Senior Officer – Women & Girls FootballAFC Wimbledon

ROLE PURPOSE

To lead the strategic development, management and delivery of AFC Wimbledon Foundation’s Women & Girls football provision, with specific responsibility for the continued development, delivery and impact of the LeaDON coaching programme. This includes overseeing LeaDON delivery, increasing participation, developing coaching and leadership opportunities, creating clear progression routes for women and girls, and leading the Girls Pathway.

The postholder will be responsible for programme quality, staff management, partnerships, budgets, safeguarding, monitoring and evaluation, and ensuring that provision is sustainable, inclusive and aligned with the priorities of AFC Wimbledon Foundation and relevant funding partners.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
• Lead the delivery of LeaDON: providing a sports leadership project in secondary schools, 12 weeks coaching programme and creating opportunities for people to gain the Introduction to Coaching qualification and UEFA C License.
• Oversee the delivery of all Women and Girls Football Programmes. Improving opportunities for Women and Girls to play football at all levels and removing barriers to access the FA’s Coaching Pathway.
• Support the delivery and development of the Girls Pathway, including seasonal planning, programme operations, player recruitment and retention, fixture coordination, and relationships with players, parents/carers, volunteers and key stakeholders.
• To provide support, advice and guidance to the Women and Girl’s Project Officer and Coordinator. Equipping them to deliver all Women’s and Girl’s Programmes as per the funder’s requirements, including responsibilities for all one to ones and performance reviews.
• Work collaboratively with AFC Wimbledon Men’s and Women’s First Teams, Academy and relevant club departments to develop work placements, guest-speaker opportunities, coaching mentorship, CPD and progression pathways.
• Act as the key point of contact for LeaDON funders and stakeholders, ensuring effective communication, reporting and delivery against agreed funding objectives.
• Build relationships with partners, schools, grassroots providers, NGBs and local authority for the benefit of the Women and Girls Football Programme. Including sitting on local community and borough working groups.
• Work closely with the Communications team to produce effective marketing literature and promotional materials to aid recruitment.
• Ensure all Women and Girls Football Programmes are delivered within the prescribed budget, and records of all project spend is collated in accordance with the funder’s requirements.
• Lead monitoring and evaluation across all Women & Girls football programmes, with specific responsibility for evidencing the impact of LeaDON against agreed outcomes, including participation, qualifications achieved, leadership development and progression into coaching opportunities. Ensuring project reports are completed and submitted at 6-month intervals, or as and when required either internally or in accordance with the needs of each funder.
• Ensure the impact of LeaDON and wider Women & Girls programmes is captured through participant stories, case studies and impact reporting, working with Communications & Impact staff."
• Lead on the Women and Girls Programme responsibilities for Safeguarding Children and at Risk Adults in accordance with the AFC Wimbledon’s Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk policies, including the production of risk assessments for every session and liaison with Designated Safeguarding Officer to report all incidents.
• Work with the Head of Sport & Education to identify development opportunities and service gaps, subsequently approaching suitable partners and/or funders.
• Delivery additional roles and responsibilities as agreed by Line Manager.

PERSON SPECIFICATION
Qualifications:
• Hold a relevant higher education or industry recognised certification or have a minimum of 2 years’ experience working within sports coaching.
• Minimum of a UEFA C License coaching qualification, working towards UEFA B License.
• Project Management training / qualification.
• Coach Mentor qualification or willing to work towards

Experience:
• Experience of developing inspiring football/sports programmes for underrepresented groups.
• Experience in Line Management of full-time and casual staff members.
• Knowledge of M&E and quality assurance programmes relevant to the industry sector.
• Knowledge and links with national and local girls’ football and sports providers.
• An understanding of funding streams available in the sector through work with partners such as the FA, EFL Trust, Premier League and community groups.
• Experience of working in an education setting, supporting young adults to achieve goals and gain qualifications.
• Strong knowledge of coach education pathways, including FA qualifications, mentoring, assessment, workforce development and progression opportunities within grassroots and professional football.
Skills & Behaviours
• Ability to enthuse and motivate participants, staff, and community partners to work towards greater inclusion of girls and women in sports.
• Ability to build positive stakeholder relations and lead an impactful project steering group.
• Ability to build strong cross-departmental and organisational relationships.
• Strong analytical skills, proficient in the use of ICT and ability to analyse data and create reports.
• Good communication and organisation skills.