About Us

The Perth Bears are Western Australia’s newest professional sporting club, set to join the NRL in 2027. As a high performance organisation, we’re committed to building strong foundations on and off the field to ensure long term success. Joining our team means being part of a rare start-up opportunity in elite sport, where your expertise will directly shape the future of rugby league in WA and help deliver a legacy for our community.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Performance Coach to join our High Performance team.

Reporting to the High Performance Manager, this role is the second-in-command within the Performance function and will play a critical role in building and delivering world-class physical performance systems for our inaugural NRL squad. You will lead the Club's Strength and Power Program, contribute to long-term athletic development frameworks, and work collaboratively across coaching, medical, and football operations to optimise player performance, development and availability.

This is an exciting opportunity for a high-performing practitioner who thrives in elite sporting environments and wants to help establish the foundations of a new NRL franchise from day one

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design, implementation and ongoing evolution of the Perth Bears' Strength and Power Program.
• Deliver individualised athletic development, speed, conditioning and return-to-performance programs.
• Support the development and implementation of the Club's performance philosophy, systems and operating frameworks.
• Conduct athlete profiling, performance testing and physical assessments to inform evidence based interventions.
• Collaborate closely with medical staff to deliver effective return-to-performance programs and support safe reintegration to training and competition.
• Monitor, analyse and report on athlete performance, readiness and wellness metrics.
• Contribute to the continued development of performance monitoring, athletic development and workload management systems.
• Act as a senior leader within the High Performance team and provide leadership support in the absence of the High Performance Manager.
• Mentor interns, students and emerging practitioners while helping foster a collaborative, high performance culture

What We’re Looking For

• Undergraduate degree in Exercise Science, Sports Science, Human Movement, Exercise Physiology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum five years' experience in elite or professional sport performance environments.
• Demonstrated expertise across strength and power development, athletic development, speed development, conditioning, athlete monitoring and return-to-performance programming.
• ASCA Level 2 (or equivalent) accreditation.
• Current First Aid and CPR certification.
• Proven ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary high performance teams.
• Strong relationship building skills and the ability to positively influence athlete performance and development.

Highly Desirable

• Experience within NRL, AFL, Rugby Union or other elite high performance team sport environments.
• Postgraduate qualifications in Strength & Conditioning, Sports Science or a related discipline.
• Experience with strength diagnostics, athlete profiling and performance analytics.

Why Join Us?

This is more than a job. It's a rare opportunity to help shape the future of the Perth Bears and build the foundations of a new NRL club. As part of a start-up environment, your ideas, expertise, and leadership will directly influence the development of our players, coaches, and performance pathways.

You'll have the chance to build a best-in-class development system from the ground up and work within an ambitious, collaborative, and high performing culture. Most importantly, you'll leave a legacy on rugby league in Western Australia and help shape the next generation of Perth Bears talent.

Working in a Start-Up Environment

The Perth Bears are a start-up organisation in a critical foundation phase. Like other roles recruited to date, this position is intentionally hands-on and will initially operate with lean support structures.

The role will be fully accountable for establishing, delivering while the club grows. You will be required to design processes, integrate technology platforms, build relationships, solve problems in real time, and deliver outcomes concurrently.

Success in this role requires comfort with ambiguity, strong personal accountability, and the ability to move seamlessly between strategic planning and day-to-day execution.

Important Information

This role is based in Perth, Western Australia and remote working opportunities are not available.

The Perth Bears are an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for all employees. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with disability.

Please note, the Perth Bears do not accept unsolicited applications or requests for employment sent directly to the Club. Only applications submitted through the advertised channels will be considered.

Not open to recruitment agencies.