Senior Safeguarding Manager (FTC) - Mat Cover

Founded in 1882, Tottenham Hotspur is an iconic English football club, playing in the Premier League and Women’s Super League. From North London to the world, our fanbase spans continents, cultures, and generations. Spurs is a club that’s always dared to push boundaries, breaking new ground and rewriting history. We offer world‑class facilities: In 2019, we opened our state‑of‑the‑art Stadium, a £1 billion landmark that’s the beating heart of North Tottenham’s transformation. More than just a football ground, it’s an engine of change — creating 4,000 jobs and injecting £300 million into the local economy every year.

The Club is seeking a Senior Safeguarding Manager to lead the delivery of best‑in‑class safeguarding procedures across the Boys Academy. This is a pivotal role with accountability for the management of safeguarding operations at the Club’s Training Centre environment. Reporting and being accountable to the Club Head of Safeguarding, the right candidate will be a passionate safeguarding professional able to lead, influence, support and constructively challenge to create a safe culture where abuse, exploitation or mistreatment cannot take place.

The postholder is responsible for setting the safeguarding standards within the Boys Academy and working collaboratively across all Departments to embed these. In collaboration with the Head of Safeguarding, the role will lead on the management, development, implementation, and review of systems to safeguard and protect children and young people at the Academy. They are required to work creatively and innovatively to ensure that the delivery of safeguarding not only achieves but also exceeds the safeguarding standards as set out by legislation and the Premier League.

Key Responsibilities

• To be the strategic lead for safeguarding matters within the Boys Academy.
• Be an active and engaged member of the Academy Management Team, providing trusted advice and guidance in relation to strategy, growth and risk.
• Promote a positive and inclusive culture. Champion safeguarding by role‑modeling best practice principles to colleagues.
• By managing the Host Family Coordinator, build a network of outstanding host families and oversee their recruitment, induction, training and ongoing support to ensure compliance with Local Authority regulations.
• Be the primary point of contact for parents, players, employees and workers for all safeguarding concerns at the Academy.
• Deputise for the Club’s Head of Safeguarding as appropriate to cover absence and where specifically requested.
• Keep abreast of current safeguarding issues, legislation, statutory guidance, and best practice and disseminate information appropriately.

Strategy Development

• To work with the Academy Leadership Team on the design and implementation of the safeguarding strategy, designing and delivering a tailored approach that aligns with the strategic vision of the Boys Academy and the associated risks.
• Using your specialist knowledge of risks facing the Academy players, contribute to the development of the safeguarding implementation plan for the Boys Academy.
• Lead the delivery of innovative and engaging practices which exceed regulatory requirements and seek to embed safeguarding in everyday practice.

Quality Assurance

• To ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidance, ensuring the requirements are embedded within the Boys Academy ways of working, activities, and behaviours of all staff and volunteers.
• Manage compliance with all relevant legislation and regulation including Safeguarding legislation, the Premier League’s Safeguarding Standards and FA Safeguarding.
• Provide expert advice and guidance to employees, workers, players and parents to ensure safeguarding is prioritised, demonstrates best practice and achieves national standards through the Premier League Safeguarding Audits.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across the Academy to prepare and plan for Audits, support the delivery of audits by external auditors.
• Utilising a network of Designated Safeguarding Officers, lead the implementation of quality assurance measures to assess safeguarding practices in the Academy provision and contribute to a continuous improvement culture.
• Ensure risk assessments are appropriately carried out and have oversight of and inform risk mitigation measures for Academy events, tours & trips.

Operational Activity

• Conduct thorough risk assessments to identify and mitigate operational safeguarding risks to players and staff within the boys Academy in a proactive manner.
• Have oversight of all safeguarding concerns and referrals reported within the Boys Academy. Triage, allocate and advise on case management in line with Club policy and statutory requirements.
• Work with children and young people to ensure that their voices, views and experiences shape the Youth Academy’s resources and programmes.

Training & Awareness

• Actively promote and raise awareness of expected safeguarding practices, through the delivery of induction and ongoing training of staff.
• Identify, develop and deliver projects to enhance and improve different areas of the Club’s Safeguarding provision.
• Work closely with the Head of Academy Education to ensure that safeguarding education is delivered through the Academy life skills programme to provide best‑in‑class education on safeguarding topics to equip players in relation to identified risks and themes.
• Plan and deliver safeguarding education to relevant key stakeholder groups, including staff, parents and host families.
• Identify and procure high quality training providers to deliver specialist, relevant training to a range of audiences including staff, parents and host families.
• Maintain effective and regular communication with staff, children, parents, players and management.

Partnership Working

• Build and maintain excellent working relationships with the local Authority Designated Officer and others in the Local Authority to understand local risks.
• Develop collaborative, supportive, and mutually beneficial programmes with the local authority.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with feeder school pastoral teams.
• Work closely with colleagues in Player Care, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Medical roles and Education to establish and maintain clear information sharing processes in relation to low level and safeguarding concerns.

What You Will Bring

• A respected and valued member of the club and their department.
• Passionate, enthusiastic and innovative.
• Striving to be the best and do their best for the department they work in.
• Open and willing to learn from others.
• Aspiring to leave a positive legacy.
• A trusted source of support within their team.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Experienced in a Safeguarding Management role in a fast‑paced environment with multiple modes of service delivery. Ideally within an educational or sports setting.
• Professional qualification in safeguarding and relevant experience working with children, young people and adults at risk.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a leadership role, evidencing an ability to influence, advise and support colleagues on safeguarding issues.
• Experience of establishing effective working relationships, partnerships and collaborations with a range of organisations and providers.
• Demonstrable knowledge of statutory and regulatory guidance related to the best outcomes for children and adults at risk.
• Experience of safeguarding case investigation, management, referrals and escalation process involving external agencies.
• The ability to exercise the highest standards of confidentiality and to work sensitively with those affected by issues of safeguarding.
• Ability to analyse complex situations, make decisions and advise appropriately.
• Ability to identify examples of poor practice, provide education and ensure that lessons are learned in a sensitive and proportionate manner to ensure that necessary change is implemented.
• Ability to work independently and use own initiative, including on original projects that enhance new areas of the Club’s Safeguarding provision.
• A creative approach to implementing safeguarding solutions, ideally within a football or sporting context.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills including written, verbal, and presentation skills in a professional setting.
• Experience of contributing to audit processes.
• Managing staff concerns and questions in relation to advice on safeguarding/child protection issues.
• Practical experience of planning and delivering workshops, training events, network events and supporting knowledge sharing with a range of stakeholders.
• Proven planning and organisation skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Examples of self‑motivation, self‑management, solutions‑focus and the ability to work on own initiative as well as part of a team.
• Ability to work across different sites and locations including those of partners as required by the role.

Desirable Requirements

• Knowledge and understanding of the FA and Premier League Safeguarding policies, procedures and standards.
• Experience of working with a range of service users with additional support needs.
• An understanding of day‑to‑day operational issues in a sport‑based environment.
• Experience of digital safeguarding and case management platforms.

Additional requirements

This role will require an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service record check. Applicants will be asked about any previous convictions, cautions, reprimands that are not ‘protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

Safeguarding & Recruitment Statement

Safeguarding is fundamental to the success in all that we do. The Club follows a Safer Recruitment process for all roles. Successful candidates are to be reminded they would be subject to proportionate background, DBS and reference checks as required. We welcome applications from anyone regardless of age, disability, gender, race, or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.