The Football Association has an exciting opportunity for a Head of Development, responsible for leading and supporting the development of football in England across men's and boys', women's and girls', disability pathways, and the volunteer workforce, aligned to The FA and Grassroots Football strategies 2024–28. Central to the role is the creation and delivery of high-quality, future-proofed, and insight-led programmes, resources, and services that enhance the participant and partner experience across the game. The role will play a key part in supporting The FA's strategic partnerships with Sport England and other national stakeholders, including education, while also working with commercial partners to maximise investment and support for grassroots football.

In addition, the role will lead the grassroots legacy programmes for major tournaments, with a particular focus on the 2028 UEFA Men's Euros and 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup.

What will you be doing?

Strategy

• Deliver the Development team strategic objectives and activities for the GRF Division supported by clear and robust plans that can be effectively managed and measured.
• Be responsible for the delivery of Development Group and Grassroots strategy KPIs.
• Develop robust strategies and plans for each of the three main pathways for both team and sessional football (affiliated and casual, youth and adult), underpinned by best practice, data and insight, with synergies effectively deployed.
• Provide a particular focus on the Women's and Girls' game, ensuring participation continues to grow, supported by the right infrastructure and funding, capitalising on the Lionesses' success.
• Create and deliver major tournament Legacy programmes, particularly for the 2028 UEFA Men's Euros and 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup.
• Oversee the evolution and delivery of the Volunteering strategy ensuring the growth and retention of volunteers.
• Support County FAs to develop and execute grassroots development strategies, providing regular support to CEOs and their workforce.

Delivery

• Lead the development of world-leading, innovative, player and consumer-focused participation programmes (with a focus on women and girls) to deliver the targets.
• Track the delivery of Development targets via a dashboard, highlighting achievements, issues, and corrective actions, working closely with the Strategy & Business Services team.
• Manage the Development budgets and report on return on investment.
• Work across the Grassroots Division as needed to support the development and delivery of strategic objectives.

Partnerships

• Oversee effective management of Education Partners ensuring funding, deliverables and KPIs are strategically aligned, supported by governance and safeguarding practices, underpinned by positive collaboration.
• Build national and local development networks inside and outside football, working with partners to encourage participation and deliver social impact.
• Support The FA's partnership with Sport England, ensuring funding requirements are met and evolving it to secure future funding from 2027.
• Build strong relationships and oversee management of other funded and delivery partnerships (e.g. PL, EFL in the Community, YST) to support FA development ambitions.
• Build strong relationships and support management of commercial partnerships alongside the Commercial Division, while exploring ways to increase revenue across development assets.
• Pro-actively build strong cross-Divisional relationships (e.g. marketing, comms) to ensure successful implementation of Development plans.

Leadership

• Provide reports and deliver presentations to the National Game Board and other Boards/committees as required.
• Oversee and manage support of NGB committees for which the Development team is responsible.
• Be a key member of the Grassroots Division SLT, attending regular meetings, championing a positive culture, and providing consistent leadership across the Division.
• Lead, motivate, develop and support the Development team, ensuring clear objectives, targets, and learning and development plans are in place.
• Represent The FA in Government settings and with the media as required.
• Pick up ad hoc Development projects as required to meet FA Group changing priorities.

• Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.
• As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

What are we looking for?

Essential for the role:

• Proven leadership and management skills at a national level within Sport Development
• Extensive understanding of the national, regional and local sporting landscape in England
• Knowledge of all aspects of sport/football development
• Proven experience of developing national strategies and managing their delivery
• Understanding and proven experience in leading and implementing change management
• Track record of developing and delivering high quality programmes and support services
• Proven track record of delivering results within established targets
• Experience of developing successful partnerships and securing investment
• Track record of working with diverse stakeholder groups and managing joint outcomes
• Experience of business and financial planning & budget management
• Experience of leading and developing a team
• Commitment to sports equality and an ability to gain ‘buy in' to equality objectives
• Knowledge of barriers facing under-represented groups
• Willingness to learn and collaborate
• Strong presentation skills and ability to communicate

Beneficial to have:

• Experience of working in partnership with County Football Associations or similar
• Ability to identify and progress new opportunities
• Knowledge of the strategies and working practices of DCMS and Sport England
• Experience of working with and supporting committee structures

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.

We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well-being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract.)
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers

Currently, we are working within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work. 

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.