ROLE DESCRIPTION

About the job
Application Deadline: 12 August 2024

Department: Professional Game Academy Audit Company

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Home Based

Description

This is an exciting opportunity to work across the Premier League, EFL, and the FA.

As part of the Elite Player Performance Plan, the overarching professional-game strategy for the development of youth footballers in England, the Academies of professional football clubs are categorised into four categories (1-4), based on a combination of spend, infrastructure, staffing, and qualitative assessments of their provisions across a range of multidisciplinary areas. The female talent pathway aims to support the development of more and better home-grown players through two key programmes: Emerging Talent Centres and the Women's Professional Game Academies.

To effectively categorise Academies and to support the continual raising of standards in elite player development, an independent standards organisation has been developed, mandated by the professional game; to monitor safety, compliance and the quality of work being delivered across both the male and female environments.

The independent standards organisation oversees a multidisciplinary assessment of Academies across Leadership and Management, Coaching, Performance Support, Education, Player Care, Safeguarding, Pathway and Productivity.

As part of the above, the Academy Auditor will be responsible for auditing organisation and practice across the multidisciplinary areas of the female talent and male development pathways.

We are interested in experienced practitioners with a specialism in any of the following areas:

Performance Support (Medical, Sport Science, Nutrition, Psychology, Analysis)
Education & Player Care
Coaching
Leadership, Management & Pathway

The role

Review and Evaluation of Elite Football Pathway Programmes (related to your specialist area):

Using the Academy Audit Company assessment framework, assess the quality of provisions in both the female talent development and male development pathways
Accurately and fairly report findings, identifying quality, risk and development areas
Manage the end-to-end auditing/quality assurance process, ensuring the operation runs as smoothly as possible for the club and auditing team
Ensure a consistent assessment is given, no matter the auditor or club

General Responsibilities

Deliver annual club visits to ensure adherence with Safe to Operate, Compliance guidelines and the Youth Development Rules, ETC and PGA Criteria
Using outcomes from Club audits to undertake trend analysis to inform future learnings
Support the development of a suitable Academy standards framework and auditing practices
Meet tight deadlines
Ensure the auditing team maintains an up-to-date knowledge of your specialist area

Experience

Requirements for the role

Prior leadership and management experience
Experience in elite/developmental sports environments
Proven experience reviewing, assessing, and developing Elite Performance programmes at a strategic level.
Experience working with children and adults at risk and/or knowledge and understanding of issues that affect their safety and wellbeing
Understanding and expertise in Quantitative and Qualitative assessment

Knowledge (Performance Support)

MSc in Sport Science, Sports Medicine, Sports Psychology or a related subject
The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) accreditation, Chartered Physiotherapy status or equivalent professional accreditation/ qualification
High practical and theoretical understanding of Performance Support demands in elite-level sport
Understanding and appreciation of context and cultural differences between clubs of different sizes and philosophies

Knowledge (Education and Player Care)

High practical and theoretical understanding of Education & Player Care demands in elite-level sports (desirable: player development, football, dual career)
Appropriate Degree and qualified teaching status; Qualified Teacher Status (QTS)/ Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) or equivalent
Understanding of education across primary, secondary, further and/or higher education
Athlete Personal Development and Lifestyle (APDL) or equivalent

Knowledge (Coaching)

High practical and theoretical understanding of talent development demands in elite level sport (desirable: player development, football, dual career)
High practical application and knowledge of coaching in elite performance, coaching behaviour, practice design and coach development
Understanding and appreciation of context and cultural differences between clubs of different sizes and philosophies
UEFA A Licence or equivalent (Level 4)
FA Advanced Youth Award or equivalent

Knowledge (Leadership, Management and Pathway)

High practical and theoretical understanding within talent development demands in elite level sport (navigating complex environments, budget management and people development)
Knowledge of effective and successfully implementing long term athlete development pathways (recruitment, loans, player transitions)
Understanding and appreciation of context and cultural differences between clubs of different sizes and philosophies
Understanding of stakeholder relationships
Demonstrable qualifications in leadership, mentoring and coaching in high performance environments

PGAAC is an equal opportunities employer and strives to create an inclusive culture where talent can flourish. We believe in the potential of everyone and open our doors to those who share those values. All appointments will be made based on merit; however, we particularly encourage applications from women, people from minority ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ people and disabled people.

Our commitment to safeguarding includes implementing robust safer recruitment procedures to assess the suitability of individuals applying for roles that involve work with children and adults who are or may be at risk of harm.

We will remove barriers that prospective candidates might face at any stage of our recruitment process. If you have a disability and would like the advert in an alternative format, or would like to talk about how we can adjust the interview process to best support you, please contact recruitment@premierleague.com.

To apply please visit our careers page and apply with your CV and a cover letter. The closing date for applications is 12 August 2024.