Head Of Safeguarding

Job Title:                                         Head of Safeguarding

Location:                                         HQ Abbottstown, Dublin

Direct Reporting Line:             General Counsel and Governance Director

Contract:                                         Permanent / Full-Time

Work Model:                                  Hybrid 

Introduction

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) is the national governing body for football in Ireland, driving the growth, promotion, and development of the game at all levels. We are passionate about inspiring participation, supporting talent, and celebrating the power of football to unite communities across the country. With a proud history and an ambitious vision for the future, the FAI is committed to fostering excellence on and off the pitch, ensuring the game is inclusive, accessible, and a source of national pride.

Context of the Role

The Head of Safeguarding is the FAI’s senior safeguarding lead and will be responsible for designing, embedding and overseeing a modern, Association-wide safeguarding framework covering children, young people and adults at risk.

Role Purpose 

• Lead and continuously improve the FAI safeguarding framework across grassroots football, leagues, academies, referee structures, education programmes, women’s and girls’ football, elite and international environments. 
• Act as the Association’s principal safeguarding adviser to the General Counsel and Governance Director, CEO, Senior Leadership Team and Board / relevant Board committee.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the future Safeguarding Unit, ensuring clear role design, effective case management, strong assurance and a prevention-focused culture. 
• Lead delivery of the adult safeguarding agenda, while ensuring coherence with existing child safeguarding arrangements and smooth transition of concerns from underage to adult football. 

Key Accountabilities

• Strategic leadership and operating model
• Lead the safeguarding strategy, annual delivery plan and continuous improvement agenda for the Association.
• Implement the future-state safeguarding structure and embed the new generic safeguarding model across child and adult concerns.
• Review the operating model for intake, triage, escalation, case oversight, training, audit, vetting interfaces.
• Adult safeguarding framework and policy development
• Lead development and implementation of a comprehensive adult safeguarding policy and procedures framework, including definitions, thresholds, roles, escalation routes and case-handling standards.
• Review connected policies, codes and procedures to ensure safeguarding language and responsibilities are explicit and aligned across the organisation, including disciplinary, dignity at work, grievance, protected disclosures, communications, event operations and employment-related policies.
• Ensure safeguarding arrangements address transition cases from underage to adult football and avoid inappropriate routing of adult concerns through child-only or HR-only processes.
• Case oversight, risk management and serious matters

• Act as senior escalation point and decision-maker for serious, complex, high-risk, sensitive, cross-functional safeguarding matters.
• Chair or direct safeguarding case oversight meetings and ensure consistent thresholds, protective measures, referrals, case recording, supervision and closure disciplines.
• Oversee arrangements for external independent assessment, investigation or specialist support where appropriate.
• Ensure suitable processes exist for concerns that may not meet statutory referral thresholds but still require safeguarding intervention, risk management or internal action.
• Governance, Board reporting and assurance

• Optimise and maintain governance processes for safeguarding oversight, risk escalation, lessons learned, evaluation and monitoring.
• Prepare Board-quality reports, KPIs, thematic analysis and assurance updates on safeguarding risks, trends, compliance and remedial actions.
• Support the CEO, Board and relevant committees in discharging their safeguarding oversight responsibilities and escalating material concerns appropriately.
• Lead internal reviews and contribute to internal audit, external review and assurance work relating to safeguarding.
• Training, education and culture
• Lead the safeguarding education strategy for employees, volunteers, coaches, referees, clubs, committee members and others in positions of trust, authority or influence.
• Ensure FAI training is engrossed to include adult protection, legal context in Ireland and Northern Ireland, responding to disclosures, communications with adults at risk, and confidence in recognising and responding to both child and adult concerns.
• Commission or oversee bespoke safeguarding training and guidance for the women’s game and Football for All.
• Promote a culture of listening, dignity, inclusion, early intervention and safe participation across the Association and wider game.
• Club, licensing, contracts and third-party assurance
• Embed safeguarding standards into Club Mark, licensing, audits, programme approvals and other assurance mechanisms.
• Establish safeguarding due-diligence requirements for third-party, commissioned and affiliated arrangements, including contract standards and reporting obligations.
• Ensure there are robust processes for tracking persons of concern, safeguarding-related exits and reporting back obligations where required.
• Strengthen safeguarding controls in environments where FAI staff, tutors, contractors, clubs or other partners operate across shared or external settings.
• Women’s game, Football for All and elite/international environments
• Lead the safeguarding response in the women’s game and Football for All, including bespoke policies, guidance or dedicated sections within generic policies.
• Ensure safeguarding arrangements address travel, accommodation, fan behaviour, athlete welfare, elite team environments, disability-related considerations and international activity.
• Support practical safeguarding responses for players, officials, referees and participants in domestic and international football settings.
• External partnerships and statutory interface
• Build effective relationships with Tusla, HSE adult safeguarding services, An Garda Síochána, relevant Northern Ireland safeguarding bodies, Sport Ireland and other relevant agencies or sector bodies.
• Develop protocols for referral, information-sharing, joint working and cross-jurisdiction responses.
• Represent FAI at external safeguarding forums, case discussions and strategic stakeholder engagements.
• Leadership of the Safeguarding Unit

