Sport and Exercise Psychology Trainee Roles

About us

The University of Derby, a Top 50 UK sporting institution and member of the TASS network, supports student-athletes in their dual career pathway to achieve both academic and athletic success through its athlete-centred approach.

As part of our performance sport programme - comprising several teams and over 60 scholars, the University is seeking a Sport and Exercise Psychology Practitioner, who is currently enrolled on the BASES SEPAR pathway, to support the delivery of our performance programme and sports psychology service provision for the 2025/26 academic year

The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering tailored, evidence-based psychological support, including individual and team profiling and targeted interventions. They will work closely with Dr Philip Clarke, Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology Lead and HCPC-registered Sport and Exercise Psychologist.

The role is offered on a self-employed basis, invoiced on a monthly basis. The successful applicant will be expected to operate alongside Team Derby staff and within the Universities code of conduct practices including Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Financial Regulations as well as General Data Protection Regulation requirements.

Position 1: Psychology Trainee – Advanced delivery and supervision role

Hours: Up to 10.5 hours/week
Contract Value: £4,500 (Self-Employed)
Hourly Rate: £12.21
Location: University of Derby Sports Centre (some remote work)
Contract Duration: August 2025 – May 2026

Key Responsibilities

Deliver detailed psychological profiling for ~25 individual athletes and seven teams (by end of Term one)
Design and lead five 1-hour group workshops during academic term
Deliver two 1:1 psychological interventions to approx. 20 student-athletes
Respond to athlete-initiated support requests within weekly hours
Submit monthly KPI-aligned reports to Psychology Lead
Supervise postgraduate and undergraduate psychology interns
Attend monthly MDT meetings
Respond to internal communications within five working days
Be available for the pre-season camp on August 26–28, 2025

Position 2: Psychology Trainee – focused delivery role

Hours: Up to 5 hours/week
Contract Value: £2,500 (Self-Employed)
Hourly Rate: £12.21
Location: University of Derby Sports Centre (some remote work)
Contract Duration: August 2025 – May 2026

Key Responsibilities

Deliver detailed psychological profiling for ~25 individual athletes and seven teams (by end of Term one)
Design and lead five one-hour group workshops during academic term
Deliver two 1:1 psychological interventions to approx. 20 student-athletes
Respond to athlete-initiated support requests within weekly hours
Submit monthly KPI-aligned reports to Psychology Lead
Respond to internal communications within five working days
Be available for the pre-season camp on August 26–28, 2025

Note: This role does not include intern supervision or MDT meeting attendance.

Qualifications:

Criteria	Essential/Desirable
A postgraduate qualification to PhD OR master's level in an applied psychology discipline	Essential
To be enrolled on BASES SEPAR / BPS Stage 2 programme	Essential
Attended Mental Health First Aid Training	Desirable

Experience:


Criteria	Essential/Desirable
Experience of psychological profiling within a team environment	Essential
Experience working with a range of athletes (15 – 35yrs)	Essential
Experience of working independently	Essential
Experience of delivery through a range of methods – one to one, group, face to face or through webinars.	Essential
Experience of mentoring and/or supervising others (*only relevant for those applying for the Advanced Delivery and Supervision Role)	Desirable
Experience of working with student athletes	Desirable
Experience working with a Multi-Disciplinary Team	Desirable
Experience of working across multiple sports	Desirable
Experience of working and delivering online	Desirable
Experience of putting group interventions together	Desirable

Skills and abilities:

Criteria	Essential/Desirable
Time management	Essential
Effective communication with a range of different stakeholders (e.g., athletes, coaches, support staff, discipline leads)	Essential
Monitoring and Evaluation	Essential
Reporting	Essential
Experience leading a team	Desirable

Working hours:

Criteria	Essential/Desirable
10.5 or 5 hrs per week (across a working week: Monday – Friday)	Essential
Ability to be flexible with working hours to accommodate performance team schedules	Essential
Ability to work unsociable hours including evenings on a regular basis	Essential

How To Apply

To apply for either position, email your CV and a cover letter detailing how you meet the person and service specification to:

*Please note if you apply for the Advanced Delivery and Supervision Role and we do not think you meet the criteria or person specification, we will also consider your application for the Delivery Focused Only Role.

Dr Philip Clarke
Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology Lead
p.clarke@derby.ac.uk

Deadline: Friday 25 July 2025, 11:59pm
Interview Week Commencing: 4 August 2025