Men's Technical Strategy & Operations Manager (MBA Graduate Programme) in Burton upon Trent

We are looking for a Technical Strategy & Operations Manager to provide strategic and operational support across Men's Technical, enabling the Technical Director to deliver high-performance outcomes for England Men's teams through clear prioritisation, disciplined execution, and robust governance. This is a two-year fixed-term opportunity as part of the Football Association's Talent Initiative, which brings MBA-level strategic talent into the organisation to deliver high-impact projects across the federation. The role is based at St George's Park National Football Centre, with an expectation to be on-site three days per week. There will also be a degree of travel, particularly in line with tournament schedules.

You may not have worked directly within football previously; however, we are seeking individuals who can translate technical thinking into clear strategic plans and deliver them effectively through strong operational execution.

• Provide strategic and operational and delivery support across the men's technical department, ensuring priorities are clear, resources aligned and execution consistently meets the demands of elite international football.
• Support the delivery of the FA strategic plan in order to deliver against objectives and our ‘game changer' of ‘winning a major tournament'.
• Translate the Technical Director direction / objectives into actionable, sequenced plans, maintaining momentum and clarity across a complex, multi‑disciplinary environment.
• Establish and maintain clear performance reporting, dashboards and review rhythms across priority programmes, camps and tournaments to provide assurance to the technical director and senior stakeholders.
• Lead the annual financial and strategic planning process for men's technical, with ownership and oversight of budgets in partnership with department heads, ensuring value for money and alignment to strategic priorities.
• Identify delivery risks early and coordinate corrective action where appropriate.
• Provide high‑quality analysis, options and recommendations to inform decision‑making on priorities, resource allocation, camps, tournaments and programme sequencing.
• Act as a trusted sounding board to pressure‑test plans, assumptions and trade‑offs while maintaining pace of delivery.
• Build strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to support seamless delivery across clubs, competitions and international obligations.
• Lead structured post‑programme and post‑tournament reviews, translating learning into improvements in planning, delivery and cross‑functional ways of working.
• Role model FA values and help shape a culture at St George's Park that demonstrates the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and scrutiny.
• Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA'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.

• Essential for the role:
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification
• Passion for elite sport and/or football
• Strong ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels
• Proven experience translating strategy into clear, deliverable plans
• Experience leading complex programmes and projects end‑to‑end
• Proven ability to work effectively in complex, matrixed organisations
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving capability
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong relationship‑building capability with senior and technical stakeholders
• Excellent organisational, planning and prioritisation skills
• High level of professional judgement, discretion and credibility
• Beneficial to have:
• Strong passion for football and understanding of the international elite game
• Experience working within an elite sport or high‑performance environment
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills
• Comfort operating in high‑pressure, high‑scrutiny environments

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. 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 offering greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page. 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.