• Provide line management, coaching and quality assurance across the future Safeguarding Unit.
• Set clear role boundaries, supervision arrangements, service standards and escalation routes.
• Ensure the unit has an effective BAU operating rhythm balancing live casework, vetting interfaces, standards, training, assurance and continuous improvement.

Person Specification

Experience – Essential

• Senior-level experience in some of the following areas; safeguarding, child protection, adult safeguarding, welfare, social care, safe sport, regulatory, compliance or an equivalent field.
• Strong experience of managing complex safeguarding concerns, triage, risk assessment, referrals and protective measures.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing safeguarding policy, procedures, governance frameworks or equivalent control frameworks across a complex organisation.
• Experience of advising executive leadership, Boards or committees on sensitive risk matters.
• Experience of line management and leading high-trust teams handling sensitive casework.
• Experience of working with statutory agencies or multi-agency safeguarding structures.

Experience – Desirable

• Experience in football, sport, a national governing body, charity, education, youth work, policing, social care, health, regulatory or similarly networked environment.
• Experience spanning both grassroots and elite / high-performance settings.
• Experience of adult safeguarding system design in addition to child safeguarding practice.
• Experience of disciplinary, integrity, investigations, whistleblowing or complaints-handling interfaces.

Experience and Qualifications

Essential:

Knowledge Essential

• Strong knowledge of safeguarding law, policy and practice relating to children and adults at risk in Ireland, together with sufficient awareness of Northern Ireland requirements relevant to FAI’s operating model.
• Strong understanding of case management, thresholds, confidentiality, information-sharing and risk management.
• Knowledge of safer recruitment, vetting, codes of conduct and safeguarding expectations for persons in positions of trust, authority or influence.
• Understanding of governance, escalation and accountability in a federated, membership-based environment.
• Understanding of equality, inclusion, dignity and anti-discriminatory practice as they intersect with safeguarding.

Desirable:

• Experience working in sport, public-sector, non-profit, or similarly regulated environments.
• Legal, audit or accountancy qualification, where combined with relevant risk/compliance experience.
• Relevant professional qualifications:
  • Risk management (e.g. Institute of Risk Management).
  • Compliance (e.g. Professional Diploma in Compliance).
  • Governance (e.g. Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland).
• Knowledge of Sport Ireland Governance Code, Irish Corporate Governance Code, or similar oversight frameworks.
• Experience supporting external audits, forensic reviews, or regulatory investigations

Qualifications and training 

• Degree-level professional qualification and/or equivalent professional experience. 

• Relevant safeguarding, welfare, social care, legal, governance, compliance or risk qualification, or substantial equivalent experience. 

• Up-to-date safeguarding training covering children and ideally adults at risk. 

• Evidence of continuing professional development and reflective practice. 

 Skills and attributes 

• Excellent judgment, credibility and risk-assessment capability. 

• Ability to manage highly sensitive, distressing and contentious matters calmly and proportionately. 

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare Board-standard papers and present difficult issues clearly. 

• Ability to influence and challenge constructively at senior level. 

• High standards of integrity, professionalism and confidentiality. 

• Strong change-management and implementation capability. 

• A person-centred, rights-based and trauma-informed approach. 

Our Benefits

We are proud of the range of benefits we can provide:

• Two premium level tickets to each home international game
• Sick pay scheme and family friendly leave
• Opportunities to work at international matches
• Company pension
• Life assurance
• Bike to work scheme
• Free onsite parking
• Employee assistance programs
• Hybrid working arrangements and flexible hours working arrangements
• Discounted access to the National Aquatic Centre and gym complex

Application Details

Closing date for receipt of applications is close of business on 5th June 2026. Shortlisting and interviewing process will take place thereafter.

The Football Association of Ireland is an equal opportunities employer and promotes, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (ED&I).