UEFA Pro Diploma Lead Coach Developer

Shape the future of elite coaching in English football!

The FA are excited to be searching for a UEFA Pro Diploma Lead Coach Developer, who will be responsible for the leadership, delivery and continuous evolution of The FA's most advanced coaching qualification, preparing coaches for the demands of leading at the highest levels of the game.

The role will be responsible for creating a challenging, relevant and highly personalised learning experience that recognises and values the diversity of coaches, their experiences and the environments in which they operate, developing the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to thrive as a coach and leader within modern high-performance environments across the men's and women's game.

Working collaboratively across FA Learning, the Technical Directorate and the professional game, the role will ensure the UEFA Pro Diploma maintains the highest standards of quality, relevance and impact, remains responsive to the evolving demands of elite football, and makes a significant contribution to the development of outstanding English coaches.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the delivery and continuous evolution of The FA's UEFA Pro Diploma, ensuring it remains relevant, innovative and responsive to the changing demands of coaching and leading at the highest levels of the men's, women's and para game.
• Create an outstanding and highly personalised learning experience, providing the appropriate levels of challenge and support to meet individual development needs and enable coaches to apply their learning within their own performance environments.
• Build and lead a high-quality UEFA Pro Diploma delivery team, working with relevant colleagues to identify, develop and provide opportunities for a diverse pipeline of coach developers, while bringing together leading technical experts and industry practitioners with the expertise, experience and credibility to enhance the programme.
• Lead the provision of in-situ development and support for UEFA Pro Diploma coaches, connecting programme learning to each coach's role, context and individual development needs.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Leads for Men's and Women's Coach Development, and colleagues across FA Learning and the Technical Directorate, ensuring the UEFA Pro Diploma reflects the evolving needs and contexts of the men's, women's and para game and is aligned to the wider coaching pathway, technical priorities and The FA's strategic ambitions for elite coaching.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across the professional game, ensuring the programme is informed by current and emerging practice and provides coaches with access to relevant expertise, experiences and high-performance environments.
• Collaborate closely with The FA Elite Coach Developer to support the monitoring and tracking of elite English coaches, ensuring appropriate insight and connectivity between the UEFA Pro Diploma and the wider approach to elite coach development.
• Evaluate the quality, relevance and impact of the UEFA Pro Diploma, using learner insight, stakeholder feedback, assessment outcomes and wider evidence to drive continuous improvement while ensuring the programme meets UEFA requirements and FA qualification standards.
• Lead the effective planning and management of the UEFA Pro Diploma, including programme planning, resources and budget, ensuring effective use of investment and contributing to the wider strategic priorities of FA Learning and the Technical Directorate.
• 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

• Hold the UEFA Pro Licence.
• Significant experience of coach development within professional or elite football, with a strong understanding of the demands placed on coaches and leaders operating in high-performance environments across the men's and women's game.
• Significant experience of coaching, managing or supporting coaches within the professional men's or women's game.
• Demonstrable experience of designing, delivering or leading high-quality coach development and learning experiences for experienced coaches.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of modern coaching practice, elite football and the evolving demands of the professional game.
• Highly developed coach development skills, with the ability to challenge, support and develop experienced coaches through individual, group and in-situ learning.
• Proven ability to build credibility and strong relationships with senior coaches, managers, technical leaders and other stakeholders across professional football.
• Ability to lead and coordinate a diverse delivery team, effectively utilising coach developers, subject matter experts and industry practitioners to create high-quality learning experiences.
• Strong understanding of adult learning and coach development principles, with the ability to translate these into relevant and highly personalised learning.
• Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to operate effectively with senior stakeholders and within complex performance environments.
• Strong organisational and programme leadership skills, with experience of planning, managing resources and delivering complex programmes to a consistently high standard.
• Excellent IT skills

Beneficial to have

• Experience of working across, or strong knowledge of, different contexts within the men's, women's and/or para game.
• Experience of leading or delivering UEFA coaching qualifications or comparable advanced professional development programmes.
• Experience of providing in-situ coach development within professional club or national-team environments.
• Knowledge and experience of assessment, quality assurance and qualification standards within coach education.
• Established networks and relationships across English and/or international professional football.
• Evidence of continued professional development and engagement with emerging practice, research and innovation in elite coaching and coach development.

Important information to all candidates

The advert will remain live until midnight on Sunday, 1 November. The assessment day will take place in person at St George's Park, Burton-upon-Trent on Wednesday, 11th November.

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.
• Private medical cover funded by The FA.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' day's leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of 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.

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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

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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.

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THE PROCESS

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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.

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GROUP STRATEGY

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• 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’.

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EDI STRATEGY

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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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