Assistant Head of Women’s Football – Operations & Welfare

Job Title: Assistant Head of Women’s Football - Operations & Welfare
Employer: Lewes FC
Reports To: Head of Women’s Football

Key Relationships:
• Women’s First Team Staff
• Technical & Performance Staff
• Club Safeguarding & Welfare Officer
• Operations & Matchday Staff
• The FA & League Officials
• Board of Directors

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 Assistant Head of Women’s Football - Operations & Welfare will lead the operational delivery, player care systems, safeguarding coordination, and logistical management of the women’s football programme.

This role is responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day and season-long running of the women’s football environment, enabling players and staff to focus fully on performance and execution.

The role will oversee football operations, administration, governance, compliance, matchday delivery, player services, welfare coordination, and communication systems across the women’s programme.

A key responsibility of the role is embedding the “Lewes Way” within the daily player and staff experience — ensuring the club continues to lead through excellence in player care, wellbeing, organisation, inclusion, and holistic support.

The role acts as the operational and welfare lead for the women’s programme and works closely with the Head of Women’s Football to ensure alignment between strategy, culture, and delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Football Operations & Logistics
• Lead all operational planning and delivery for the women’s football programme.
• Coordinate training schedules, matchday operations, travel, accommodation, and season logistics.
• Ensure the efficient delivery of all home and away fixtures.
• Oversee equipment management, kit operations, training resources, and operational readiness.
• Manage operational calendars, planning systems, and communication processes.
• Ensure smooth onboarding, induction, safeguarding training, transition, and exit processes for players and staff.

Player Welfare & Safeguarding
• Act as the operational lead for player welfare within the women’s programme.
• Work closely with the Club Safeguarding & Welfare Officer to ensure best practice safeguarding standards are implemented and maintained.
• Support players with practical, pastoral, and wellbeing needs throughout the season.
• Help create a safe, supportive, and player-centered environment.
• Coordinate welfare support systems, player check-ins, and transition support.
• Ensure operational decisions align with the club’s commitment to player wellbeing and care.
• Support education and awareness initiatives around safeguarding, wellbeing, mental health, and player support.

Governance, Compliance & Administration
• Ensure compliance with FA, league, safeguarding, and licensing requirements.
• Manage player registrations, contracts, loans, dual registrations, and football administration processes.
• Maintain accurate and GDPR-compliant player and staff records.
• Coordinate operational submissions, reporting requirements, and regulatory deadlines.
• Support audits, governance processes, and competition compliance.

Communication & Relationship Management
• Act as a central operational point of contact for the women’s football programme.
• Ensure strong communication between players, staff, match officials, leagues, opponents, and club departments.
• Build collaborative relationships across football, operations, commercial, communications, and community functions.
• Provide operational reporting and updates to senior leadership and the Board where required.
• Support the Head of Women’s Football in ensuring alignment across the wider club.

Culture & Environment
• Help protect and reinforce the “Lewes Way” culture across the daily football environment.
• Ensure players and staff consistently feel organised, supported, informed, and valued.
• Support the creation of a positive, collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing working environment.
• Enable coaches and technical staff to focus on football performance through strong operational delivery.
• Support integrated working across coaching, medical, analysis, operations, and welfare teams.

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
• Women’s football operations run smoothly, professionally, and proactively across the season.
• Players and staff experience a highly organised and supportive environment.
• Welfare and safeguarding standards are consistently embedded and visible.
• Matchdays, travel, scheduling, and logistics are delivered effectively with minimal disruption.
• Communication and administration across the programme are clear, efficient, and professional.
• Technical staff are able to focus fully on coaching and performance.
• Lewes FC’s reputation for player care and progressive culture is strengthened.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Essential
• Strong operational and organisational experience, ideally within football or elite sport.
• Excellent administration and project management capability.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Experience supporting or managing player welfare and safeguarding processes.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
• Knowledge of football operations, governance, and compliance requirements.
• Understanding of safeguarding and duty of care responsibilities.
• Calm, proactive, adaptable, and solutions-focused mindset.
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced and high-pressure environments.
• Solutions-oriented and quick thinker.
• Open to travel and working weekends and weeknights.
• Capable of working effectively within strict deadlines and a fast-paced environment.
• Experienced budget holder with the ability to develop and monitor budgets.
• Confident and proactive communicator with emotional intelligence.
• Alignment with the values and ethos of Lewes FC.

Desirable
• Experience working within women’s football.
• UEFA B License
• Knowledge of FA competition rules and licensing standards.
• Experience in football operations or team services roles.
• Safeguarding qualifications or welfare experience.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary sporting environments.

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: “Assistant 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.