Occupations and Terms of Reference › Sports nutritionist
Universal terms of reference · POS-262 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Sports nutritionist
To give nutrition advice to members and athletes, so that they eat safely and well for their goals and health.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You give nutrition advice. You assess dietary needs, advise on safe eating for goals, refer people with medical or eating concerns to a dietitian or doctor, and keep advice evidence based.
Reports to: Fitness club manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Assess dietary needs.
- Give evidence-based advice.
- Refer medical and eating concerns.
- Review progress.
- Keep advice records.
Working conditions and demands
- Advice can be misused for extreme diets.
- Clients may have eating disorders.
- Supplement claims are a risk.
What good looks like
- Advice is evidence based and safe.
- Medical concerns are referred.
- No unsafe diets are promoted.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every member is screened before they start and advised to see a doctor when they should.
- Exercise is delivered within the member's ability and health status, with clear progression.
- Injuries and incidents are reported and followed up the same day.
- Pools, equipment and rooms are checked and kept safe and hygienic.
- Member data and health information are kept private.
- Promises about results are honest; no false or unsafe claims are made.
- Staff hold valid qualifications and first aid training for their role.
- Children and vulnerable people are protected at all times.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-262 |
| ISCO-08 | 2265 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Fitness and wellness |
| Facility types | Fitness |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-256. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Fitness club manager | Programmes. |
| Strength and conditioning coach | Training plans. |
| Personal trainer | Client goals. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advice | Gives evidence-based, safe advice. | Advice audit at standard | Monthly | C-01 | T-05 | – | 2 |
| Referral | Refers medical and eating concerns. | Referrals made where indicated | Monthly | C-02 | T-05 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Claims | Makes no unsafe or unproven claims about supplements or diets. | Claims audit passed | Quarterly | C-01 | T-05 | POL-EQUAL | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Advice within the evidence base | Concerns about eating disorders (doctor or dietitian) |
| Plan content for members | Supplement claims or products of concern (club manager) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Degree in nutrition or dietetics | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Sports nutrition certificate | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Nutrition or dietetics practice | 2 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | C-01 · C-02 |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Nutrition assessment and advice | Gives basic advice | Gives complex advice | Designs nutrition standards | Advice audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
| C-02 | Referral of medical and eating concerns | Spots concerns | Refers concerns | Designs referral pathways | Referral audit | Every 12 months | T-05 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Advice audit at standard | 100% | advice audit | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Referrals made where indicated | 100% | referral log | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Claims audit passed | 100% | claims audit | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Sports nutritionist | 2 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 practitioner | T-05 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |