Vacancy description

Key Information

  • Division:
    FA Learning
  • Location:
    National Football Centre, St George's Park
  • Vacancy Type:
    Full-time, Permanent
  • Closing Date:
    1 February 2026
The Role
ABOUT US
THE PROCESS
GROUP STRATEGY
EDI STRATEGY

Are you interested in working for an organisation that truly values its people?

 

The FA are excited to be searching for a Senior Lead - Learning Delivery to join our FA Learning division. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving the strategic delivery and operational excellence of learning programmes across multiple locations and formats. This role ensures the logistical effectiveness and feasibility of learning products, underpinned by robust planning and accurate forecasting of learner demand. It leads the management of a large casual workforce, fostering a culture of high performance and continuous development. As a senior leader within Learning & Innovation and the FA Learning Extended Senior Leadership Team, the role provides clear direction, inspires collaboration, and champions people development to deliver impactful, scalable learning experiences aligned with organisational goals

 

What will you be doing?

  • Lead the strategic planning, scheduling, and execution of learning initiatives across multiple locations and formats, ensuring programs are learner-centric, engaging, and delivered effectively.
  • Manage the recruitment, licensing, development, and deployment of a flexible workforce to ensure the right expertise and support are available to deliver high-impact learning experiences.
  • Work in partnership with the Senior Lead: Workforce Development (Coaching) to effectively and efficiently design and implement a unified workforce learning and development approach
  • Be an integral member of the FA Learning Extended Leadership team and the Learning & Innovation leadership team
  • Connect and implement relevant technical solutions to enhance our logistical efficiency, effectiveness and learner experience
  • Ensure all aspects of learning delivery, including venue selection and coordination, are designed to enhance the learning experience and align with pedagogical objectives.
  • Lead and coach team members (directly and across the L&I team) to effectively enhance individual and team capabilities, utilising 121's and providing impactful feedback and support.
  • Oversee the consistency and high-quality execution of learning programs, ensuring that learner experiences are effective, impactful, and consistent across locations.
  • Work closely with internal stakeholders and external vendors to co-create and deliver high-quality learning experiences, ensuring adherence to program goals and learner needs.
  • Efficiently manage the learning delivery budget, ensuring the optimal use of resources while maintaining high-quality, engaging learning experiences.
  • Foster a culture of continuous improvement, seeking innovative ways to enhance learning processes, optimise workforce utilisation, and improve learning outcomes.
  • 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:

  • Strong understanding of learning program delivery and learning design principles.
  • Understanding of workforce management and development.
  • Knowledge of effective learning planning.
  • Understanding of resource management.

 

Experience:

  • Proven experience in planning, scheduling, and managing learning programs across multiple formats and locations.
  • Experience managing a casual workforce and external vendors for learning delivery.
  • Demonstrated ability to monitor, evaluate, and improve the quality of learning experiences.
  • Budget management experience, with a focus on cost-effective learning solutions.

 

Skills:

  • Strong leadership and collaboration skills for working with stakeholders and managing teams.
  • Excellent communication and people development skills Analytical and problem-solving skills to drive continuous improvement in learning processes.
  • Ability to adopt and implement innovative learning technologies and best practices.

 

Beneficial to have:

 

Knowledge:

  • Bachelor's degree in education, business, Coaching, Learning & Development, or a related field.
  • Master's degree in a relevant field.
  • Understanding of industry trends in learning and development.
  • Familiarity with compliance and licensing requirements for workforce development.

 

Experience:

  • Experience in large-scale learning program delivery, especially within a geographically distributed workforce.
  • Experience with change management and process improvement in learning operations.

 

Skills:

  • Technological proficiency in learning management systems and digital learning tools.
  • Ability to foster cross-departmental collaboration for unified workforce development initiatives.

 

Interviews are scheduled for W/C Monday 9th February at St George's Park.

 

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 on 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, encourages 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' day's 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.

