Help build the physical preparation behind thousands of Australian footballers.

I'm Jack Grimes, founder and head coach of JJ's High Performance. Our mission is simple: bring AFL-standard training to local footballers.

More than 4,000 footballers have trained with us. We currently coach 1000+ players and work with 20+ football clubs across Australia.

Right now, the physical preparation for all of that runs through me, with some support from the team. That's worked so far, but it's now too big for one person to hold, and it's too important to be done in between everything else. We need an experienced S&C; practitioner who understands footy and can take ownership of this side of the business.

That's this role.

WHAT THE JOB IS

This isn't a gym floor role. You'll work behind the scenes, managing the physical preparation for our club partners and PRO athletes, building the coaching packages we sell, and making the day-to-day calls that come with preparing footballers properly.

You'll work closely with our football coach, Andrew Hodgson, who leads the football side of our coaching. You'll focus on the physical side: strength, running, conditioning and load management.

You'll also have support within the coaching team to help implement your programming decisions, manage athlete data and keep our systems running. Your job isn't to personally do every task. It's to make sure the right physical performance decisions are being made and implemented properly.

1. Club Coaching

We manage the physical preparation for football clubs across Australia throughout the year: running and conditioning, strength, weekly loading targets, testing and monitoring.

Football seasons rarely go to plan. Training loads change. Players get injured. Games move. Short turnarounds happen. Sessions run harder than expected. You'll need to understand footy well enough to adjust based on what's actually happening at each club, not just write a preseason block and walk away.

2. PRO Athlete Coaching

Our PRO athletes get highly individualised coaching. You'll manage their physical preparation, looking at their training, testing, data and circumstances to work out what needs to change.

A player gets injured? Their training needs adjusting. Their football load goes up? Their gym and running need to respond. They're not progressing? We need to know why.

You'll work with me, Andrew and, where needed, the players and their other practitioners to make sure it all fits together.

3. Package Development





You’ll take the lead on building and continually improving the coaching packages we deliver across Australia: strength, running, speed, power and conditioning across the off-season, preseason and in-season.

You'll also help decide what we build next, using athlete data, feedback, research and your own experience.

HOW THE ROLE GROWS

You'll report to me. Early on, I'll review and sign off on your work while you learn how we do things. Over time, you'll run the physical performance side day to day, with me keeping final say on the big decisions. Much like a senior coach and a Head of High Performance at an AFL club.

First 90 days: Learn how we coach, who our athletes and clubs are, and how we operate. I'll review and sign off on your work.

From around month 4: Once you've shown good judgement and a strong understanding of how we work, you'll start running things day to day, beginning with our club partners.

Within 12 months: You'll run the physical performance side of JJ's day to day, with me keeping final say on major decisions.

As JJ's grows, this can develop into building and leading a physical performance team.

If you want to be handed a plan and deliver it, this probably isn't the role. If you want to help build the systems and methods behind a growing football performance business, it might be.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

You're making good programming decisions without needing constant direction or sign-off.

When injuries, load changes or curveballs come up, you've already worked out the problem and come with a solution.

Our coaching packages keep getting better as our data and athlete base grow.

And as we grow, the quality doesn't drop.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

You know S&C.; Strength, speed, power, conditioning, periodisation, testing, monitoring and load management, and you know how to turn that into sensible programming.

You know footy. This is essential. Playing experience is a bonus, not a requirement, but you need to understand the demands of the game and how training, games, skills work and physical preparation affect each other across a week and a season.

You've done this before. This isn't a graduate or entry-level role.



You've already made S&C; or physical performance decisions in real sporting environments. Australian football experience is a big plus, but we'll look at each case.

You understand injuries. You know how to modify training around them and work with physios and other health professionals so players keep training within the guidance they've been given.

You can program remotely and at scale. We work with athletes and clubs all over Australia. Trainerize experience is a bonus.

You think in systems. We coach at a scale most S&C; environments never deal with. You can think beyond one athlete or one club and build processes that keep quality high as we grow.

You use data properly. Testing, feedback, training data, RPE, compliance. You use it to make decisions, not just to collect it.

You keep learning. You follow the research, question your own thinking, bring new ideas, and you're genuinely interested in how software and AI can make programming and decision-making better.

You can explain your thinking. You'll deal more and more with players, coaches and other practitioners, so you need to be explicit and build trust.

QUALIFICATIONS

A Bachelor's degree in Exercise & Sport Science, Exercise Science or a related field is required.

Extra S&C; qualifications and accreditations are highly regarded, but what matters most is your knowledge, your judgement and how well you apply them.

HOW WE WORK

Full-time, flexible hours, mostly from home, anywhere in Australia. Melbourne or Geelong is ideal so we can work together in person sometimes, especially early on, but the right person matters more than location.

If you currently work at a football club, that doesn't necessarily rule you out, as long as there's no conflict of interest with our club partners and it doesn't affect your work with us.

HOW TO APPLY

Send us your resume and a cover letter on why this role interests you, and answer these two questions:

1. What experience do you have programming for Australian footballers? What level, and what were you responsible for?

2. Tell us about a time you had to significantly change an athlete's or team's training because circumstances changed. What happened, what did you change, and why?

We want to fill this role soon, but we'd rather wait for the right person than rush it.

If that sounds like you, we'd like to hear from you.

Please note: Applicants must live in Australia and have the right to work in Australia. We can't offer visa sponsorship.

📌 Head of Physical Performance (Melbourne)
🏢 JJ's High Performance
📍 Melbourne