Women's U23 Head Coach

The Football Association; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading football organization in the UK is seeking a Head Coach for the England Women's U23 team. This role involves leading the team, managing coaching staff, and developing player pathways for senior football. Ideal candidates will possess a UEFA A Licence, extensive experience in player and staff development, and strong leadership skills. The position offers competitive salary, hybrid work model, and unique opportunities to develop within an iconic environment.

Benefits

Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium

Free lunches at Wembley Stadium and St George's Park

Private medical cover

Contributory pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Hybrid working model

Qualifications

• Significant experience in developing elite players and multi-disciplinary staff.
• Proven ability to inspire leadership on and off the pitch.
• Experience as a head coach in the women's game.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the England Women's U23 team.
• Implement the national team's seasonal plan.
• Select squads for England events.

Skills

Leadership

Player Development

Effective Communication

Collaboration

Strategy Implementation

Education

UEFA A Licence

Tools

Excel

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Head Coach will lead and manage the England Women's U23 team, fostering a high‑performance environment that prepares players for senior international football. Contribute to an aligned world‑class performance pathway for England winning teams, influencing player development. The role will also support the development of outstanding coaches in collaboration with FA Education.

What will you be doing?

Lead the U23 Team & Performance Culture

Provide inspirational leadership to players and staff, establishing a culture of excellence and continuous improvement in preparation for, delivery of, and review of international events and tournaments.

Manage Coaching Staff

Line manage the assistant coach and manage the wider MDT, ensuring effective collaboration, professional development, and alignment with the team's objectives.

Effectively manage both full‑time and consultant staff, ensuring their work programmes support the team's goals and contribute to the overall pathway for player development.

Develop & Deliver the Seasonal Plan

Design and implement the national team's seasonal plan, integrating key departmental objectives and ensuring alignment with the age group cycle and the broader England pathway, through weekly technical meetings.

Collaborate for Player Development

Develop clarity on the strengths and performance gaps of our high‑potential players, accurately assessing their readiness for senior team transition.

Work closely with colleagues across departments to maximise opportunities for player development and management, sharing best practice and learning from others. This will specifically include the Women's Senior Team Technical Staff and the England Development Team National Coaches, supporting the information transfer and development journeys of high‑potential players.

Talent Identification & Relationship Building

Attend live fixtures each week and conduct regular club visits to maintain an up‑to‑date understanding of player performance and potential, and to build strong relationships with clubs for effective individual player development plans (IDPs).

Squad Selection & Multidisciplinary Working

Select squads for England events, collaborating with the multidisciplinary team and Senior Women Head Coach to ensure the best possible team composition and readiness.

Coach Development & Knowledge Sharing

Support the FA Education Strategy by assisting in the development of outstanding coaches in the female game and disseminate the England Women's How We Play (HWP) through formal and informal coach development opportunities.

Safeguarding, Health & Wellbeing Compliance

Ensure full compliance with The FA's Safeguarding Policy and all company policies and procedures, maintaining the highest standards of health, safety, and wellbeing for players and staff.

External Communications & Adaptability

Collaborate with FA media and communications staff to manage external communications and social media, and execute additional tasks as required to meet the changing priorities of The FA Group.

Other

Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's 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 are we looking for?

Essential for the role

Knowledge

• UEFA A Licence

Experience

• High level people development skills and experience
• Consistent, successful experience of management and development of elite players and multi‑disciplinary staff
• Ability to demonstrate inspirational leadership on and off the pitch using a variety of methods and approaches
• Significant experience of working with senior players with a track record of high performance
• Demonstrate understanding of senior women's international football
• Experience of being a head coach within the women's game
• Experience of working in high performing environments
• Deep knowledge of technical and tactical components of the women's international game including strategies and tactics
• Ability to create and implement a Player Development Plan
• Growth mind‑set and strong evidence of continued professional development
• Explicit knowledge and understanding of the England DNA

Technical Skills

• Extensive experience of Excel
• Ability to effectively manage budgets
• Advanced Microsoft Office
• Ability to create presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders

Beneficial to have: Knowledge

• UEFA Pro Licence

Experience

• Experience working in the WSL and or Championship
• Understanding of the demands of international women's football

Technical Skills

• Previous experience of Sportscode
• Basic Project Management skills
• Basic Analysis skills

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, 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 competitivesalary 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 well‑being.
• 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 (based on a full‑time, permanent contract.)
• A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page,

Currently, we are working 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. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

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.