Academy Player Care Manager (U9-U16) in London

We're looking for an Academy Player Care Manager (U9-U16) to join our Academy Operations team and play an important role in supporting the wellbeing, development and Academy experience of our young players. Working closely with players, parents, schools, host families and multidisciplinary colleagues, you'll provide individual player care support across the Under 9 to Under 16 age groups while helping to create a challenging and caring environment. You'll lead key player care programmes, support successful transitions through the Academy pathway, and ensure players and families receive the guidance and support they need at every stage of their development. You'll contribute to creating a positive and supportive environment where young players can thrive and develop both on and off the pitch.

We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We therefore require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.

Your day-to-day:

• Support our young players and families - you'll build positive relationships with players and parents, providing tailored support and acting as a key point of contact when required.
• Lead player development programmes - you will coordinate and deliver the Academy Transition Strategy and Lifelong Learner Programme, providing engaging life skills and personal development opportunities.
• Manage the Host Family Programme - you'll recruit, support and maintain relationships with host families, coordinating placements and ensuring a positive experience for players.
• Promote player wellbeing - you will support wellbeing initiatives, coordinate appropriate support and contribute to an environment that enables players to flourish.
• Maintain player care records - you'll ensure information is accurate, organised and managed confidentially while supporting wider reporting requirements.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders - you will work closely with Academy staff, families and external organisations to support player development and resolve issues effectively.
• Coordinate inductions and transitions - you'll support players and families through key Academy transitions and deliver annual induction activities.
• Support Academy events and wider initiatives - you'll contribute to tours, tournaments and wider player care projects across the Academy.

Position of Trust - As someone in a position of trust role involving regular, direct contact with children or vulnerable adults you will be expected to uphold high standards of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual, physical, or emotional harm. This role requires you to keep updated with both Club and FA Safeguarding training and education.

What we are looking for:

• Experience supporting children, young people and families - you can demonstrate a track record of providing welfare-focused support and building trusted relationships.
• Outstanding stakeholder management skills - you're able to communicate effectively and build positive relationships with a range of internal and external contacts.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary teams - you're comfortable collaborating with colleagues from different departments to achieve shared objectives.
• Excellent organisational and administrative skills - you can manage programmes, maintain records and balance competing priorities effectively.
• Knowledge of safeguarding practices - you understand the importance of safeguarding policies, procedures and responsibilities when working with young people.
• An understanding of the football development environment - you ideally hold knowledge of the youth development frameworks and Academy operations.
• Confident IT skills - you're comfortable using Microsoft 365 and maintaining accurate administrative records.
• A caring, proactive and trustworthy approach - you build trust quickly, handle sensitive matters with discretion and positively contribute to team culture.

At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme.
• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service.
• Great internal learning and development programmes.
• A flexible hybrid working model.
• Priority access to apply for match tickets.
• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package.
• A leading Employee Assistance Programme.
• Great discounts with some of our Partners.
• An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks.

Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to the same Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch.

We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application.

Application Closing Date - Sunday 15th November 2026. Please note: we reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later. Updates on the status of your application will be sent via email, please routinely check your spam and junk folders, as occasionally emails sent via the Teamtailor platform will find themselves there. Good luck!