County FA Football Discipline Services Officer - FTC

Impact, on and off the pitch

The FA are looking for County FA Football Discipline Services Officers to join on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The successful applicant will support the delivery of The FA Grassroots Football Strategy, deliver discipline services for County FAs that are part of the FA's County FA Discipline Shared Service, contribute to the effective implementation of The FA's Safeguarding 365 Standard for County FAs and support the adoption of FA technology systems across grassroots football.

What will you be doing?

• Ensure all disciplinary cases are handled fairly, transparently and in compliance with The FA regulations.
• Ensure compliance with the FA's Equality Standard.
• Deliver discipline services that meet the needs of customers.
• Conduct investigations, proactively and reactively, into alleged breaches of FA Rules and Regulations surrounding misconduct cases.
• Raise appropriate misconduct charges for breaches of The FA rules and regulations within relevant timescales.
• Where appropriate, conduct investigative interviews and thorough reviews of all available evidence in relation to alleged breaches of FA Rules
• Arrange personal and non-personal hearings and act as the secretary to commissions when required including competition appeals.
• Oversee the preparation of case files for non-personal and personal hearings.
• Liaise with alleged victims, including sharing the Sporting Chance offer of support for victims of discriminatory abuse.
• Support club and league secretaries with the discipline process and provide updates where necessary including in collaboration with the FA Grassroots Service Desk.
• Collaborate with the County FA Designated Safeguarding Officers in all matters involving under-18s and adults at risk in the disciplinary process.
• Ensure all under-18s involved in disciplinary cases are provided with age-appropriate support.
• Act on feedback from those involved in the disciplinary process, including any specific issues highlighted by under-18s and adults at risk.
• Regularly meet with County FA Designated Safeguarding Officers and Referee Development Officers in all matters where it is apparent that there has been abusive behaviour involving under-18 players and/or where the referee is under-18 or identifies as an adult at risk.
• Attend regular meetings with FA Regional Discipline Managers to discuss cases as appropriate.
• Provide regular updates on disciplinary matters to the County FA Football Discipline Services Manager.
• Support with appeals and complaints in conjunction with the County FA Football Discipline Services Manager where necessary.
• Provide the highest level of customer excellence to support volunteers across all FA Technology systems.
• Contribute to ensuring that safeguarding and equality are embedded throughout The FA and grassroots football.
• Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being 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:

• Knowledge and understanding of FA rules and regulations.
• Knowledge of how County FAs operate in partnership with The FA.
• Knowledge of grassroots football structures and the National League System.
• Experience in the conduct and management of investigations within a County FA or other similar regulatory setting
• Experience in case file preparation and management
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of inclusion, equality, anti-discrimination and safeguarding.
• Knowledge of the structure and partner organisations within football, nationally and within the County FA locality.
• Excellent IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills.
• Exceptional customer service.
• Report-writing skills.
• Ability to use data to monitor and evaluate programmes.

Beneficial to have:

• Experience gained working in a regulatory or law environment.
• Experience sitting as a secretary on cases.
• Experience in the conduct and management of investigations, including case file preparation.
• Knowledge and understanding of The FA's Grassroots Football Strategy and how the County FA Business Plans support its delivery.
• Knowledge and understanding of working with volunteers.
• Practised at developing networks and relationships with a variety of stakeholders in order to support the delivery of strategic priorities.
• Capability to create multiple reports, budgets and plans.

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 well-being.
• 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 (based on a full-time, permanent contract.)
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

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

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.