Head of Referee Development

Develop and inspire the next generation of Referees in the game...

Working in partnership with the Head of Referee Operations, you will be responsible for the day to day function and performance of the FA Refereeing department. This includes the joint strategic ownership of the FA Refereeing Strategy 2023 - 2026, ensuring delivery against key aims and targets set within as well as leading on all technical and development matters for FA Refereeing.

The role is home based but requires frequent national travel.

About the Team

Football operations handle the day-to-day running and administration of the professional game - from making it easy for players to register, to regulating the game through licencing leagues and developing referees. They also help deliver world-class competitions like the Emirates Men's Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women's Adobe FA Cup.

What will you be doing?

• Day to day management of the FA Refereeing Development team.
• Deliver the FA Refereeing Strategy 2023 - 2026 focusing on referee experience, diversity and inclusion, and Referee Development.
• Strategic lead on all aspects of training, education, development, and support for referees at step 2 - 6 of the National League system (circa 2500 match officials).
• FA IFAB representative - providing technical insight on potential law changes and accompanying CEO to IFAB meetings.
• Provide management, direction, and strategic lead for the FA CORE programme (circa 600 referees and 70 coaches).
• Maintain positive relationships with the football stakeholder community - Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL), Football league, Premier League, Women's Super League, Women's Championship, National League System, Players Football Association, League Manager's Association, UEFA, FIFA and County FA network.
• Supporting and collaborating with refereeing diversity and inclusion partners on a range of topics which supports referees from historically underrepresented groups.
• Provide technical and developmental feedback to clubs and leagues on referee performance related issues.
• Provide tangible support to the network of County FA Referee officers in order to enhance the ongoing recruitment, retention and development of Referees in England.
• Strategic ownership of the development of our 'volunteer' support workforce - coaches, mentors, and observers.
• Strategic ownership of the women's development pathway - identifying referees emerging with the potential to move into the professional game.
• Maintain positive and collaborative relations with the PGMOL in order to work in partnership for the ongoing improvement of Refereeing standards in England.
• 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?

Essential for the role:

• Strong leadership, management, and communication skills and experience.
• Experienced referee educator with a proven track record in Referee Development.
• Highly skilled facilitator of Referee education and development content. Ability to plan, prepare, build and deliver Referee Development programmes/workshops.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Refereeing pyramid and promotional pathways and opportunities.
• Comprehensive knowledge of FA CORE structure - regions, leaders, referees, and programme.
• Knowledge of the barriers to inclusion for women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people in refereeing.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the Elite Referee Development Plan (ERDP) and how the FA works to support it.
• Capable of influencing a diverse set of stakeholders including volunteers.
• Strong relationship management with knowledge of key referee and football stakeholder community.
• Comprehensive knowledge of National league system and supply pool structure at step 3-6.
• Detailed understanding of grassroots football.
• Detailed understanding of how CFAs and Leagues recruit and administer referees.

Beneficial to have:

• Experience as a referee/assistant referee at the top of the professional game (PL desirable/EFL minimum).
• Understanding and experience of the international referee landscape and or environment.
• Effective working relations with PGMOL.
• Sound understanding of core function and relations with UEFA/FIFA.

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.