London FA Women's Community Football Officer

London Football is seeking to appoint a Women's Community Football Officer to develop community football for women and teenage girls (14+ years).

The role encompasses strategic planning and support for the wider women and girls' game supporting sessional and team-based football, including ensuring a safe and inclusive game.

Women's & Girls' football is a key focus in the new 2024-2028 Strategy and therefore it is important to ensure that London FA continue to make a positive impact in this area of work.

The team are looking for a conscientious and self-motivated individual, who is passionate about supporting and growing our membership to provide and develop football opportunities for all sectors of the London community.

Headline Details

Title: Women's Football Community Officer
Salary: £26,000 (Grade 4)
Location: Wembley, with extensive travel in Lambeth, Tower Hamlets & Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

Job Purpose

To lead on the development of women's and teenage (14+ years) community football inclusive of sessional football and team-based football across walking football, small-sided football, and flexi leagues

Responsibilities

• Understand what the current adult women's and teenage football landscape looks like in the area to help identify potential development opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to support the development and implementation of a female football plan for targeted geographical locations in Lambeth, Tower Hamlets and Royal Borough Kensington & Chelsea (place-based approach).
• Grow adult women's community football, inclusive of sessional football via Just Play, alongside team based.
  football across walking football, small-sided football, and flexi leagues
• Pilot sustainable programmes to support the participation of teenage girls aged 14+ in football ensuring Squad Girls Football participants are retained in the game.
• Identify and engage historically underrepresented groups by working with local relevant partners and community organisations, developing fit for purpose football offers.
• Reference the FA Good Practice Guide on Adult Women's Recreational Football to provide ideas to shape local offers.
• Source partnership funding to drive forward community football for women & girls in priority boroughs.
• Ensure that the projects and the volunteers recruited are inclusive, diverse and reflective of local communities. 
• Grow and diversify volunteers, maximising and aligning relevant FA opportunities and resources such as courses, workshops, and learning materials 
• Work closely with the County FA Women's Football Development Officer and County FA Club Development Leads to ensure connectivity of this work from the youth game (14 years and below) with focus on Squad Girls Football, and into the women's football pyramid (beyond recreational competition). 
• Ensure connectivity with the local Active Partnership and Sport England's place expansion work in targeted communities. Connect with the local ‘Active Through Football' Development Officer where relevant.
• Utilise key national partners to support the plans.
• Provide The FA with quarterly monitoring and evaluation reports.
• To always act in the best interests of Children and Young People, and to ensure their welfare is considered in all decision and actions taken.
• To comply with FA rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and guidance that are in place from time to time.

Experience and Skills

• Ability to work strategically with partner organisations across different sectors to plan and deliver football programmes.
• Influencing skills to champion change
• Project management skills and experience – to plan, set and achieve objectives to deadlines.
• 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 creative 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.

Knowledge and Experience

• Passionate about working in women's and girls' football.
• Knowledge and understanding of the barriers to participation faced by females, and underrepresented female groups in sport/football
• Knowledge and understanding of the infrastructure and networks that exist that can support the development of women's and girls' football.
• Knowledge of the structure and partner organisations within football both nationally and within the locality.
• Practical experience of sports / football development including coaching and leading sports activity
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of inclusion, equality, anti–discrimination and safeguarding.

You will be joining a diverse and dynamic organisation that cares passionately about the role grassroots football can play to change people's lives. London FA value and develop their employees and promote several benefits, to include flexible working arrangements, numerous staff development and progression opportunities and a generous pension scheme. 

Diversity is at the heart of the London FA strategy - because it is at the heart of grassroots football in London. They pride themselves on the increasing diversity of our workforce. The team encourage applications from the widest range of backgrounds, particularly where there is often under-representation. They are particularly keen to encourage female, black, Asian, and LGBT+ applicants, and applications from those with disabilities and from minority ethnic, faith and racial groups.

Application Process

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Friday 11th July regarding interview arrangements.

Due to the number of applications received, feedback cannot be provided at this stage of the process.

Interviews will be held at Wembley Stadium on Thursday 24th July.