Are you passionate about creating safe, inclusive, and enjoyable environments in football? Join The FA's dedicated Safeguarding Team and play a pivotal role in shaping and leading our national safeguarding strategy. As our subject matter expert, you'll drive innovation and excellence across all Safeguarding Education — from e-learning and digital platforms to in-person qualifications — ensuring our content remains current, impactful, and forward-thinking. This is your opportunity to make a real difference, influencing the culture of the game and delivering meaningful, preventative interventions across the football community.

Please include a cover letter with your application that clearly outlines why you feel you meet the criteria and your motivations for applying.

This role will operate within our hybrid working policy (minimum of two days a week in office and when required), and can be based at either Wembley Stadium or St. George's Park, depending on your current location.

What will you be doing?

• Collaborate with FA Learning to evolve a safeguarding development framework, that underpins the learning offer.
• Be the safeguarding subject matter expert, working with FA learning and stakeholders to identify learner needs, develop and evolve our e-learning, digital and in-person courses, ensuring the learning offer is learner focused, progressive, and impactful.
• Lead the strategic approach to all safeguarding learning, development and CPD delivery by the preventative Safeguarding team, ensuring its innovative and impactful, providing check and challenge to the design and delivery.
• Work with the team and FA Learning to drive the development of informal education, and optimise the impact of innovative approaches such as podcasts, blogs, short films and bite size CPD packages.
• Utilise available research and insight, alongside learning from safeguarding concerns and cases, to ensure our education offer equips the learner to respond to changing trends.
• Collaborate with colleagues on a coordinated programme of CPD for key cohorts, maximising the use of resources with different groups and minimising any duplication of effort across the team.
• Drive consistency in content, quality of delivery and evaluation of impact across the portfolio.
• Support the development of educational tool kits which can used by individuals across the game to enhance knowledge and understanding of effective safeguarding.
• Work with FA Learning to embed safeguarding messages into the wider education offer e.g. coaching, talent ID, medical, refereeing etc.
• Collaborate with FA Learning on the strategic approach for safeguarding on matters such as the evaluation of impact, 'Accredited Prior Learning', cost of courses etc.
• Where appropriate, work in partnership with external organisations and experts to further enhance our learning offer, maximise reach and impact.
• Support the effective management of safeguarding and wellbeing concerns, catastrophic incidents, complaints and any referrals to Statutory Agencies, The FA Safeguarding Case Management Team and Integrity Team as required.
• Be an influential advocate for safeguarding, promoting, communicating and representing this work effectively.
• 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:

Knowledge

• A professional safeguarding qualification and or relevant background
• In depth knowledge of national child and adult protection and safeguarding legislation, policy and implementation
• Extensive knowledge of learning principles and how to develop and deliver effective e-learning, digital and in-person learning and using a blended approach
• Awareness of assessment for learning practices to ensure our learning offer is well suited to individual cohorts needs.
• A working knowledge of data protection principles and practice
• Sound knowledge of equality legislation and inclusive practices as they relate to safeguarding and additional vulnerability

Experience

• Professional experience of creating innovative learning experiences
• Creating and delivering learning for multiple and complex stakeholders
• Experience of collaborative, cross-function team working
• Experience of using data to shape learning needs effectively

Technical Skills

• Ability to create inspiring presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders
• Time and project management skills
• Reporting Writing skills
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills
• Ability to facilitate problem solving

Beneficial to have:

Knowledge

• Understanding of pedagogy and leaning principles.
• An understanding of the case management processes, legislation and related statutory and voluntary infrastructure
• Understanding of grassroots football
• Understanding of the role of County FA in safeguarding children and adults

Experience

• Experience of working in safeguarding in a sporting context
• Experience of developing tailored resources for different stakeholders

Technical Skills

• Budget management

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.