Head Of Business Management

We have a great opportunity to lead our Business Management team here at The FA.

The Business Management function sits at the centre of The FA and is responsible for helping the business to deliver on its strategy. This is a key role operating across all divisions of the FA to bring increased focus, efficiency and integration to the organisation through:

• Providing Project Delivery support to high priority cross-divisional projects
• Monitoring progress against The FA 2024 - 2028 Strategy
• Management of the Programme Management Office (PMO)
• Delivering the annual Business Planning process for the business
• Leading Business Continuity Planning and providing Crisis Management Support

What will you be doing?

As Head of Business Management responsibilities include:

• Providing Project Delivery support to high priority cross-divisional projects:
  • Leading and supporting the highest priority, cross-functional projects and programmes across the organisation
  • Overseeing delivery of all projects being delivered by the Business Management team
  • Direct support to the Deputy CEO on problem solving tasks and risks / challenges as they arise
  • Examples include Neurocognitive Disease in Football, England Seniors Major Tournaments, County FA Review, and EURO 2028 PMO
• Monitoring progress against The FA2024-2028 Strategy:
  • Tracking monthly via reporting
  • Producing six monthly progress reviews - identifying challenges and helping to facilitate solutions
  • Escalating any risks associated with the strategy to the correct forum.
• Management of the PMO including:
  • Reporting milestones, trends, risks and dependencies
  • KPI tracking to ensure accountability
  • Facilitating and drafting FA Board packs
  • Coordinating Spend and Deal Committee
  • Guiding best practice through the project lifecycle e.g. tool development
  • Identifying and managing risks and issues (reporting to Group Audit Committee)
  • Identifying areas for improvement across the organisation
  • Continuously improving our Programme framework, procedures and project management tools e.g. Smartsheet®
• Delivering the annual Business Planning process for the business:
  • Designing a process that integrates Business Management, Finance and HR requirements
  • Guiding divisions through the process providing tools and support
  • Prioritising activities across The FA to ensure we achieve our strategic objectives
• Leading Business Continuity Planning
  • Ensuring all divisional plans are maintained
  • Delivering annual exercises for SMT to test readiness
  • Providing Crisis Management Support where required
• Executes additional tasks as required in order to meet FA Group changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing 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?

• Background and Education
  • Qualified to degree level or equivalent
  • Formal qualification in project management (is an advantage but not a necessity)
• Performance Management
  • A drive for results, being action orientated and pragmatic in approach
  • Attention to detail and pride in the presentation of outputs
  • Strong analytical skills
  • A resilience when presented with difficult issues
• Collaboration and Partnering
  • Proven skill in stakeholder management - both internal and external
  • Ability to demonstrate flexibility where required
  • Capable communicator with experience of dealing with sensitive and complex matters
• Experience
  • Previous PMO experience
  • Experience of managing people
  • Experience in a management consulting environment (beneficial but not essential)
• Technology skills
  • Experience in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint is a requirement.
  • Experience using Smartsheet® is an advantage but not a necessity

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 in 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 encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and wellbeing.
• Free, nutritious lunches, at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional Thank You days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave.
• A hybrid working model offering flexibility on where you work.

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

Our Organisation

The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.

The FA oversees England international teams across men's, women's, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, Barclays FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, and Women's Adobe FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park, all with a purpose to Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation.

We currently work 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.

Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of either Wembley Stadium, St. George's Park or our Processing Centre, unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.

The FA, For All, For You

Our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/about-the-fa/2021/fa_a-game-for-all-strategy.ashx

A Game For All outlines three key strategic commitments - Lead the Change, Be the Change, and Inspire the Change - which will ensure tackling discrimination remains a core priority for English football for years to come.

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.

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.