂ max test – as speaking to an athlete with no knowledge of sports science.

Please upload your video to the shared folder, using the link below

The application process will close Tuesday 22nd July 2025.

Interviews (in person) will be held on Wednesday 6^th August 2025. The placement will officially begin at the start of term.

For any questions or enquiries about any of the above roles, please email the Physiology Team: sportscienceservices@lboro.ac.uk