Role description
About the job
The playing field won't level itself...
We are excited to be searching for a National Referee Manager, who will actively lead, manage and engage with all 50 County FA's (CFA's) in implementing the National Referee Strategy and other key FA organisational aims (National Game Strategy, CFA Minimum Operating Standards etc.)
To work in partnership with the Head of Technical & Referee Development on the training and development in key areas of referees within FA CORE; ensuring that CFA's are supported in capturing and identifying those referees with emerging potential and who have the opportunity to progress.
What will you be doing?
To forge, enhance and develop key FA/CFA relationships, ensuring that referee training, education and development remain a key priority.
To provide effective support and direction to all CFA's in every aspect of refereeing.
To create a unified and consistent approach to refereeing nationally by promoting alignment, support and understanding of CFA's priorities and regional focuses.
To promote and ensure that every referee in the country has equal access to training, education and development.
To assist CFA's with the identification of referees with emerging potential who may feed into our accelerated pathways, promotion and entry into FA CORE.
Work with each CFA to ensure that there is an appropriate and consistent level of support, education and development offered to CFA promotion candidates from Level 7 through to Level 4.
To manage and implement a formal induction process in conjunction with CFA's for all new RDO's to ensure they understand how the FA Refereeing Department operates and the key functions and responsibilities that RDO's should be delivering against.
To work alongside the FA Safeguarding team to establish and implement agreed protocols for the registration and licensing of all match officials in the refereeing workforce.
Organises and delivers two one-to-one support days with all CFA's and CEO's (if appropriate)
Identify up-skilling areas and create education, training and development for RDO's within the National and Regional CFA RDO days.
To work closely with National Referee Managers ensuring that all queries and issues are efficiently directed to the appropriate person (Women, BAME, Disability Football, Tutors, Recruitment and Retention etc.); To manage the relationship with the FA Communications department to promote refereeing initiatives and processes.
To lead the continued development and enhancement of the Referee Registration process supports the work of the National Young Referee Development Team.
Executes additional tasks as required in order to meet FA Group changing priorities.
Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing can be maintained.
As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
What are we looking for?
Essential for the role:
Advanced skills in Microsoft Office.
Capable of influencing a diverse set of stakeholders including volunteers.
Strong presentation, delivery and facilitation of content skills.
Understanding of grassroots football.
Understanding of how CFAs and Leagues recruit, support and administer referees.
Excellent administration skills.
Beneficial to have:
Ability to draw up reports from Access.
Designing forms in Word or Excel.
Please note, this advert is advertised as a fixed-term contract for up to a period of 9 months.
What's in it for you?
We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.
We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:
Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and wellbeing.
Free, nutritious lunches, at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
Free private medical cover.
A contributory pension scheme.
An additional Thank You days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave.
A hybrid working model offering flexibility on where you work.
For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers
Our Organisation
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men's, women's, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, Barclays FA Women's Super League, FA Women's Championship, and Women's FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park, all with a purpose to Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation.
We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.
Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of either Wembley Stadium, St. George's Park or our Processing Centre, unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.
The FA, For All, For You
Our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.
https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/about-the-fa/2021/fa_a-game-for-all-strategy.ashx
A Game For All outlines three key strategic commitments – Lead the Change, Be the Change, and Inspire the Change – which will ensure tackling discrimination remains a core priority for English football for years to come.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.
As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
