Job Description
This is an exciting opportunity to work across the Premier League, EFL, and the FA.
As part of the Elite Player Performance Plan, the overarching professional-game strategy for the development of youth footballers in England, the Academies of professional football clubs are categorised into four categories (1-4), based on a combination of spend, infrastructure, staffing, and qualitative assessments of their provisions across a range of multidisciplinary areas.
To effectively categorise Academies and to support the continual raising of standards in elite player development, an independent standards organisation has been developed, mandated by the professional game, to monitor safety, compliance and the quality of work being delivered across both the male and female environments. The female talent pathway aims to support the development of more and better home-grown players through two key programmes:
The independent standards organisation oversees a multidisciplinary assessment of Academies across Leadership and Management, Coaching, Performance Support, Education, Player Care, Safeguarding, Pathway and Productivity.
As part of the above, the Education and Player Care Auditor will be responsible for auditing organisation and practice across the multidisciplinary areas of the development pathways.
The Role
Review and Evaluation of Education and Player Care Programmes:
- Using the Academy Audit Company assessment framework, assess the quality of Education and Player Care provisions across talent development pathways
- Accurately and fairly report findings, identifying quality, risk and development areas
- Manage the end-to-end auditing/quality assurance process, ensuring the operation runs as smoothly as possible for the club and auditing team
- Ensure a consistent assessment is given, no matter the auditor or club
General Responsibilities:
- Deliver annual club visits to ensure adherence with Safe to Operate, Compliance guidelines and the Youth Development Rules, and FA Criteria
- Using outcomes from Club audits to undertake trend analysis to inform future learnings
- Support the development of a suitable Academy standards framework and auditing practices
- Meet tight deadlines
- Ensure the auditing team maintains up-to-date knowledge of education, player care, and safeguarding practices
Role Requirement
- Proven experience strategically reviewing, assessing, and developing education, personal development or safeguarding programmes
- Experience in elite/developmental sports environments (female and/or male football pathway is desirable)
- Experience in navigating complex and highly pressurised working environments and cultures, establishing effective working relationships across a diverse range of stakeholders
- Experience in implementing identified areas across ‘Duty of Care’ focus areas including Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Transition, Player/Parent/Carer Voice, Mental and Wellbeing, Parental Education and Safeguarding
- Prior leadership and management experience
- Experience working with children and adults at risk, and/or knowledge and understanding of issues that affect their safety and well-being
Knowledge :
- High practical and theoretical understanding of Education, Player Care and Safeguarding demands in elite-level sports (player development, football, dual career)
- Appropriate degree and qualified teaching status; Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)/Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) or equivalent (desired but not necessary)
- Appropriate accreditation in education and/or workplace mental health and wellbeing (Mental Health DfE-funded Lead Training, MHFA, CPD-accredited)
- Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) Training and Legislative frameworks, i.e.KCSiE, Children Act 1989/2004, Working Together to Safeguarding Children
- Good working knowledge of the best practices of safeguarding and child protection practices is desired but not required.
- Athlete Personal Development and Lifestyle (APDL) or equivalent is desired but not required
- Understanding Athlete Transition (UAT) or equivalent is desired but not required
- Understanding of education across primary, secondary, further and/or higher education
- Understanding and appreciation of context and cultural differences between clubs of different sizes and philosophies
- Understanding and comfort in Quantitative and Qualitative assessment
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