Director of Player Development - Global Football

Manchester, GB

Our Story

Established in 2013, City Football Group is the world’s leading private owner and operator of football clubs, with total or partial ownership of thirteen clubs across the world. City Football Group also invests in other football related businesses and serves as a global commercial platform for our partners, whilst fulfilling our purpose of empowering better lives through football on a local and global scale, consistent with what “City” football has meant to people for over a century.

Our Winning Team

Our purpose is to empower better lives through football. We are proud of the role City Football Group clubs play in their localities, delivering positive economic, social and environmental impact through our operations and through programmes and activities that bring about meaningful, lasting change.

The Role 

At City Football Group, developing exceptional young football talent is fundamental to our ambition of becoming the global destination of choice for the world’s best emerging players. This role sits at the heart of that ambition, leading the ongoing delivery and continuous enhancement of our global talent development strategy for high-potential Emerging Talent and Academy players aged 14 to 21 years.

As Global Football’s Director of Player Development, you will play a senior leadership role as a member of the Global Football management team. You will be responsible for supporting our Clubs to evolve and drive their player development frameworks.

You will work in close partnership with Academy Directors, Academy Management Teams and Heads of Individual Development, building strong, trusted relationships that enable high-quality development conversations and shared accountability for standards. You will support the continued development of high-functioning Academy structures while driving continuous improvement in the delivery of player development programmes.

You will regularly observe Clubs’ Academy training sessions / matches so through expert judgement and objective insight, you can help ensure high-potential players aged 14 to 21 years are accurately identified, supported through targeted individual development plans and effectively transitioned towards 1st Team football.

In collaboration with the Remote Player Support Team, you will contribute to the planning of effective loan pathways and individualised support strategies to ensure emerging talent fulfils its true potential.

This role extends beyond technical development. You will champion high-performance and psychologically informed daily training and competition environments that foster wellbeing, resilience and personal growth, ensuring every player benefits from a structured and meaningful development journey both on and off the pitch. Through hands-on engagement, strong relationships, consistent support and challenge, you will strengthen Academy-to-1st Team conversion rates, and help build sustainable talent pipelines across City Football Group.

What we are looking for

• Proven senior leadership experience in elite sport, with deep expertise in talent development systems, Academy-to-1st Team transitions and long-term player development.
• Significant recent, hands-on experience within elite football Academy or player development environments is an advantage, with credibility in working directly with coaches and performance staff.
• Strong understanding of individual development planning, talent mapping and structured progression frameworks, with a demonstrated track record of driving continuous improvement in programme delivery.
• High-level observational and evaluative capability to assess players, programmes and performance environments objectively and consistently.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with experience collaborating and influencing across clubs, functions and cultures.
• Experience operating in complex, matrixed, multi-cultural organisations, with the ability to lead change and drive alignment across diverse geographies.
• Experience contributing to squad planning, loan management models and remote player support frameworks is desirable.
• Undergraduate level (postgraduate desirable) in sports coaching, management, science, or a related discipline, with a UEFA coaching licence viewed favourably.
• Globally mobile and adaptable, with flexibility to travel extensively and work outside of standard office hours where required; additional language capability (Spanish, French and/or Portuguese) would be advantageous.

To apply 

If you are ready to shape the future of elite talent development across a truly global football network and play a defining role in maximising the potential of emerging players, we would love to hear from you. Please apply with your CV via our careers portal and be part of driving Academy and player development excellence across City Football Group.

This is Your City 

As part of our team, you will be entitled to 26 days annual leave plus an additional day off for your birthday, private healthcare and dental cover, an annual discretionary bonus, plus a range of partnership and lifestyle discounts. 

Equal opportunities 

City Football Group promotes equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose skills and experience seem to meet our needs. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you only if you are selected for an interview. 

Employment is subject to the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK.