Academy Physiotherapist in Bath

Organisation: Bath Rugby Club

Salary: £32,500 (gross) per annum

Location: Bath, United Kingdom

Contract type: Permanent (Full time)

Closing date: 22 July 2026

Job Description

Job Title: Academy Physiotherapist

Department: Academy

Reports To: Head of Academy

Location: Peter Symonds College (SO22 6RX) and Bath Rugby’s Headquarters at Farleigh House (BA2 7RW)

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

CORE PURPOSE

Lead and deliver high-quality, evidence-informed physiotherapy provision across the Academy Pathway and Peter Symonds College partnership, supporting player health, availability, rehabilitation and safe progression through the pathway.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Clinical Provision & Player Care

• Lead and coordinate physiotherapy provision across agreed Academy Pathway groups and Peter Symonds College, encompassing clinics, training sessions and match‑day activity.
• Assess, diagnose, treat and manage injuries within professional scope of practice, ensuring timely referral and escalation where further medical or specialist input is required.
• Contribute to the implementation and review of emergency action procedures and provide trauma care within professional competence, in line with current RFU standards, local emergency action plans and organisational policy.

Rehabilitation, Return to Play & Player Development

• Design, deliver and oversee structured rehabilitation and return‑to‑play programmes, using objective progression criteria and clearly documented clinical decision‑making in accordance with agreed Academy medical governance and return‑to‑play protocols.
• Work closely with Physical Performance staff to coordinate rehabilitation, modify training exposure and support the safe and progressive reintegration of injured players into full training and competition.
• Contribute to the creation and review of Individual Development Plans (IDPs) where injury, physical development, availability or other relevant health considerations influence player development.

Integrated Player Management & MDT Collaboration

• Contribute clinical insight and recommendations to regular Multi‑Disciplinary Team (MDT) and case‑conference meetings to support aligned player‑development and management strategies.
• Provide coaches and performance staff with timely, appropriate and need‑to‑know player‑availability information, while maintaining clinical confidentiality and complying with consent and data‑protection requirements.
• Develop effective working relationships with relevant school, club and national‑programme staff and, where appropriate, parents/carers to support coordinated player management across environments in line with agreed consent, confidentiality and safeguarding arrangements.

Clinical Governance, Learning & Continuous Improvement

• Maintain accurate, timely and secure clinical records in approved systems, and communicate appropriate player‑availability and status updates through agreed information‑sharing pathways.
• Contribute relevant medical and injury data to agreed player‑monitoring and injury‑surveillance processes, using identified trends and service learning to support continuous improvement.
• Provide age‑appropriate education to players on injury management, rehabilitation, recovery and relevant health and wellbeing topics within professional scope of practice.
• Use relevant injury, availability and rehabilitation trends to contribute to evidence‑informed injury‑risk reduction strategies in collaboration with Medical and Physical Performance staff.

Partnership Delivery & Continuity of Care

• Act as the lead physiotherapy contact within the Peter Symonds College partnership, coordinating agreed physiotherapy provision and communication between relevant College and Academy staff.
• Coordinate relationships with an agreed local network of appropriately qualified and, where applicable, professionally registered therapists supporting pathway players, establishing clear referral routes, communication expectations and alignment with Academy player‑management principles.
• Support alignment and collaboration of evidence‑informed physiotherapy and player‑management practices across Academy, school, club and other relevant pathway environments through effective communication, agreed principles and shared planning where appropriate.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• Degree in Physiotherapy or equivalent recognised qualification, with current HCPC registration and appropriate professional indemnity arrangements.
• Current PHICIS Level 2 qualification or equivalent recognised immediate‑care qualification appropriate to the role.
• Experience delivering physiotherapy services within youth, academy or performance‑sport environments, with a strong understanding of adolescent athlete needs.
• Strong clinical assessment, reasoning and injury‑management skills, including appropriate referral and escalation.
• Experience designing and delivering evidence‑informed rehabilitation and return‑to‑play programmes using objective progression criteria.
• Ability to work effectively within MDT environments and collaborate with Medical, Physical Performance and Coaching staff to support integrated player management.
• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills, with the ability to work effectively with young players and relevant stakeholders across multiple environments.
• Demonstrable competence in clinical record‑keeping, confidentiality and appropriate health‑information management.
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability and willingness to work flexibly across training, match‑day and multiple delivery environments.
• Ability and willingness to work evenings, weekends and match days, and to travel between delivery sites as required.

Desired

• PHICIS Level 3 or other relevant advanced immediate‑care qualification.
• Experience within a professional rugby academy or comparable high‑performance development pathway.
• Experience delivering within school‑club, college‑club or other performance partnership environments.
• Experience contributing to player‑monitoring, injury‑surveillance and injury‑risk reduction processes.
• Experience contributing to Individual Development Plans (IDPs) or equivalent multidisciplinary player‑development processes.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Complimentary matchday tickets and Bath Rugby branded kit
• Local discounts and wellness initiatives
• Onsite gym usage and Cycle to Work scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity

Safeguarding

Due to the nature of our business, child adjacent roles, and the requirement to upkeep the reputation of our club, any offer of employment for this role will be conditional upon the declaration of any unspent convictions and other relevant safeguarding or protection orders, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any information disclosed will be considered fairly and will not automatically disqualify an applicant.

Due to the nature of the role, if you are successful, we will require you to undertake an enhanced DBS and submit two references as part of our safer recruitment practices.