The Premier League Football Development team are responsible for delivering long-term strategies that create unrivalled development environments for players, coaches, staff and match officials. These strategies, delivered in collaboration with The FA, EFL, PGMOL, PFA and LMA, include the Elite Player Performance Plan, the Elite Coaching Plan, the Integrated Coaching Strategy and the Elite Referee Development Plan.

To support this, the Premier League is looking to appoint a Football Development Systems Manager to drive innovation and insights through key technology projects. The successful candidate will have a strong track record for implementing and managing successful systems, a proven ability to engage a range of stakeholders and be comfortable working with leading-edge technology suppliers in a dynamic environment.

The role will include an exciting opportunity to lead on the delivery of the new Football Intelligence Platform, a unique and ambitious collaboration across the Professional Game that will help transform the collection, analysis and utilisation of coaching, medical, performance and player care data. The project involves all Premier League and EFL clubs and this role will help deliver the next stage of development and implementation, including ongoing alignment and integration with other Premier League Football systems.

Who we are

The Premier League is home to some of the most competitive and compelling football in the world. The League and its Clubs use the power and popularity of the competition to inspire fans, communities and partners in the UK and across the world. The Premier League brings people together from all backgrounds. It is a competition for everyone, everywhere and is available to watch in over 880 million homes in 188 countries.

We have a wide variety of responsibilities. These include organising the competition and its Handbook as well as managing the centralised broadcast and commercial rights. The work we do in conjunction with the Clubs also goes far beyond the 90 minutes. We support and provide a framework for youth development, we protect the organisation’s intellectual property, support the wider game and community programmes, undertake international development work and liaise with governing bodies and other leagues.

The Premier League 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 hybrid-working model also allows you some variety on your place of work, offering you the chance to work from home on some days each week. Where possible, you will attend the office or site visits in line with our company policy. All staff liaise closely with their line manager to manage their time appropriately and according to their work and team requirements.

The role

• Lead the implementation and enhancement of Football Development systems, including the new Football Intelligence Platform


• Be a leading advocate for the Premier League’s work on football technology projects, striving to demonstrate value and benefits across stakeholders


• Lead on the design, planning and management of new projects to support Premier League strategies


• Work closely with suppliers to ensure they can deliver requirements to parameters as agreed


• Be the Premier League lead for systems projects required as part of the Integrated Coaching Strategy, working closely with colleagues from the FA, EFL, LMA and PFA


• Create and manage a ‘roadmap’ of systems enhancement that deliver continuous improvement for stakeholders


• Develop and maintain relationships with staff across the department and business to understand business requirements and how technology can support the effectiveness of our delivery


• Develop good communication and working relationships with colleagues across the Professional Game to maximise the effective alignment and implementation of key shared systems


• Work closely with colleagues across the department to identify and present insights delivered through the systems


• Maximise user engagement and confidence internally and across all user groups through identification of development/training opportunities


• Ensure a Club perspective is maintained through good understanding of Club staff requirements


• Analyse project success and areas for improvement through the recording of appropriate management information

Requirements for the role

• Strong background in implementing systems to time, cost and quality requirements. Particularly in the context of elite sport


• Demonstrable experience in designing and delivering solutions that provide valuable insights for users


• Team player who understands and values collaboration


• Highly motivated to deliver all work to an excellent standard


• Ability to prioritise and allocate time effectively across multiple work streams


• Ability to communicate in an engaging and inspiring way when working with project teams, senior staff and clubs


• Can choose effectively when to lead, facilitate or support meetings where required


• High level emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills with the ability to manage stakeholder relationships appropriately


• Excellent planning, organisational and presentation skills


• Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills