Head of Mental Performance

Comunidadlift; Norwich; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Matchday ticket

Annual leave 25 days

Pension scheme

Wellbeing support

CPD opportunities

Job summary

Norwich City Football Club is seeking a Head of Mental Performance to drive elite performance through psychology and wellbeing at the Avant Training Centre in Norwich. You will develop a club-wide mental performance vision, embed mental skills training to improve focus, resilience and decision-making under pressure, and provide tailored support to players, teams, coaches and senior leaders.

You will integrate psychological insights into talent identification, recruitment and development

Qualifications

• Experience delivering service in elite sport and embedding psychological principles into coaching systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver a club-wide mental performance vision.
• Embed mental skills training to improve focus, resilience, emotional control, and decision-making under pressure.
• Provide tailored support to players, teams, coaches, and senior leaders.
• Lead the Club's psychology services in partnership with medical and welfare teams.
• Integrate psychological insights into talent identification, recruitment, and player development processes.

Education

Postgraduate qualification to MSc/PhD level in Psychology or Sport Psychology

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced candidate to join the Performance department at Norwich City Football Club in a new role of Head of Mental Performance. This is an excellent role for someone who is passionate about driving elite performance through psychology and wellbeing.

This is a full-time, permanent role based at the Avant Training Centre in Norwich.

Key tasks/responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Develop and deliver a club-wide mental performance vision that supports sustained elite performance.
• Enhance player and staff performance through evidence-based psychology programmes and interventions.
• Embed mental skills training to improve focus, resilience, emotional control, and decision‑making under pressure.
• Provide tailored support to individual players, teams, coaches, and senior leaders.
• Foster a high‑trust, opportunity‑focused culture that enables people to thrive and perform at their best.
• Lead the Club's Mental Health and psychological wellbeing provision in partnership with medical and welfare teams.
• Integrate psychological insights into talent identification, recruitment, and player development processes.
• Lead, develop, and govern the Club's psychology services, ensuring best practice, compliance, and continuous improvement.
• To act in a manner that supports the Club's Values of Growth, Integrity, Belonging, Resilience, Pride and Commitment

Qualifications/Experience:

Essential

1. Postgraduate qualification to MSc/PhD level in Psychology or Sport Psychology
2. Active Practitioner Psychologist status registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC), along with BPS Chartered status or SEPAR alignment.
3. Minimum 5 years' experience delivering service in elite sport.
4. Proven history of embedding psychological principles directly into integrated coaching systems, rather than just delivering isolated 1-on-1 clinical sessions.

Desirable

1. Experience of delivering service in First Team professional football environments.
2. Demonstrated experience providing performance consulting or executive coaching to Sporting executives and/or Head Coaches.

Background in driving applied research projects that directly convert academic evidence into pitch‑side competitive edges.

Successful candidates will benefit from a comprehensive range of club benefits. This includes (but is not limited to):

• Complimentary matchday ticket for home fixtures
• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Enhanced family friendly leave policies
• Pension Scheme with Royal London
• Access to Reward Gateway recognition and discount platform
• Enhanced CPD opportunities and structured professional development pathways.
• The opportunity to get involved in wider club initiatives through a variety of Working Groups.
• A range of wellbeing support, including 24/7 access to a GP for employees and their dependents, as well as access to gyms and exercise classes at both Carrow Road & Avant Training Centre.