Men's Senior Lead Team Manager (Mat Cover) in Burton upon Trent

Join The Football Association at the heart of the England Senior Men's Team.

We are seeking an exceptional Team Manager Lead to play a pivotal role in one of the most high‑profile and successful international football environments.

In this influential position, you will lead the administrative and operational delivery that enables the team to perform at the highest level on the world stage.

This role is a fixed‑term maternity leave contract of up to 12 months.

What will you be doing?

• Lead the operational, administrative, and logistical delivery of the England Senior Men's Team programme, both on and off camp, ensuring a world‑class environment for players and staff.
• Lead on seasonal planning for the England Senior Men's team, across both 2‑year UEFA European and Nations League cycles, and 4‑year FIFA tournament cycles, plus contribute to long‑term tournament plans and strategy that are driven by other members of the Senior team staff.
• Oversee squad administration, team logistics, travel, accommodation, venues, itineraries, and all associated operational requirements for camps, matches, and tournaments.
• Travel to all home and away matches, training camps and tournaments with the England Senior Men's team.
• Coordinate multi‑disciplinary planning groups for camps, matches and tournaments, ensuring alignment across all operational workstreams and stakeholder groups.
• Lead operational input into Major Tournament Working Groups and governance forums, providing updates, recommendations, and strategic planning support to achieve agreed outcomes.
• Development and implementation of operational strategies, systems and processes for camps, matches and major tournaments, driving continuous improvement, efficiency, and performance enhancement.
• Ensure compliance with all competition regulations, player eligibility requirements, registrations, visa applications, and travel documentation processes, ensuring all submissions and tournament requirements are delivered accurately and within required timelines.
• Financial Management of team activities and tournaments, including preparation of 4YP, budget reforecast, event cost reconciliation for each event, and end‑of‑year reporting.

Be diligent with the seasonal budget, recommendations for spend efficiencies, and working closely with the Head of National Team Operations and Finance to identify areas of risk throughout the season.

• Develop important relationships across all major internal and external stakeholders, including close liaison with players, clubs, England team staff, SGP Operations, Wembley Events team, Performance, Legal, Marketing, Commercial, and Communications, amongst others, and liaise directly with UEFA & FIFA and Foreign Associations with tournament/match planning where appropriate.

Represent England Senior Men's Team Operations in these dealings.

• Lead the identification, assessment, and mitigation of operational risks, including contingency planning, incident response, and crisis management arrangements across all team activities.
• Work collaboratively with Security and relevant stakeholders to develop and implement appropriate risk management, safeguarding and incident response plans for camps, matches, and tournaments.
• Management of travel processes, including identification of charter aircraft and freight options, base camp selection, on the road accommodation, and venue contract negotiations.
• Provide leadership and direction for the Senior Men's Team Manager, and across additional operational workstreams including travel, logistics, kit and equipment, tournament delivery, and wider team operations activities, contributing to a high‑performance culture and environment.
• 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?

• Extensive Lead Team Manager experience at major international sporting tournament(s).
• Confidence and credibility to operate at a senior level, including strong influencing, negotiation, and facilitation skills.
• Able to travel regularly (UK / Overseas).
• Proven track record of managing complex stakeholders and working in a pressurised environment.
• Flexible approach to working hours.
• Project management experience within an elite sport environment.
• Exceptional organisational, planning and communication skills.
• Line Management experience.
• Previous responsibility for budget management and accurate financial reporting.
• Competent in the use of IT systems for creation, storage, and dissemination of information.

Beneficial to have

• Senior Team Management attendance and delivery at one or more of the following: European Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Olympic Games.
• Expert problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Experience in event management.

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.
• Free private medical cover.
• 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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