Head of Women’s Football

Job Title: Head of Women’s Football
Employer: Lewes FC
Reports To: Board of Directors

Direct Reports:
• Asst. Head of Women’s Football Operations & Welfare
• Women’s First Team Manager
• Women’s Technical & Performance Staff

Location: The Dripping Pan, Lewes, with flexibility for hybrid working
Contract Type: Full Time – including evenings and weekends
Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience and aligned with Women’s National League standards.

Role Purpose
The Head of Women’s Football will lead the sporting vision, culture, leadership, and performance environment of Lewes FC Women.

Functioning as the senior sporting lead for the women’s side of the club, this role is responsible for shaping and delivering a high-performance football environment aligned with the values, ambitions, and identity of Lewes FC.

The role will oversee all sporting aspects of the women’s programme outside of commercial and revenue-generating functions — including football strategy, people leadership, player recruitment, performance culture, technical operations, and long-term sporting development.

A key responsibility of the role is protecting and evolving the “Lewes Way” culture, ensuring Lewes FC continues to lead within women’s football through its commitment to player care,
progressive leadership, wellbeing, inclusion, holistic support, and cultivate a high-performance ecosystem for staff and players to excel in.

The Head of Women’s Football will create an environment in which players and staff are empowered, supported, challenged, and able to focus fully on performance and execution.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
• Lead the long-term sporting vision and strategy for women’s football at Lewes FC.
• Support the Board in developing sustainable football and performance strategies aligned with the club’s ambitions and values.
• Lead the football contribution to licensing, league compliance, pathway development, and future competition ambitions.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and growth across the women’s football programme.
• Ensure the women’s programme continues to reflect and strengthen the unique identity and values of Lewes FC.

Football & Performance Leadership
• Oversee the entire football performance environment across the women’s programme.
• Lead and support the Women’s First Team Manager and multidisciplinary staff in achieving agreed football objectives.
• Oversee squad planning, recruitment strategy, succession planning, player contracting, and talent identification.
• Support integrated working across coaching, medical, sports science, analysis, operations, and welfare functions.
• Drive a high-performance culture that balances elite standards with player wellbeing and care.
• Support the development of player pathways and relationships across the wider football ecosystem.

People & Culture Leadership
• Act as the custodian of the “Lewes Way” culture within the women’s football programme.
• Foster a culture that is ambitious, inclusive, collaborative, psychologically safe, and accountable.
• Lead recruitment and development of football, technical, operational, and support staff.
• Provide leadership, feedback, support, and development opportunities to staff across the women’s programme.
• Build strong and trusted relationships with players and staff through visible and authentic leadership.
• Ensure player wellbeing, voice, and holistic development remain central to decision-making.

Leadership & Relationship Management
• Represent Lewes FC Women with The FA, leagues, clubs, governing bodies, and external stakeholders.
• Build strong collaborative relationships across football, operations, commercial, communications, and community departments.
• Provide regular strategic reporting and updates to the Board.
• Contribute positively to the wider direction, culture, and leadership of Lewes FC.

Governance & Oversight
• Ensure the women’s programme operates to high professional, ethical, and safeguarding standards.
• Oversee compliance with competition regulations, licensing requirements, and football governance expectations.
• Support effective budget planning and resource allocation across the women’s programme.
• Ensure operational functions are appropriately supported to enable smooth season-long delivery.

Financial management and compliance
• Plan and monitor budgets, ensuring compliance with any financial regulation schemes in place.
• Produce compelling business cases for internal and external funding and communicate needs to the commercial functions of the club to identify priorities and needs.
• Ensure the club fulfils competition rules and any licence requirements, or minimum standards and writes and submits relevant compliance reports.
• Reporting against the FA Funding and presenting evidence required to release funding: including annual reporting, through Club accountant and finance office and such other reports as requested by The FA.

Other Support Functions
• Taking part in relevant CPD events organised by the Club and The FA.
• Support the creation of a collaborative, inclusive working culture for colleagues and players.
• Other support functions to achieve club goals as required.

What Success Looks Like
• Lewes FC Women has a clearly defined and respected football identity and culture.
• Players and staff consistently feel supported, valued, challenged, and cared for.
• The women’s programme operates as a high-functioning and aligned performance environment.
• Recruitment, staffing, player support, and football planning processes are proactive and sustainable.
• Lewes FC is recognised as a leader in player care, culture, and progressive women’s football environments.
• Technical staff are empowered to focus on coaching and performance delivery.
• Strong collaboration exists across all departments supporting the women’s programme.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience
Essential
• Significant leadership experience within elite or high-performance sport.
• Strong people leadership and communication skills.
• Strong leader with excellent people management skills in resource-tight environment.
• Demonstrated experience building culture and leading teams.
• Experience within football operations, recruitment, and performance environments.
• Strong understanding of women’s football structures and governance.
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of safeguarding and duty of care responsibilities.
• Organised, resilient, adaptable, and solutions-focused.
• Experienced budget holder with the ability to develop and monitor budgets.
• Knowledge and experience of the women’s game, specifically the existence and implications of:
o different governance and structures
o the growth of the women’s game
o player pathways
o different coaching behaviours, and technical and tactical differences between men’s and women’s football

• Up to date understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures.
• Open to travel and working weekends and weeknights.
• Alignment with the values and ethos of Lewes FC.

Desirable
• Experience in a Sporting Director, General Manager, or Head of Football role.
• UEFA B License (UEFA A preferred)
• Experience working within elite women’s football.
• Understanding of FA licensing and compliance processes.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary performance teams.
• Knowledge of player pathway development and talent systems.

Application Process:
Lewes FC prides itself as an equal opportunity employer and we encourage and welcome applications from all candidates including those from under-represented backgrounds such as women, people with disabilities, BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates.

Given the low levels of diversity in football, we understand that candidates from under-represented backgrounds are unlikely to have been given adequate opportunity in the game. Consequently, we will ensure that the application process does not unduly favour candidates with such experience over applicants without it.

All applicants must have specific Safeguarding and Protecting Children / FA Safeguarding Children qualifications and a DBS Clearance / Enhanced FA CRC check before starting the role.

To apply, please email a CV and cover letter outlining why you’d be great for the role alongside any relevant experience to Kelly@lewesfc.com with the subject line: “Head of Women’s Football: Your Name”.

The interview process will commence May 18th.

We will be accepting applicants through the interview process. The role will be open until filled.

Please clearly articulate in your cover letter how your experience and personal characteristics align with the values and ambitions of Lewes FC, as well as provide evidence of how your qualifications and experience match the role described below.