Community Officer / Lead CoachChelmsford City

Community Officer / Lead Coach

Community Officer / Lead Coach

Department: Football in the Community
Reports to: Director of Football Operations
Location: Chelmsford City Football Club and various community venues across Essex
Hours: To be confirmed, with some evening and weekend work required

About the role

Chelmsford City FC are looking to recruit a Community Officer / Lead Coach to lead the planning, delivery and development of our Football in the Community programmes across Essex.

The successful candidate will play a key role in growing the club’s presence within the local community, delivering high-quality football, PE and community programmes across schools, grassroots clubs and community settings.

As Lead Coach, you’ll provide leadership, mentoring and support to our community coaching team, helping maintain consistently high standards across all programmes. You’ll also lead the development of our schools PE provision, building strong relationships with partner schools and ensuring sessions are engaging, inclusive and aligned with the National Curriculum.

Working closely with the Director of Football Operations, you’ll help coordinate coaches and programmes, develop relationships with schools and community partners, and contribute to the continued growth and sustainability of the club’s Football in the Community programme.

You’ll also work closely with Chelmsford City FC Foundation on community events, holiday programmes, health and wellbeing initiatives, fundraising activities and joint projects, helping to maximise the club’s positive impact across Essex.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, organised and experienced coach who can lead by example and shares our commitment to using football to create a positive impact within our community.

The successful candidate will act as an ambassador for Chelmsford City FC, demonstrating professionalism, integrity and a commitment to delivering positive social impact through football, education and community development.

Main Duties

• Lead, mentor and support the community coaching team
• Maintain high coaching standards and consistency with the club’s coaching philosophy
• Monitor coaching standards and provide constructive feedback
• Support coach recruitment, induction, development and quality assurance
• Produce and share session plans where appropriate
• Deliver high-quality coaching sessions when required
• Lead by example and promote excellent coaching practice across all programmes

Schools & PE Programme

• Lead and continually develop the club’s school PE programme in line with the National Curriculum for Physical Education
• Deliver engaging and inclusive PE lessons that develop physical literacy, fundamental movement skills, confidence and enjoyment of physical activity
• Work closely with schools to tailor programmes to their individual needs, curriculum objectives and wider priorities
• Develop schemes of work, lesson plans and resources that reflect best practice in PE and school sport
• Introduce activities and initiatives that encourage participation, inclusion and lifelong engagement in physical activity
• Monitor programme quality and impact through feedback from schools, teachers and pupils
• Support teachers through mentoring, team teaching and CPD opportunities to help improve PE provision
• Ensure all school-based programmes maintain high standards of safeguarding, health and safety and educational practice

Administration & Programme Coordination

• Act as a key point of contact for schools, coaches and community partners
• Coordinate school bookings, coaching timetables, staffing and programme delivery
• Support the recruitment, scheduling and deployment of community coaches
• Maintain accurate registers, attendance records, reports and participant information
• Support programme bookings and maintain relevant online booking platforms
• Assist with the preparation and issuing of invoices to schools, partner organisations and programme participants
• Complete session reports, monitoring information and evaluation data to support programme development and funding
• Collect participant feedback and impact data
• Manage equipment inventories and report any damage or replacement requirements
• Contribute to the continued growth and sustainability of the club’s Football in the Community programmes and revenue
• Ensure all administrative processes comply with club policies, safeguarding requirements and GDPR

Safeguarding & Health and Safety

• Promote and maintain a strong culture of safeguarding and welfare
• Follow all safeguarding procedures and report concerns appropriately
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries
• Conduct dynamic risk assessments and ensure safe coaching environments
• Report accidents and incidents in line with club procedures
• Follow all Chelmsford City FC health and safety policies
• Maintain an Enhanced DBS Check and appropriate safeguarding qualifications

General Duties

• Attend staff meetings, training and development opportunities
• Support club events, matchdays and community activities
• Work collaboratively with Chelmsford City FC Foundation on events, holiday programmes, health and wellbeing initiatives, fundraising activities and joint projects
• Work flexibly across evenings, weekends and school holidays where required
• Represent Chelmsford City FC professionally when working with schools, partners, participants and the wider community
• Undertake any other reasonable duties requested by the Director of Football Operations

The Candidate

We’re looking for someone with strong leadership and communication skills who is passionate about football, education and community development.

Essential qualifications and experience:

• UEFA B Licence or equivalent
• FA Introduction to First Aid in Football or equivalent
• FA Safeguarding Children qualification
• Full UK Driving Licence
• Enhanced DBS Check
• Experience coaching children and young people
• Experience delivering community football programmes
• Experience working within schools or grassroots football
• Experience planning and delivering engaging football and PE sessions
• Experience supporting or mentoring other coaches
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and child welfare
• Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion
• Good knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and behaviour management
• Excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills
• Strong time-management skills
• Ability to motivate participants and colleagues
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated, professional and reliable
• Flexible and adaptable with the ability to work effectively as part of a team
• High standards of integrity and a passion for community football

Desirable:

• Multi-Skills qualification
• Mental Health First Aid qualification
• Experience managing community projects
• Experience working within disability football programmes
• Experience supervising staff or volunteers
• Experience writing reports and monitoring programme data