Post Title: University Sandwich Year Work Placement - Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach at Performance Herts / Health and Fitness Coach
SBU/Department: University of Hertfordshire Sports Village
FTE: 37.5hrs per week (S&C = 0.7 FTE, 26hrs per week / H&F = 0.3 FTE, 11.5hrs per week)
Duation of Contract: Fixed Term (12 months) from Monday 31 August 2026 to 30 August 2027
Salary: S&C role = Voluntary / H&F role = starting salary £7853.12 with an incremental increase following completion of a 6 month probation period.
Benefits: Extensive CPD opportunities with in-house workshops, REPS Level 2 Gym Instructor, UKSCA Level 3 S&C Trainer Diploma
Location: On-site - University of Hertfordshire, de Havilland Campus, Hatfield
Our vision is to be the region’s leading S&C provider. To help us achieve our vision we are looking to recruit a hardworking, knowledgeable, and highly passionate aspiring S&C coach to join our team on a work placement year.
Our clients & athletes include England Squash, Women’s FA, London Mavericks, England Netball, England Golf, County & Regional Golf Swimming & Netball squads, TASS athletes, UH Performance Sports & Scholars & many more.
Working with the support of Body Balance Physiotherapy, Hertfordshire Sports Village (HSV) & the University of Hertfordshire (UH), our work enables athletes to optimise their performance, avoid injury, peak for major competitions, & educate them in areas such as recovery methods, nutrition & anti-doping.
The S&C part of this role is supplemented by a paid role as a health & fitness coach within the HSV gym team. This is a newly added part of this work placement role in order to broaden experience to include the H&F industry, fitness qualifications & training of the general public as well as S&C experience with grass root athletes through to World Class performers. This addition will also increase your earning potential, the number of qualifications you can gain over the year, and ultimately, your employability.
We are looking for an individual to help support our S&C & H&F teams from September 2025 for a year’s work placement. If you are interested in working within sport, S&C & H&F & looking to supplement your
CV with experience working with a wide range of athletes (both level & sports) under the supervision of a team of UKSCA accredited & highly experienced S&C coaches who will help you work towards accreditation & qualifications then please feel free to apply. This includes the opportunity to do the REPS Levels 2 Gym Instructor qualification and UKSCA Level 3 S&C Trainer Diploma run here at Performance Herts. You must be able to use your own initiative, be pro-active, have a thirst to learn, work well as part of a busy & multidisciplinary team & have good people & computer skills.
Previous work placement students have gone on to these roles:
- S&C Coach for GB Badminton/ UKSI
- School Athletic Development Coaches
- Lead S&C coach at Coventry University
- S&C Coach for Ealing Rugby FC
- S&C Coach for England Rugby Sevens
- S&C Coach for Coventry Blaze Ice Hockey Team
- S&C Coach at Performance Herts
- S&C Coach for London Mavericks Youth
Previous work placement students have this to say about their year at Performance Herts & HSV:
-“My placement year at Performance Herts was the highlight of my University degree. It was the perfect environment to develop myself both academically and professionally. A cultureof development that stems from the management through the coaches, the interns, into the athletes make this an excellent place to work. I would highly recommend this placement to anyone who’s looking to take the next step in their career.”
-“My placement at Performance Herts created so many opportunities for me to improve as acoach during that year and since then too. The main area it helped me with was by increasing my confidence in training and leading group sessions and my knowledge base which vastly helped with my 3rd year modules and dissertation.”
To Apply: Please send a copy of your CV (maximum of 2 pages) & application video (maximum 5 minutes sent via WeTransfer) explaining your interest in Strength and Conditioning and why you feel your qualifications, experience and personality would make you a great asset to the Performance Herts and HSV Health and Fitness teams.
Please send these to Maximillian Honigsbaum, Head of Strength and Conditioning at performanceherts@herts.ac.uk
Contact Details: For an informal discussion about this post please contact the Performance Herts team on 01707 281002 or performanceherts@herts.ac.uk
Closing Date: Friday 30 January 2026
Interview Dates: Tuesday February 10th 2026 12-4pm and Friday February 13th 2026 9-11am and 12-3pm. Please state your availability upon applying.
We look forward to receiving your application.
Our vision is to transform lives and UH is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and building a diverse community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of their protected characteristics and recognise there are different ways applicants may achieve the criteria in this document. We offer a range of employee benefits including generous annual leave, flexible location opportunities within the UK, discounted Sports Village memberships, personal and professional development and family-friendly policies. #GoHerts
REHABILITATION OF OFFENDERS ACT
DISCLOSURE AND BARRING SERVICE
This post is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 as amended. The University requires that the successful applicant who is offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. An Enhanced Disclosure will be required and this will include details of cautions, reprimands or final warnings, as well as convictions. The University of Hertfordshire complies with the ‘Code of Practice for Registered Persons and other recipients of Disclosure Information’.
Overseas applicants and UK applicants who have lived abroad
Successful applicants who have lived outside the UK, for 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total), in the last 10 years, will be required to produce a ‘Certificate of Good Character/Conduct’ from each of those countries.