Vacancy description
Key Information
- Salary:Competitive
- Division:FA Education
- Location:National Football Centre, St George's Park
- Vacancy Type:Full-time, Permanent
- Closing Date:24 December 2024
We have a great opportunity within our FA Education team for a Senior Lead Performance Education
The Senior Lead Performance Education will be responsible for the strategic design and delivery of all learning and development activities that drive the education of support staff situated within the technical departments of professional football. The role plays a pivotal part in building and sustaining a culture of excellence within the professional game by ensuring that technical performance staff, and key professional game stakeholders have access to cutting-edge education, resources, and support that enhance their ability to deliver elite football performance.
Please note that interviews will be held in the New Year.
What will you be doing?
- Lead the development and execution of education and development programmes for technical departments within male and female professional football, with a focus on talent identification, physical performance and holistic player development
- Collaborate closely with technical directors, sports scientists, and performance teams to ensure that educational programs are aligned with current best practices in football and contribute to the long-term success of teams and individuals within the performance pathway
- Collaborate with technical and coaching teams to identify educational needs and deliver tailored programs that align with the FA's performance philosophy
- Deliver a talent identification and development education strategy for the male and female game
- Design and deliver the FA Education strategy for the UEFA Fitness for Football framework
- Design and implement continuous professional development (CPD) frameworks within each specific domain to ensure that staff remain at the forefront of football performance trends, methodologies, and innovations
- Ensure the consistent integration of the latest trends, technologies, and methodologies into performance education, enhancing the opportunity for a competitive edge
- Build a workforce that can deliver sector leading learning programmes across talent identification and development, UEFA Fitness for Football and other technical department domains
- Collaborate with FA Technical Departments Head of Performance to ensure education remains applied and relevant
- Deliver a systemic approach to diversifying the workforce across performance domains by leading and implementing equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives within the field
- Track and evaluate the effectiveness of all activity through a strategic approach to research and insight, using data to inform continuous improvement and adjust activity as needed
- Regularly report on progress, identifying key outcomes and areas for further development to ensure the continuous enhancement of coach development programmes
- Manage the budget for coach development programmes, ensuring resources are effectively allocated to support key initiatives
- Executes additional tasks as required in order to meet FA Group's changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure 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:
- Undergraduate / postgraduate degree in sports science or related area
- Deep understanding of football performance principles, including player development, tactical strategies, sports science, and the physical, technical, and psychological demands of elite-level football
- Proven experience in designing, implementing, and managing educational programs or curriculums within high-performance environments, particularly in sports
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and guide teams
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, from technical staff and performance teams to external partners, governing bodies, and educational institutions
- Familiarity with adult learning theories, instructional design, and modern educational delivery methods
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels
- A forward-thinking approach, with the ability to innovate, adapt, and integrate the latest research, methodologies, and technologies into performance education
- Ability to think critically and solve problems effectively, making informed decisions to enhance performance structures and address challenges
- Experience in managing budgets, resources, and timelines for large-scale programs or initiatives, ensuring efficient use of resources
Beneficial to have:
- Hold a UEFA coaching qualification (or equivalent) would be highly advantageous, demonstrating expertise in football at the elite level
- Previous experience working in a high-performance or elite football environment, with an understanding of the specific challenges and requirements of performance teams in professional football
- Experience in mentoring and developing future leaders within football, fostering an environment that supports career progression and leadership opportunities
- Understanding of sports science, including biomechanics, physiology, psychology, nutrition, and recovery processes, and their application to football performance
- Proficiency in using performance analysis software and tools (e.g., video analysis platforms, GPS tracking, and data analytics) to enhance educational content and inform coaching practices
- Familiarity with football governing bodies, competition rules, and policies related to coaching and performance standards (e.g., Premier League, FIFA, UEFA regulations)
- Experience in managing organisational or cultural change, particularly in advancing gender equality within sport
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 wellbeing.
- 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.
- 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
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 guidanc
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 Women’s Adobe 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.
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