St Mary's University College

Job Description

Job title / Games Development Officer
Reporting to / Senior Lecturer in Physical Education
Job purpose / The Games Development Officer will be responsible for the provision of high quality support to enable the sports clubs and teams at St Mary’s to strengthen their capacity, membership and performance. The role holder will work alongside volunteers and build strong and effective relationships that will be used to improve the quality of experience for existing students. He/she will also encourage wider student engagement and participation in sporting activities and assist the College in the promotion of its degree programmes.
Partners / This position has been funded in conjunction with Comhairle Uladh, Ulster Council GAA.

Main Roles and Responsibilities

  • Support the work of the St Mary’s GAA Academy and promote Gaelic Games at the College.
  • Liaise with the Students’ Union Executive to promote the participation of students in sport and to share information.
  • Support player development through the promotion and delivery of the GAA’s Health and Wellness Programme.
  • Develop and deliver educational programmes on topics such as player development, strength and conditioning, nutrition, hydration and lifestyle choices in order to support and assist students to reach their full potential.
  • Monitor and evaluate programmes as required.
  • Assist with the delivery oftraining and assessment of students on the GAA Schools Coaching Programme.
  • Encourage the recruitment and participation of students in sporting and physical recreational activities irrespective of ability or gender.
  • Ensure that appropriate health and safety regulations are observed and maintained in all sports activities under your supervision. Prepare risk assessments and/or health and safety documentation as required.
  • Order, as required and agreed, equipment for health, exercise and fitness.programmes and undertake an inventory of equipment.
  • Work within agreed budgets.
  • Promote the degree programmes of the College in schools through dissemination of information on the holistic student experience of St Mary’s.
  • Produce appropriate progress reports as agreed with your line manager.
  • Attend relevant meetings as requested by your line manager and report on progress
  • Work flexibly according to the demands of the service and to undertake such other reasonable duties and responsibilities as may be determined from time to time by your line manager.
  • Travel to sporting venues and partner organisations as required
  • Act in a way that demonstrates the College commitment to equality and diversity for staff, students and partners.

All job descriptions, including this one, while reflecting present perceptions of roles, are intended to be dynamic, developmental and offer scope for individual initiative. Staff on

occasions will be expected to be flexible in the tasks required of them.

statement of main terms of employment

Salary / Grade 5(scale point 20) gross hourly rate of £13.34.
Hours / The role holder will work up to 20 hours per weekat specific times of the year (see attached schedule) with hours to be agreed with the line manager. It is envisaged that most work will be undertaken between Monday and Wednesday inclusive until Easter. The role holder is expected to be flexible in relation to the hours of work to meet the demands of the post. Work undertaken on weekends will be paid at the normal hourly.
Fixed-term / This position is required for 26 weeksfrom 23rdOctober 2017 until 18thMay 2018. A reserve list will be held until 30th April 2018 and suitable candidates may be selected from the list in rank order of preference determined by the Selection Panel, if work becomes available but this will be subject to operational need and funding.
Holidays / 20 days annual leave plus 11 Bank Holidays and 7 College closure days (pro-rata) allocated during the Christmas and Easter breaks. Holiday pay will be calculated based on the hours worked.
Pension / The role holder, if eligible, will be enrolled in the NILGOSC defined benefit pension scheme.
Probation / Appointments are subject to the satisfactory completion of a probationary period of 6 months.

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

Eligibility Criteria

  • An honours degree or equivalent third level qualification in a relevant sports discipline
  • Level 2GAA Adult Coaching Qualification
  • Experience of working in a sports development capacity either in paid employment and/or on a voluntary basis for at least 12 months
  • Evidence of ability to developgood relationships with key partners
  • Experience of sports administration
  • Competence in the use of performance analysis technology
  • Full driving licence

Competences

In addition to the Eligibility Criteria the Selection Panel will assess suitability in the following competences at the interview stage. Competence is about what people actually do, it is about how you apply or demonstrate the knowledge and skills whilst carrying out your tasks. Applicants must be able to provide sufficient information to enable judgements of competence to be made in these areas:

Oral and Written Communication

To communicate with academic and support staff, students and external agencies about basic subjects that require little further explanation. In addition, the role holder may also be required to receive, understand and convey information that needs more careful explanation, or interpretation to others. For example, working with individual students and supporting them through coaching; ensuring that all procedures, health and safety precautions and other forms of instructions are understood and followed correctly.

Teamwork and Motivation

The role holder is required to be supportive and encouraging of others in a team; help to build cooperation by setting an example and showing a flexible approach to delivering team results; and contribute to building team morale as an active participant in the team. In addition, it is important that the role holder clarify the requirements and agree clear task objectives; organise and delegate work fairly according to individual abilities; help the team focus their efforts on the task in hand and motivate individual team members. For example, to provide support and motivation to students as a team or individually at competitive level, working with delivery partners such as the Ulster GAA, CAU and CAO, Students’ Union Executive, as well as other third level colleges and universities.

Liaison and Networking

The role holder is required to carry out standard day to day liaison using existing procedures in order to ensure dissemination of information in the right format to the right people at the right time and build relations and contacts to facilitate future exchange of information.

Planning and Organising

The role holder is required to plan, prioritise and organise their own work or resources to achieve agreed objectives. In addition the role holder is required to occasionally plan, prioritise and organise the work or resources of self and others within own area on a daily, weekly or monthly basis; plan and manage small projects, ensuring the effective use of resources; receive information from and provide information to others to complete their planning; monitor progress against the plan.

Knowledge and Experience

The role holder is required to apply working knowledge of theory and practice, sharing this knowledge with others as appropriate; demonstrate continuous specialist development by acquiring relevant skills and competencies.

1