Boccia is a unique sport, specifically designed to include people with significant physical impairments including the most severely affected. Boccia was originally played by athletes with cerebral palsy but now includes athletes with other impairments that affect motor skills. The sport is contested at national and international levels, having made its Paralympic debut in 1984. Most recently, it celebrated success with two silver medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement (AWE) Manager is responsible for enhancing the holistic development and overall wellbeing of all categorised athletes within the high-performance pathway.

This role leads the development and delivery of Boccia Australia’s Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement Framework to support athletes through key transitions during and after their sporting careers. By creating core resources, education modules, and tailored support, the AWE Manager ensures athletes can thrive on and off the court, while promoting a high-performance culture focused on wellbeing, success, and long-term engagement.

This is a part-time 0.6FTE position contracted until 31 December 2026 (with view to extend)

Key Responsibilities of this role will include: (please review the attached position description for full details)

• Lead the development and implementation of a Boccia Australia Wellbeing Strategy, ensuring alignment to the Integrated High-Performance Strategy and the 2032+ Win Well Strategy.
• Integrate wellbeing into the performance pathway and contribute to the overall performance outcomes of individual athletes by developing and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of current HP/TD program priorities, demands, and challenges.
• Implement policies and procedures that support the holistic development, safety, and protection of athletes.
• Collaborate on an innovative disability care support policy and plan that is highly respected and recognised as world leading in para sport.
• Proactively engage with coaches, performance team members and staff and act as part of a multi-disciplinary team and manage internal and external stakeholder relationships.
• Through the development of building trusted relationships with athletes, facilitate Individual Life Plans that capture the athlete’s wellbeing, career, and educational needs.
• Support athletes in developing essential high-performance behaviours while managing the demands of elite sport and life beyond competition.
• Adopt an individualised case management approach when assessing athlete needs and work collaboratively with other service providers as needed.
• Assist athletes to make informed life decision that impact their performance in sport and life which supports athlete progression into and through the high-performance pathway and transition out of elite sport.
• Deliver workshops and/or facilitate access to opportunities that address athlete’s priorities for development.
• Serve as the primary contact for player welfare, offering regular check-ins, personalised support, crisis management, and referral pathways as needed.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of an impactful induction process for athletes and their key supports that showcases the performance pathway, its opportunities and the expectations of a high performing athlete.
• Provide proactive education and support to performance coaches to help them maintain their own wellbeing, to identify needs and connect them to specialist support services where required.
• Maintain contemporary knowledge of social issues impacting sport and proactively instigate solutions to address any developing issues.
• Work closely with the Boccia HP/TD staff and coaches to consistently consider athlete wellbeing when making strategic and operational decisions.
• Foster collaboration with the National Institute Network (NIN) to create seamless pathways and holistic support structures for athletes.
• Utilise the various referral networks available to HP athletes, coaches and staff including the AIS Mental Health Referral Network (MHRN); AIS Career Practitioner Referral Network (CPRN) and Elite Sports Education Network (ESEN) and ensure that athletes and staff are aware of these networks and how to access if required. 
• Uphold and embed the values and behaviours of the HP/TD Programs contributing to a positive high-performance culture in Boccia.