 
Close map
Location
National Football Centre, St George's Park
St. George's Park, Needwood, Newborough Road, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom , DE13 9PD
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ABOUT US

The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.

The FA oversees England international teams across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, and the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park, all with a purpose to inspire positive change through football.


Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally. It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most. With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.

Now is the time to inspire positive change.


We currently work 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.

Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of Wembley Stadium or St. George’s Park unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.

THE PROCESS

We believe that assessment and selection should be robust, fair, and inclusive.

Following receipt of your application and the closing of the application process, you can expect a period of circa two weeks for us to thoroughly screen and shortlist, ahead of any next stage and interview.

Please note, we receive a high volume of applications so this can vary but we ensure that our assessor panel reviews all applications, and no use of automated screening or AI is used.

At an interview, we want to ensure that we see the best of you as an individual and increase our understanding of your skills and experience relevant to the demands of the role. It is very much a two-way process with importance placed on the candidate experience so that regardless of outcome, you feel valued, and treated fairly and hopefully have a positive experience.

No process is ever the same, but we would like to create an environment that is welcoming and ensures the experience is as enjoyable as possible.

We tailor our assessment and selection depending on the nature and demands of the role. The FA Resourcing Team will provide you with as much notice as possible about the process and the format of any interview will always be communicated to you in advance, including what to expect on the day and who you will be seeing.

We often receive a high volume of applications, and for certain roles, we will supplement your application, utilising our on-demand video interviewing platform. On-demand video interviews enable you to answer preset questions, in the comfort of your own home or office setting and at a convenient time for you, giving us greater insight into you as an individual and the skills and experience you might bring to the role and working at The FA.

We also utilise Microsoft Teams for virtual interviews and of course host you at our world class venues, Wembley Stadium and our National Football Centre, St. George’s Park.

GROUP STRATEGY

WE HAVE MOVED FOOTBALL FORWARD.

From 2020 - 2024, we have – in collaboration with our key partners – been able to deliver meaningful change across the game.

From winning our first major tournament in over 50 years to delivering thousands of high-quality pitches to the grassroots game.

BUT WE CAN’T STOP NOW - AND WE WON’T.

This new strategy is about doubling down. Our game can tackle some of society’s core challenges. It can bring communities together, nationally and locally.

It can be a platform for inclusion, ensuring there is a place for all. It can get people active and promote wellbeing often at a time when we need it most.

With UEFA EURO 2028 – hosted in the UK and Ireland – on the horizon, we have an incredible opportunity to transform football across the country.

NOW IS THE TIME TO INSPIRE POSITIVE CHANGE.

Our ultimate purpose is to ‘Inspire positive change through football’ – everything we do ultimately ladders up to this end goal.

The 2024-2028 strategy focuses on tackling four long-term strategic challenges that will fulfil this purpose and drive real change across the game, our ‘Game Changer’ objectives.

Underpinning these Game Changers are then four activities and approaches that will enable us to meet challenges head on, our ‘Drivers’.

EDI STRATEGY

Our equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

A GAME FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION

Our 2024 – 2028 strategy outlines three fundamental pillars for delivering a game free from discrimination – Boosting Representation, Driving Inclusion and Tackling Discrimination.

These pillars ensure that our work uniting communities, improving lives, and inspiring positive change on and off the pitch will remain a core priority for English football for years to come.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The FA 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.

Benefits

thankYou
A 'Thank You Day' of additional leave on top of your 25 day annual leave allowance with extra leave for volunteering
pitchDays
Staff pitch days on the hallowed turf at Wembley Stadium, when the Grounds Team let us!
parking
Free lunches and parking at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park
wellbeing
Specialist mental health and wellbeing support all season round
internalEvents
A host of internal events to connect with your colleagues and learn
discounts
A wide range of discounts on products and services through our benefits portal
pride
Employee Resource Groups, such as Ethnicity and Pride
pension
An employee contributory pension scheme
healthcare
Free private healthcare
tickets
Priority ticket access to exciting events at Wembley Stadium
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