Coach-Matching Rubric
Most wellbeing providers allocate coaches by availability. We allocate by fit. This rubric makes "fit" measurable, defensible, and visible to the client.
The three dimensions
Each candidate coach is scored 1–10 on three dimensions. A 7 on at least two of the three is the minimum to advance to delivery. Otherwise: re-match.
Dimension 1 — SECTOR FIT (1–10)
How well does the coach understand the daily reality of the client's industry?
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 10 | Has worked in this exact sector (e.g. NHS trust → NHS client, logistics warehouse → logistics warehouse client) |
| 8 | Has coached ≥3 clients in this sector or an adjacent one |
| 6 | Has coached ≥1 client in this sector + has researched the industry context |
| 4 | Has industry-adjacent experience but no direct exposure |
| ≤3 | No sector fit |
Evidence: prior client list, coach's career history, named projects.
Dimension 2 — DEMOGRAPHIC FIT (1–10)
How well does the coach reflect, understand, or have practiced with the cohort they'll serve?
This is NOT about "matching skin colour to skin colour". It is about whether the coach can hold a room of (e.g.) a 50/50 mixed-shift warehouse, a senior leadership team that's 80% male, or a cohort where most have English as a second language.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 10 | Coach's lived demographic + prior coaching demographic strongly match the cohort |
| 8 | Strong overlap on either lived experience OR prior cohort |
| 6 | Has trained for the demographic gap (e.g. cultural-competence CPD relevant to cohort) |
| 4 | Significant gap, mitigated by experience |
| ≤3 | Significant gap, unmitigated |
Evidence: coach demographic statement, prior cohort summary, CPD evidence.
Dimension 3 — LIVED EXPERIENCE FIT (1–10)
How well does the coach's lived experience map to the lived experience challenges in the cohort?
This is MEM's differentiator. The coach who has rebuilt after a hard chapter can hold a conversation with someone in one that no textbook coach can match.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 10 | Coach has lived experience directly relevant to a named cohort challenge (e.g. neurodivergence, recovery from addiction, prison-leaver pathway, single-parent caring responsibilities) |
| 8 | Coach has adjacent lived experience |
| 6 | Coach has trained in the lived-experience domain via MEM's LEC programme |
| 4 | Coach is empathic but no direct or trained lived-experience link |
| ≤3 | No lived-experience fit |
Evidence: coach's own LEC profile, MEM LEC training records, signed safeguarding agreement.
The scoring sheet
For each client-coach pairing, the MEM Programme Lead fills:
| Coach | Sector Fit | Demographic Fit | Lived Experience Fit | Total | Advance? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach A | Y/N | ||||
| Coach B | Y/N | ||||
| Coach C | Y/N |
Decision rule:
- ≥7 on at least 2 of 3 dimensions → advance
- ≥7 on all 3 → preferred match
- <7 on 2 of 3 → re-match
- <4 on any dimension → re-match regardless of other scores
What the client sees
The scoring sheet is shared with the HR Sponsor at end of W2. The client sees:
- The 3-dimensional model and what it scores
- The score for the matched coach
- Up to 2 alternatives considered and their scores
- The Programme Lead's one-paragraph rationale
The client does NOT see:
- Individual coach personal information beyond what the coach has consented to share
- Unmatched coaches who were never realistic candidates
The override
The HR Sponsor may request a re-match for any reason in W2 without giving cause. One re-match per programme is included; further re-matches are billable.
Reviewer checklist (MEM internal)
Before the score sheet is sent to the client:
- All three dimensions scored independently (not derived from a gut-feel total)
- Evidence cited for each ≥8 score
- Safeguarding check completed on the matched coach in the last 12 months
- Coach has confirmed availability for the full programme duration, not just W4
Failure mode log
Every re-match (client-requested OR MEM-internal) generates a 1-line entry in the failure log:
{Date} · Client {ID} · Coach {ID} · Trigger: {reason} · What we'd score differently next time
Reviewed quarterly by Head of Coaching to tune the rubric.
Cross-cutting promise Every UK employee seat in MEM funds a free seat for someone leaving prison — and our prison-leaver coach pathway is the deepest part of this rubric. memacademy.org/corporate/programme