Remuneration Guidelines for Strength and Conditioning Coaches within Universities in the United Kingdom: International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA) Position Statement

The remuneration of strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches corresponding to the professional services provided across the high school, collegiate and professional sector, has received increased attention in recent times. This appears to be a highly contentious topic regarding the governance of industry awards (National minimum wage) and remuneration. While professional bodies have no legal power to enforce remuneration guidelines, they do provide key recommendations for consideration when entering an employment relationship. 
In relation to the remuneration of S&C coaches within UK Universities, the International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA) has recently carried out extensive research across UK Universities and found that there is inconsistent grading regarding the role of a S&C coach. In the professional sporting environment, the IUSCA understands that laws of basic economics and supply-and-demand will influence wages, and the value of an S&C coach may therefore be impacted. However, while the IUSCA values free market economies and appreciates that competition will often dictate value, circumstances within UK Universities are different, and warrant fair grading and remuneration. Therefore, the IUSCA has produced this Position Statement to assist Human Resources (HR) departments in developing Job Descriptions, Role Profiles, and associated remuneration packages appropriate to the provision of S&C support within university settings. 
The IUSCA recommends that these gradings should be incorporated by universities in the UK to ensure a fair and transparent valuation of the work of an S&C coach/practitioner. This should help to standardise the provision within universities and gives the appropriate recognition for the S&C professional. In turn, this will provide a basis for further analysis of remuneration in other countries and sectors within S&C, and perhaps help guide professional sport towards similar standards and recognition.   
 


Introduction
The remuneration of strength and conditioning (S&C) coaches corresponding to the professional services provided across the high school, collegiate and professional sector, 1 has received increased attention in recent times. This appears to be a highly contentious topic regarding the governance of industry awards (National minimum wage) and remuneration. [2][3][4][5] Currently, only the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association (ASCA) 7 provide remuneration guidelines, with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), 5 and the United Kingdom Strength and Conditioning Association (UKSCA) 6 providing professional standards for their respective sectors. While professional bodies have no legal power to enforce remuneration guidelines, 4 they do provide key recommendations for consideration when entering an employment relationship. Despite this, the issue of appropriate remuneration is exemplified by recent examples of such jobs being undervalued throughout the industry. 3 In relation to the remuneration of S&C coaches within UK Universities, the International Universities Strength and Conditioning Association (IUSCA) has recently carried out extensive research across UK Universities and found that there is inconsistent grading regarding the role of a S&C coach. 8 Therefore, the IUSCA has produced this Position Statement to assist Human Resources (HR) departments in developing Job Descriptions, Role Profiles, and associated remuneration packages appropriate to the provision of S&C support within university settings. Such guidelines provide a point of reference to further enhance professional industry standards for S&C coaches employed within UK Universities.

IUSCA Strength and Conditioning Coach Grading
In the professional sporting environment, the IUSCA understands that laws of basic economics and supply-and-demand will influence wages, and the value of an S&C coach may therefore be impacted. 9 This makes it challenging for guidelines to be introduced and adhered to in an open market. However, while the IUSCA values free market economies and appreciates that competition will often dictate value, circumstances within UK Universities are different, and warrant fair grading and remuneration. As UK Universities adhere to a standard grading scale using the Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA) framework, 10 an employee should be paid in accordance with the requirements and expertise of the undertaken role. The IUSCA provides HERA gradings for S&C coaches (Table 1)  The HERA scoring was developed by a consortium of higher education institutions to cover the vast range of jobs which can be found within the higher education sector. The scheme has been rigorously tested at a national level to ensure that it is fit for purpose. 12 HERA analyses roles against 14 key elements ( Table 2) which reflect the values of higher education, and the aspects of the roles identified as being the most important. All roles are analysed against the same elements. Notably, the HERA framework uses a questionnaire format made up of 50 statements/questions to measure the level of responsibility and demands of a role in relation to each element. Once the appropriate role information has been gathered, each element is scored using the HERA scoring system. These scores are then combined to give an overall point score for the role. It is this score that determines the relative value/worth of roles, and ultimately the grade a role is assigned. The associated salaries presented in Table 1 are represent figures based on 2020 averages at our surveyed universities. 8

IUSCA Strength and Conditioning Job Descriptions and Person Specifications
To support proposed gradings and job titles presented in Table 1, the IUSCA has developed Job Descriptions and Person Specifications appropriate for university provision of S&C in the UK.

