Emerging Talent Head Coach - Women\'s Pathway - FTC Until Dec 2028 in Burton upon Trent

The FA is excited to be searching for an Emerging Talent Head Coach to join our Women’s Talent Pathway team. The Talent Futures Programme will provide specific and focused support for the most talented girls aged 13‑16 who are subject to barriers to inclusion, through a dedicated residential camp programme focusing on critical performance education and in‑situ development support to players in their club and FA Regional Top Talent Hub environments. The project will help to bridge the gap in opportunity for players outside of established Academy environments and/or who face barriers to inclusion. This role is advertised as a fixed‑term contract, up until December 2028.

What will you be doing?

• Lead a series of residential Talent Futures Camps for players aged 13‑16 to bridge the gap in opportunity for players sitting outside of established Academy programmes.
• Lead and manage a multi‑disciplinary team of staff to deliver child‑centred high‑quality environments to help players transition from the Futures Programmes into WU15 – WU17 squads.
• Support the delivery of a parent education and engagement programme to complement the journey of talented female players.
• Support the recruitment and upskilling of 5 Talent Mentors delivering on all residential Talent Futures Camps.
• Technical coach delivery on Pathway Regional and National events, focusing time with Futures Squad players.
• Lead in‑situ sessions for identified players who show potential to transition to WU15/WU16 squads.
• Provide insight and attend England Long List player selection and grading events.
• Build a deep understanding of benchmarks for England players and act as an England Development Team Coach when appropriate.
• Build in‑depth, holistic knowledge of talented players who show potential to transition into National Teams, gathering a deep understanding of their barriers to take a bespoke approach to address their needs.
• Transition players into their first England camp, attending as a mentor to support their next progression.
• Work closely with the FA Regional Talent Managers and FA Talent ID Coaches to support strategic planning and delivery.
• Build a network of key stakeholders to support the identification of players who may face barriers.
• Support Regional Talent Managers to shape and deliver their Regional Talent Strategies, helping to expand Youth National Team (13‑16) player pools by targeting players facing barriers to inclusion.
• Gather insight and learning around barriers to talented players from under‑represented groups, sharing findings and best practices with internal and external partners.
• Utilise a central tracking and monitoring system that allows talented players’ individual progress to be tracked.
• Use data and insight to target regional hotspot areas and support the identification of talented players.
• Work closely with the FA's Technical Team on the progress and implementation of the Women’s Technical Strategy.
• Execute 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: UEFA B License.
• Experience: Experience in leading player development programmes within a club environment. Experience of working with talented players who have faced barriers. Experience in delivering individual and group sessions to support player progression. Experience in transitioning talented players to the next step in their trajectory. Experience working with local partners and stakeholders to engage historically under‑represented groups. Experience in planning, implementing, and managing successful holistic talent programmes/pathways. Experience in identifying talent and potential through game insights, with excellent reporting and analysis skills. Demonstrate the ability to analyse talent pathway activities to increase player development interventions. High‑level people development skills and experience. Ability to influence and build positive working relationships. Ability to demonstrate working within elite football/sports environments. Deep knowledge of technical and tactical components of the game.
• Technical Skills: Advanced Microsoft Office. Ability to use smartsheets/excel/smartsheets. Ability to create presentations and present to a wide range of stakeholders.

Beneficial to have:

• Knowledge: UEFA A License.
• Experience: Experience in building and delivering talent pathways. Detailed knowledge of the women’s game. Experience and knowledge of international football. Ability to problem solve.
• Technical Skills: Basic project management skills. Basic analysis skills. Capability to use player and game analysis tools for individual player support.

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.