National Referee Talent Manager - Women's Refereeing Part-Time

You will need to login before you can apply for a job.

National Referee Talent Manager - Women's Refereeing Part-Time

Sector: Sport, Leisure and Fitness
Role: Manager
Contract Type: Permanent
Hours: Part Time

Impact, on and off the pitch...
We are excited to be searching for a National Talent Manager - Women's Refereeing to join our Football Operations division.

The post-holder will lead the development of the Women's Refereeing talent pathway by designing and implementing a robust Talent ID network that identifies, nurtures, and accelerates high-potential referees and assistant referees.

You will oversee the progression of women's referees through the talent pathway, ensuring alignment with The FA's strategic objectives for diversity, growth, and excellence. In collaboration with PGMOL, this role will facilitate the development and progression of referees into the Women's Professional Game, while also managing the performance of Women's National League match officials through a culture of continuous improvement, learning and development.

The role is advertised on a part-time contract (0.4 FTE) equivalent to two days per week and will also be home-based. Travel is expected across various sites so the successful candidate must be flexible and willing to commute on behalf of the organisation.

What will you be doing?

• Technical Leadership: Lead and manage the technical direction for the FA CORE - Women's programme and the Women's Refereeing Talent ID & Development Programme, ensuring alignment with the FA's strategic goals for officiating at all levels.
• Talent ID Network: Establish and manage a Talent Identification (ID) network to identify and accelerate high-potential referees and assistant referees. Collaborate with CFAs and other stakeholders to accelerate high-potential talent through structured pathways into the national system.
• Performance Management: Oversee the performance of Women's National League match officials, ensuring regular evaluations, feedback, and tailored development programmes to raise standards across the Women's National League.
• Collaboration with PGMOL: Build and maintain strong relationships with PGMOL to ensure a clear pathway for talent identification, progression, and advancement of match officials to transition into the Women's Professional Game.
• Programme Delivery: Manage and deliver key FA programmes, including the Women's Refereeing Talent ID and Talent Programmes, ensuring they support the growth, experience, and retention of women match officials across the football pyramid.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Implement strategies to increase participation and progression of women's referees from underrepresented communities, aligning with the FA's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
• Match Official Well-being: Ensure the well-being and professional development of referees by providing access to mental health and well-being resources, creating a supportive environment for referees to thrive in their roles.
• Innovative Learning and Development: Utilise technology and innovative learning strategies to modernise referee education and enhance the learning experience for officials at all levels. Implement digital learning tools to support ongoing referee development.
• Data and Feedback Integration: Oversee the integration of performance data, match observations, and feedback into referee development programmes. Ensure that training and coaching are aligned with the needs of individual referees, supporting their progression within the FA's development pathways.
• Strategic Alignment: Ensure that all programmes align with the FA's strategic goals for women's refereeing, fostering an inclusive and high-performing refereeing workforce.
• Execute 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:

• Experience in Referee Development or Talent Pathways: Proven experience in developing and managing talent identification systems and progression pathways for referees or athletes, with a focus on women's sports.
• Strong Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated ability to build relationships with key stakeholders, including PGMOL, CFAs, and other football organisations, to deliver collaborative talent programmes.
• Leadership in Talent Identification: Experience in identifying and accelerating high-potential referees and officials through structured pathways, particularly in women's football.
• Diversity and Inclusion Expertise: Proven track record of leading diversity and inclusion initiatives, ensuring the participation of underrepresented groups in talent development programmes.
• Performance Management: Strong understanding of performance management systems, including match performance, data analysis, and feedback processes to improve referee standards.
• Digital and Learning Innovation: Experience in implementing digital learning platforms and innovative educational strategies to enhance referee development.

Beneficial to have:

• Experience within the Professional Game: Prior experience as a referee or assistant referee within the professional game, demonstrating a deep understanding of the standards and demands of high-level officiating.
• International Experience as a Match Official: Experience officiating in international matches, providing a broader perspective on officiating at the highest levels and contributing to the development of referees with global aspirations.
• Experience in High-Performance Sport: A strong background in high-performance sport, with a proven track record of working in elite sporting environments to enhance performance and progression.

