Head of Psychology - Men's

Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation through Winning England Teams.

We are looking for a Head of Pyschology in our men's technical department in order to lead the drive towards a psychologically informed environment across the England Men's pathway (up to u21). Delivering primarily through leaders, coaches, and practitioners, this role will be critical in embedding the England Men's Psychology model which comprises: Connection & Belonging, Players As People, Player Care & Support, and Performing Under Pressure.

What You'll Do?

• Lead the strategic delivery of Psychology services to Men's teams with a specific focus on the Men's Pathway (up to u21), ensuring clarity of strategy and a consistent, complimentary approach for all Psychology services.
• Build and manage a network of consultant specialists to deliver of Psychology services, providing quality assurance, coordination, and a point-of-contact for support and reflective practice for those 'on the ground'.

Design and deliver a range of interventions to target the various aspects of the England Men's psychology model:

• Connection and Belonging: grow and embed a connection to our England identity throughout the pathway, creating a real sense of belonging to what it means to play for England and be part of England. Support the coach/MDT to inform the environment psychologically and physically.
• Players As People: Build and execute a profiling process for capturing and utilising a more holistic view of our players. Provide MDT development work to equip staff with skills to interpret and utilise player profile data when coaching, interacting, and supporting individuals on camp.
• Player Care & Support: In collaboration with medical colleagues, education, safeguarding, and other support staff, provide leadership to the 'Care and Support' strategy ensuring there is adequate screening and appropriate support for those experiencing Mental Health problems while upskilling the staff to better interact and care for players.
• Performing Under Pressure: Work collaboratively with Coaches/MDTs to ensure our teams can deliver the best versions of themselves under pressure.

• Build and manage an MDT development program which connects all 4 elements of Psychology provision.
• Lead the creation and delivery of key internal projects and external research associations which support the further development of Psychology services.
• Act as a key member of the Performance Support leadership team (Insights, Analysis, PPMN, and Psychology), building a cohesive departmental strategy and role modelling a collaborative culture.
• Develop close and trusted working relationships with Men's national coaches and MDT support staff to always ensure a cohesive trans-disciplinary approach.
• Develop and maintain an extensive network of organisations and individuals outside football with whom to share and develop best practice.
• Planning & management of departmental budget.

• 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 You'll Need?

Essential for the role:

Qualifications & Accreditations

• Undergraduate degree in Psychology, Sports Psychology or a related field of study.
• British Psychological or British Association of Sport and Exercise Science practitioner accreditation.
• HCPC registration.

Experience

• Significant experience of delivering and leading psychological support services in an elite sport setting.

Skills

• Demonstrable evidence of outstanding strategic and operational planning skills.
• Outstanding organisational, process, communication, and project management skills.
• Creative presentation skills and experience of creating and delivering engaging workshops/presentations.
• Operates with professionalism, integrity and values aligned to The FA.

Beneficial to have:

Qualifications & Accreditations

• PhD in psychology related topic.

Experience

• Has experience in a professional men's team sport.
• Supported teams during overseas camps and competitions.

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, in order 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, Adobe FA Women's Championship, and Women's 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 home-based 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.