Overview

The Premier League’s Football Development team is responsible for the delivery of the League’s strategic plans to support its ambitions to develop the best Players, Coaches, Staff, and Match Officials.

To support the continued implementation of these strategies the Premier League provides individualised professional development programmes and initiatives for football leaders and multidisciplinary staff across the Academy system. As part of this important work, we are looking to recruit a Planning and Operations Manager responsible for the planning and operations of Leadership and Workforce Development (LWD) programmes. The Planning and Operations Manager is a member of the LWD Team and will work towards meeting team and individual objectives.

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.

The role

Reporting to the Head of LWD, the duties of the LWD Operations Manager will include, but not be limited to:

Leadership and Workforce Development Strategic Plan

• Contribute to the overall LWD Strategic plan, in line with the wider Football Development Department and Premier League objectives, specifically leading on how to operationalise the strategic plan effectively and efficiently to achieve team objectives.


• Work with the Head of LWD and the LWD Team to develop the overall philosophy, strategy, and operational framework for LWD


• Contribute to the LWD strategic plan with specific planning and operational expertise


• Develop reports, briefings and communications material that share the strategic impact of LWD in relation to Football Development and Premier League objectives

Leadership and Workforce Development Operational Planning

• Manage the overall Operations Project Plan and budget for all LWD programme activity (i.e. to project track all planning and operational delivery, including all LWD planning meetings, deadlines, events, activities, procurement, etc.).


• Own and manage the LWD Operations Project Plan, accounting for all LWD team activity.


• Manage the LWD budget, providing accurate and timely updates to the Head of LWD and the Director of Football.


• Manage regular LWD Team meetings to track progress and ensure deadlines are met.

Leadership and Workforce Development Calendar

• Set and manage the Seasonal Calendar for LWD, ensuring alignment with wider Football Development calendar (e.g. Coaching, Games Programme, PGAAC, etc.).


• Establish and manage the seasonal calendar for LWD activity.


• Work with other teams in Football Development, and other Departments in the business, to ensure scheduling alignment and to communicate LWD activity.

Leadership and Workforce Development Operations

• Ensure the effective delivery of operations, logistics and administration across all LWD activity (i.e. modules, DNA, individual learner plans, portfolio management, mentor support networks, consultant management, mentor management, regional hubs, leadership summits, Programme Advisory Group, recruitment/selection, digital learning, LMS, contracts, invoicing etc.).


• Ensure the effective delivery of all LWD activity on the ground, before/during/after, through direct action or delegation to Operations Executive/Consultant.


• Work with other teams in Football Development, and other Departments in the business, to identify potential operational efficiencies and alignment.

Manage Relations and Obligations with Stakeholders

• Manage contractual obligations with partner organisations, specifically the administration of the University of Portsmouth agreement.


• Build and maintain relationships with key partners, internally and externally, in line with the LWD strategic plan.

Requirements for the role

• Extensive practical experience of, business planning, operations, project management, or similar discipline, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders and projects.


• Experience of planning and operational delivery of programmes within an education, leadership development, or learning and development environment, ideally within football or wider performance sport.


• Experience of managing events and conferences.


• Experience of managing quality assurance processes.


• Track record of manging others and delegating workload effectively.


• The confidence to deal with senior internal and external figures in a professional manner.