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 guidance.

Company

The FA is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and successfully generates enough revenue to support investment of over £150m 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, Barclays FA Women’s Super League, FA Women’s Championship, and Vitality Women’s FA Cup, all with a purpose to unite the game and inspire the nation.

Football is a game for all, where anyone can change the world.

That might seem a bold claim. But we know it is true. Just look at how football steps up when times are tough. It provides education and empowerment, escapism and enjoyment. Promoting health and well-being, and the power of teamwork. And with our new strategy for 2020-2024, we have a plan for all. Positively impacting every community across the country. Everyone can win if we build on the progress made over the previous four seasons.

Football has the power to bring people together, remove barriers and be a force for good.

Our current equality, diversity and inclusion strategy will run until 2024 and forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

Our three commitments:

• LEAD THE CHANGE - By actively tackling discrimination on and off the pitch.
• BE THE CHANGE - By building a diverse workforce from the inside out.
• INSPIRE THE CHANGE - By promoting an inclusive and united game which is for all.

Football Your Way – Disability Plan

We have an ambitious new three-year plan titled Football Your Way, to help develop, improve and raise awareness of Disability Football in England.

The new plan is the first of its kind and covers seven key areas, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring that as part of the equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, disabled people have the opportunity to engage and participate in football their way, from grassroots all the way to the elite end of the game. The plan comes under the umbrella of the broader equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, which is about creating A Game For All.

The launch of the three-year plan, from 2021-2024, outlines our intentions to create a more diverse and inclusive workforce from inside the FA and out, and from top to bottom, whilst also growing participation, increasing the number and quality of coaches, developing an inclusive and diverse talent pathway, increasing support for elite players and raising the profile of disability football at every level.

Football Your Way will allow us to create and sustain a culture across the sport where disabled people have access to all opportunities and feel they truly belong, both on and off the pitch.

The seven pillars of focus are:

Our People and FA Culture: Build full-scale awareness of what we have to offer disabled people while increasing understanding within the organisation around what it means to have a disability. Enhancing this understanding and creating an increased culture of inclusion will help increase disability declaration and representation within the organisation from 3.3 percent to ten percent.

Participation: A focus on recovering and returning to pre-Covid participation levels and then increasing the number of disabled people taking part in football, whether that be simply for fun or for competition across schools, clubs and the community.

Talent Pathway: Ensure that disabled people understand what is available and how they can grow as athletes and showcase how sustainable and inclusive the pathway is. By 2024 the forecast is an increase of 25 percent of players coming up through the Talent Pathway into England Para teams.

National Teams: Provide world-class coaching and support services for six senior England and associated U21 teams with the aim of every Para team challenging for podium success by 2024. Football Your Way also commits to establishing two new blind and cerebral palsy England Women’s teams by 2024.

Coach Development: Focus on recruiting and developing a great number of quality coaches that can nurture and grow future football players. By 2024, personalised support will have been delivered to all coaches in the talent and international pathway.

Marketing and Communications: Embedding disability into everything that we do. This will range from ensuring disabled people are represented when we showcase our football offerings, to ensuring that we proactively increase the promotion of disability football. This will include driving awareness of opportunities available for disabled players, coaches or administrators and will be about working to challenge stereotypes and change perceptions.

Partnerships: Ensuring sustainable funding is allocated to the future of disability football by securing two additional purpose-led partners.

Football can only become what we choose to make it.

Football means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. For some it’s dreams of elite excellence, for others it’s a way of connecting with their community and levelling the playing field. Both are true. For us, we’ve all got our own dreams and ambitions for how football can adapt, how it’s perceived, who it will reach and whose worlds it will change. Transport yourself ten years into the future, what does football look like?

That’s for you to decide.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Lifestyle

• Pension Scheme
• Subsidised Onsite Gym
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance
• Season Ticket Loan

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

At The FA, we are dedicated to developing our people both professionally and personally. We focus on business needs identified from our business planning process as well as the learning needs identified from our performance and development reviews.

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.