Conclusion
The purpose of this Position Statement was to standardise the role gradings and associated salary bands for S&C coaches within UK Universities. The IUSCA recommends that these gradings should be incorporated by universities in the UK to ensure a fair and transparent valuation of the work of an S&C coach/practitioner. This should help to standardise the provision within universities and gives the appropriate recognition for the S&C professional. In turn, this will provide a basis for further analysis of remuneration in other countries and sectors within S&C, and perhaps help guide professional sport towards similar standards and recognition.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Grade 5: HERA 285 -359 Job Description
Supporting the delivery of Strength and Conditioning (S&C) services to university athletes and other partners. This will include independent supervision of sessions, with support where required by a Lead/Head S&C Coach. You will be expected to liaise with stakeholders both within and external to the university, including athletes, coaches, academics, and senior management. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you must have good interpersonal skills and the ability to cooperate towards a shared goal/vision of athlete health and wellbeing. Hours: 37 hours/week Annual Leave Entitlement: 4 weeks Notice period: 4 weeks

Person Specification
• A recognised academic sports or science related qualification at Degree level or equivalent (or extensive appropriate experience) • Appropriate accreditation (IUSCA, UKSCA, or similar) or ability to achieve within 6 months with the support of the university • Experience delivering S&C support to a range of sports and athletes • An understanding of Performance Sport / University sport requirements • Experience of field-based training and testing protocols • Experience using advanced testing methods such as Gymaware, Optojump, Timing Gates, GPS, etc.
• Understanding of how to work with coaches, NGB's and performance sport practitioners from a variety of disciplines • Understanding of the academic pathway and surrounding issues • Good IT skills including Microsoft Office specifically Excel • Excellent organisational, administrative and planning skills • An understanding of various sport science disciplines and key performance indicators • Flexible approach to working hours.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Grade 6: HERA 360 -469 Job Description
Supporting the delivery of Strength and Conditioning (S&C) services to university athletes and other partners. This will include developing bespoke, periodised plans for a variety of teams and athletes, under the guidance of a Lead/Head S&C Coach. You will be expected to liaise and develop relationships with key stakeholders, both within and external to the university, including athletes, coaches, academics, and senior management. As a key member of the multidisciplinary team, you must have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to cooperate towards a shared goal/vision of athlete health and wellbeing. Hours: 37 hours/week Annual Leave Entitlement: 5 weeks Notice period: 5 weeks

Person Specification
• A recognised academic sports or science related qualification at Degree level or equivalent (or extensive appropriate experience) • Appropriate accreditation (IUSCA, UKSCA, or similar) or ability to achieve within 6 months with the support of the university • Understanding of Performance Sport Development preferably in FE / HE • Significant experience delivering S&C support to a range of sports and athletes • An understanding of Performance Sport / University sport requirements • Experience of performing needs analysis and field based testing for athletes and prescription of tailored service provision. • Experience of working with coaches, NGB's and performance sport practitioners from a variety of disciplines. • Understanding of the academic pathway and surrounding issues particularly at HE level • Good IT skills including Microsoft Office specifically Excel • Excellent organisational, administrative and planning skills • Excellent communication skills -written, oral and presentation skills and with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. • Customer focused approach to work, but able to prioritise. Strong time management and ability to meet deadlines. • An understanding of various sport science disciplines and key performance indicators • A creative and innovative approach to exercise prescription • Ability to work within a team and contribute to team development.
• Ability to deal with conflicting demands without supervision.
• Appointment to this post is being made using the Facilities Directorate Attribute Framework (see job description for details) • Flexible approach to working hours.

Lead Strength and Conditioning Coach Grade 7: HERA 470 -575 Job Description
Leading the delivery of Strength and Conditioning (S&C) services to university athletes and other partners. This will include developing bespoke, periodised plans for a variety of teams and athletes, as well as the management and support of other S&C staff. You will be expected to develop and manage relationships with key stakeholders, both within and external to the university, including athletes, coaches, academics, and senior management. As a leading member of a multidisciplinary team, you must have exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to develop KPI's, strategy and mission/vision of the department. Hours: 37 hours/week Annual Leave Entitlement: 6 weeks Notice period: 6 weeks

Person Specification
• A qualification at degree level (or equivalent) in sport science specialising in the area of physical preparation of elite athletes • Appropriate accreditation (IUSCA, UKSCA, or similar) with evidence of continuing professional development • A qualification at higher degree level (Masters or equivalent) specialising in the physical preparation of elite athletes • Significant employment in the provision of strength and conditioning services to athletes and coaches to improve performance • Experience of developing and implementing innovative ideas and putting them into practice, including working in an applied and integrated manner. • Demonstrated ability to analyse a range of sports in relation to their individual athletes within these sports. • Experience in the provision of strength and conditioning services to high performance sport.
(international / professional) • Experience of strategic planning, implementation and monitoring of strength and conditioning to high performance athletes. • Experience of coaching sport, specifically team sports.
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary team in the delivery of strength and conditioning services to high performance sport. • Experience of line managing staff • An understanding of the various sports science and medicine disciplines