Head of Insights (Men's)

Are you passionate for insights, data and winning England teams?

Come and lead the strategic and operational development of a comprehensive, trans-disciplinary Player Insight service for England Men's teams. Facilitating the expertise from all functions, driving player conversations, informing selection and actionable interventions.

About the Team

Our FA Technical teams support all aspects of Men's and Women's elite performance - including para football, the elite format of disability football that runs parallel to the mainstream game - so we can help England teams to win tournaments.

Our teams manage everything from identifying talent to the development and coaching of multi-disciplinary teams throughout the age groups, up to our Senior England teams. To deliver on our goal we have invested heavily in developing a team of exceptional people capable of creating winning England teams at our world-class training facilities at our National Football Centre, St. George's Park.

What You'll Do?

• Lead the development of an overall strategy and operational delivery plan for Player Insight which encompasses best practice in the use of visual, data and multi-disciplinary observations and measurements both on and off England duty to create comprehensive, benchmarked player profiles appropriate to each age group.
• Define the strategic direction of player insights to enhance the quality of player understanding across the technical directorate that covers aggregating intelligence form all functions which influences player identification, profiling, selection, interactions and management.
• Lead the creation and delivery of robust and comprehensive rating systems, depth charts and other visualisations to provide up-to-date and insightful analysis of player status and key areas of emphasis such as EQP.
• Lead the definition, evolution, and strategic delivery of regular cross phase player reviews in order to facilitate the Coaches and MDT to select and benchmark current talent.
• Lead the aggregation, analysis, presentation & maintenance of comprehensive player profiles for the senior professional development phase using information from all stakeholders and external sources.
• Lead the creation and delivery of key internal projects and external research associations which support the further development of player and performance Insight services.
• Develop and drive a comprehensive technical development programme for the Insights team to continually elevate the level of practice within the team.
• Act as a key member of the Performance Support leadership team (Insights, Analysis, PPMN, and Psychology), building a cohesive departmental strategy and role modelling a collaborative culture.
• Explore, engage and maintain a network of organisations, institutions, individuals and technology to accelerate the accuracy and depth of insight on individuals.
• Develop close and trusted working relationships with Men's national coaches and MDT support staff to always ensure a cohesive trans-disciplinary approach.
• Develop and maintain an extensive network of organisations and individuals outside football with whom to share and develop best practice.
• Planning and management of departmental budget.

• 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 You'll Need?

Essential for the role:

• A qualification at degree level (or equivalent) in maths and statistics/computer science/sports science or a related discipline
• Track record of successfully leading teams of practitioners in elite sport.
• Demonstrable evidence of outstanding strategic and operational planning skills.
• Skilled in performance data analysis and making evidence-based player assessments and decisions.
• Detailed knowledge of Research & Development processes.
• Outstanding organisational, process, communication, and project management skills.
• Excellent written, communication and data presentation skills.
• Operates with professionalism, integrity and values aligned to The FA.

Beneficial to have:

• Has experience in an elite football environment, possess High level of football intelligence & understands the demands of the modern game.
• Creative presentation skills and experience of creating and delivering engaging workshops/presentations.

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, in order 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 home-based 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.