Head of Youth Development

Job Title

Head of Youth Development

Department

Youth Development

Reports to

CEO

Location

Cledara Abbey Stadium

Salary

£34,000 to £40,000 subject to skills and experience

Hours

40 hours per week, worked flexibly, to include weekday evenings and matchdays

Role Summary

The Head of Youth Development shall have overall responsibility for the strategic leadership, management, and delivery of the Club’s Youth Development Pathway. This includes oversight of the Regional Development and Elite Centres, the Female Emerging Talent Centre, and the Male and Female College Programmes.

The post holder’s primary focus will be to ensure that all budgetary, recruitment, and participation targets are achieved, while delivering programmes that operate to the highest standards of professionalism, safeguarding, welfare, and player development.

Key Job Outcomes

• Oversee and manage all full-time staff within the department, providing support for communication, operations, and programme delivery.
• Handle daily department operations, including organising and leading meetings, delegating tasks, and ensuring efficiency and high standards.
• Identify future staffing needs and aspirations for the department as necessary.
• Champion the club’s mission, vision, and values, ensuring they are embedded in the youth development department.
• Conduct staff appraisals to clarify expectations and goals for each season, while supporting professional development.
• Working in collaboration with the retail department to ensure player kit packs are sold and delivered in line with budgets and customer expectations.
• To plan, manage and deliver all relevant tours in a safe and compliant manner, ensuring adherence to agreed budgetary targets and organisational standards.
• To be responsible for the design, development and delivery of a coaching syllabus, ensuring effective teaching and learning outcomes.
• To design, implement and maintain effective systems and processes to support operational delivery and continuous improvement.

• Collaborate with youth development to ensure safeguarding policies and standards are consistently upheld.
• Monitor and assess the collection of essential data for all youth development programs.
• To support the achievement of departmental financial objectives by overseeing the development, monitoring and evaluation of budgets, and by supporting programme managers in achieving their own agreed budget targets.
• Assist with payroll processing as required.
• Effectively manage time to ensure that all tasks are delivered in a timely manner.
• Attend relevant management and accounts meetings to review departmental performance.
• Lead the recruitment and management of staff for each program within the department.
• Support the organisation and management of youth development tours.
• Ensure regular assessments of player progression are conducted, recorded, and used to enhance the club’s youth development pathways.
• To help develop high performance habits and values within the staff and players thus contributing to the development of a high-performance culture.
• Deliver exceptional customer service while maintaining clear communication across all departments.
• Promote and market club activities and programs in collaboration with the Communications Manager and Business Operations team.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the CEO.

Skills, Knowledge, Qualifications & Experience

Required

Desirable

B Licence or Advanced FA Youth Award

P

Introduction to First Aid qualification

P

FA Safeguarding children workshop

P

Leadership and/or management qualification

P

Experience of delivering excellent customer services

P

IT Skills, including Outlook, Word and PowerPoint

P

Experience of working with player/parents in football environments

P

Experience in leading/managing an area/people or teams

P

Experience working in a high performing business environment

P

Personal Qualities/Attributes

Hardworking and enthusiastic

P

Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail

P

Reliable and committed

P

Ability to work independently and as part of a team

P

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should apply by submitting their application form, CV and Cover Letter, applications which do not include all documents will not be reviewed.

Application Closing Date

Sunday 10th May 2026

Interview Date(s)

Friday 15th May 2026

Start Date

June 2026 subject to notice periods

Mission, Vision & Values

Mission

Cambridge United aspires to compete at the highest level of the English Football League, whilst operating a financially sustainable football club embedded within the heart of its community.

We are custodians with a collective responsibility to protect and enhance the Club for future generations.

Vision

Creating Memories 

We engage current and future generations of supporters by creating memorable moments.

Driving Standards & Performance

We will evolve by driving standards and performance through self-reflection and education.

Enhancing Lives

We are an inclusive Club that is United in Endeavour to enhance lives through the power of sport. 

Values

We engage positive and inspiring characters who are committed to serving and strengthening our community, by adopting our 3 keys values.

Teamwork  We achieve more through working together than alone and are United in Endeavour.

Hard Work We are committed to learning and working towards our pursuit of excellence in everything we do.

Humility  We will celebrate each other’s successes and recognise that no individual is greater than the collective.

Employability Statement

Cambridge United FC is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff.  We aim to create a supportive and inclusive working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit.

Safeguarding Statement

Cambridge United FC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.

For those positions where a criminal record check (DBS) is identified as necessary, this will be carried out in line with other safer recruitment checks.

The post holder will be required to undergo Safeguarding training periodically.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Cambridge United FC is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all staff and job applicants. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.

We aim to create a supportive and inclusive working environment in which all individuals can make best use of their skills, free from discrimination or harassment, and in which all decisions are based on merit. We do not discriminate based on age, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religious or political belief or affiliation, trade union membership, gender, gender reassignment, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, sexual orientation, disability, socio-economic background or any other inappropriate distinction or characteristic covered by the Equality Act 2010.

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