Women\'s Pathway Emerging Talent Head Coach

The FA are 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.

Responsibilities

• 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 Programme into WU15‑WU17 squads.
• Support the delivery of a parent education and engagement programme to complement the journey of talented female players.
• Recruit and upskill five Talent Mentors to deliver all residential Talent Futures Camps.
• Deliver Technical Coach sessions at Pathway Regional and National events, focusing on 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.
• Act as an England Development Team Coach where appropriate, building a deep understanding of benchmarks for England players.
• Build in‑depth, holistic knowledge of talented players who show potential to transition into National Teams, and develop a bespoke approach to address their needs.
• Mentor players through their first England camp and support subsequent 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 identify players who may face barriers.
• Support Regional Talent Managers to shape and deliver Regional Talent Strategies, expanding 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.
• Use a central tracking and monitoring system to track talented players’ individual progress.
• Employ data and insight to target regional hotspot areas and identify talented players.
• Collaborate 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 maintain the highest standards of health, safety and well‑being.

Essential Qualifications

• UEFA B Licence.
• Experience in leading player development programmes within a club environment.
• Experience working with talented players who have faced barriers.
• Experience delivering individual and group sessions to support player progression.
• Experience transitioning talented players to the next step in their trajectory.
• Experience working with local partners and stakeholders to engage historically under‑represented groups.
• Experience planning, implementing and managing successful holistic talent programmes/pathways.
• Experience identifying talent and potential through game insight, with excellent reporting and analysis skills.
• Demonstrated ability to analyse talent pathway activities to increase player development interventions.
• High‑level people development skills.
• 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.
• Proficiency in Smartsheets, Excel and related tools.
• Ability to create presentations and present to a broad range of stakeholders.

Beneficial Qualifications

• UEFA A Licence.
• Experience building and delivering talent pathways.
• Detailed knowledge of the women's game.
• Experience and knowledge of international football.
• Ability to problem‑solve.
• Basic project management skills.
• Basic analysis skills.
• Capability to use player and game analysis tools for individual player support.

Benefits

• Access to event‑day tickets at Wembley Stadium and regular internal events.
• 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 and 25 days of annual leave (based on a full‑time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.

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. Every employee will be required to complete a DBS check, the level of which is based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

Interviews are scheduled to take place on 20th May 2026 at St George's Park, Burton‑Upon‑Trent.