The Assistant Coach will be responsible for supporting the development of players within the England Women's U23 squad by providing technical expertise and contributing to the delivery of coaching sessions alongside the coaching team. The role will help create a high-performance environment that prepares players for senior international football, while contributing to an aligned world-class performance pathway for England winning teams. In addition, the role will support the development of outstanding coaches in collaboration with FA Education.

Please note that this position is a 3 year fixed term contract.

What will you be doing?

Support the U23 Team & Performance Culture:

Assist in creating and maintaining a culture of excellence and continuous improvement by supporting the preparation, delivery, and review of international events and tournaments. Contribute to fostering a positive, high-performance environment for players and staff.

Collaborate with Coaching Staff:

Work closely with the coaching team and wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) to ensure effective collaboration and alignment with team objectives. Support professional development initiatives and contribute to the smooth coordination of work programmes that underpin player development.

Contribute to the Seasonal Plan:

Provide input into the national team's seasonal plan by supporting and leading technical delivery and ensuring alignment with age group cycles and the broader England pathway. Participate in weekly technical meetings to share insights and feedback.

Support Player Development:

Assist in identifying strengths and performance gaps of high-potential players, contributing to accurate assessments of readiness for senior team transition. Collaborate with colleagues across departments to maximise opportunities for player development and share best practice.

Talent Identification & Relationship Building:

Support talent identification by attending weekly fixtures and conducting club visits, helping maintain an up-to-date understanding of player performance and potential. Assist in building strong relationships with clubs to support individual development plans (IDPs).

Squad Selection & Multidisciplinary Working:

Provide input and technical expertise to the squad selection process, working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team and WU23s Head Coach to ensure optimal team composition and readiness.

Coach Development & Knowledge Sharing:
Support the FA Education Strategy by assisting in the development of outstanding coaches in the female game and disseminate the England Women's How We Play (HWP) through formal and informal coach development opportunities.

Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing Compliance:
Ensure full compliance with The FA's Safeguarding Policy and all company policies and procedures, maintaining the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing for players and staff.

External Communications & Adaptability:
Collaborate with FA media and communications staff to manage external communications and social media, and execute additional tasks as required to meet the changing priorities of The FA Group.

Other:

Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's 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:

Knowledge

• UEFA A Licence

Experience

• High level people development skills and experience
• Consistent, successful experience of management and development of elite players and multi-disciplinary staff
• Ability to demonstrate inspirational leadership on and off the pitch using a variety of methods and approaches
• Significant experience of working with senior players with a track record of high performance
• Demonstrate understanding of senior women's international football
• Experience of being a head coach within the women's game
• Experience of working in high performing environments
• Deep knowledge of technical and tactical components of the women's international game including strategies and tactics
• Ability to create and implement a Player Development Plan
• Growth mind-set and strong evidence of continued professional development
• Explicit knowledge and understanding of the England DNA

Technical Skills

• Extensive experience of Excel
• Ability to effectively manage budgets
• Advanced Microsoft Office
• Ability to create presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders

Beneficial to have:

Knowledge

• UEFA Pro Licence

Experience

• Experience working in the WSL 1 and WSL 2
• Understanding of the demands of international women's football

Technical Skills

• Previous experience of Sportscode
• Basic Project Management skills
• Basic Analysis skills

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 well-being.
• 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 (based on a full-time, permanent contract.)
• A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.

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

Currently, we are working 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. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

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.