Head of Mental Performance

Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced candidate to join the Performance department at Norwich City Football Club in a new role of Head of Mental Performance. This is an excellent role for someone who is passionate about driving elite performance through psychology and wellbeing.

This is a full-time, permanent role based at the Avant Training Centre in Norwich. 

Key tasks/responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Develop and deliver a club-wide mental performance vision that supports sustained elite performance.
  • Enhance player and staff performance through evidence-based psychology programmes and interventions.
  • Embed mental skills training to improve focus, resilience, emotional control, and decision-making under pressure.
  • Provide tailored support to individual players, teams, coaches, and senior leaders.
  • Foster a high-trust, opportunity-focused culture that enables people to thrive and perform at their best.
  • Lead the Club’s Mental Health and psychological wellbeing provision in partnership with medical and welfare teams.
  • Integrate psychological insights into talent identification, recruitment, and player development processes.
  • Lead, develop, and govern the Club’s psychology services, ensuring best practice, compliance, and continuous improvement.
  • To act in a manner that supports the Club’s Values of Growth, Integrity, Belonging, Resilience, Pride and Commitment

Qualifications/Experience:

Essential

  1. Postgraduate qualification to MSc/PhD level in Psychology or Sport Psychology
  2. Active Practitioner Psychologist status registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), along with BPS Chartered status or SEPAR alignment.
  3. Minimum 5 years’ experience delivering service in elite sport.          
  4. Proven history of embedding psychological principles directly into integrated coaching systems, rather than just delivering isolated 1-on-1 clinical sessions.        

Desirable

  1. Experience of delivering service in First Team professional football environments.
  2. Demonstrated experience providing performance consulting or executive coaching to Sporting executives and/or Head Coaches.

Background in driving applied research projects that directly convert academic evidence into pitch-side competitive edges.                   

Successful candidates will benefit from a comprehensive range of club benefits. This includes (but is not limited to):

  • Complimentary matchday ticket for home fixtures
  • 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
  • Enhanced family friendly leave policies
  • Pension Scheme with Royal London
  • Access to Reward Gateway recognition and discount platform
  • Enhanced CPD opportunities and structured professional development pathways.   
  • The opportunity to get involved in wider club initiatives through a variety of Working Groups.
  • A range of wellbeing support, including 24/7 access to a GP for employees and their dependents, as well as access to gyms and exercise classes at both Carrow Road & Avant Training Centre.