Women's Casual Sport PsychologistThe FA

The Football Association is seeking two experienced and driven Sport Psychologists to join our England Women's Pathway age-group teams. Working as part of a collaborative, forward-thinking psychology team, you will play a key role in helping young athletes unlock their potential, perform under pressure, and develop the psychological skills needed to succeed at the highest level. 

The number of delivery days per season can vary, but will be circa 45-80 days per annum, depending on team requirements. The role is camp-based (taking place during the Women's FIFA international windows) and will involve National and International travel to support England Teams prepare for and play international fixtures and tournaments. Please read the schedule at the bottom of the advert before applying. One of these opportunities has arisen through maternity leave within the existing team.

What will you do?

• Proactively lead and enable the delivery of a clearly defined and aligned performance-driven psychology strategy to a specified age-group team.
• Work with key stakeholders to improve performance through the development, effective implementation, and robust evaluation of sport psychology support.
• Report to the psychosocial pathway manager and deliver comprehensive support aligned to the wider sport psychology strategy.
• Facilitate the development of a sustainable high-performance culture across England Teams that promotes positive mental health and drives extraordinary human performance, including but not limited to:
  • Proactively ensuring players and staff can deliver their best under pressure.
  • Supporting the design and facilitation of approaches to embed psychological demands in training.
  • Supporting the development of effective relationship dynamics and high-performing communication skills to underpin successful performance.
  • Promoting positive mental health & ensure there is appropriate support for those experiencing Mental Health Problems.
  • Optimizing organizational culture and climate to enhance the performance environment.
• Assure the quality of delivery of a performance-focused psychology service in line with the training and match/tournament objectives of England players.
• Develop a robust process for ensuring performance impact is measurable and visible to all stakeholders
• Identify and facilitate appropriate communication methods, including workshops, to inform and educate players, coaches, and key stakeholders in the effective use of psychology support.
• Where appropriate, provide targeted psychology support directly to a select number of players and coaches
• 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 well-being can be maintained.

What You'll Need?

Essential for the role:

• BSc and MSc in psychology/sport psychology (or relevant equivalent).
• British Psychological Society Chartered Status or BASES Support Accredited (or equivalent).
• Registered with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Extensive experience working within a multi-disciplinary team, providing psychological support to team sports.
• Experience of providing support that targets the optimisation of team dynamics/behaviour.
• Have travelled with a team to major international competition at senior or junior level (e.g. Olympic or Paralympic Games, World or European Championships, Commonwealth Games or professional equivalent).
• Experience of working closely with and directly advising senior stakeholders within a National Governing Body (i.e. programme managers, head coach, Technical Director, General Manager etc).
• Ability to create presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders.
• Verbal and written knowledge of the English language.

Beneficial to have:

• PhD in psychology/sport psychology or relevant equivalent.
• Experience in coaching.
• Experience working in football.