Head of Academy

Organisation: Charlton Athletic Football Club
Salary: Competitve
Location: London
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 14 August 2025
Job Description: Head of Academy

Location: Sparrows Lane Training Ground

Hours: 40 hours per week

Closing date: 15th August 2025

Benefits include health cash back plan, EAP, auto enrolled pension

The advert will close on Monday 4th August 2025, but as it is an urgent requirement we may not be able to wait until the closing date before progressing applications. Please apply early to avoid disappointment.

Job purpose:

· Lead and inspire an environment that develops and supports players of the future to achieve their potential within a safe, inclusive, high performing professional club.

· Develop an effective pathway that prepares players to compete in senior professional football

· Support the development of a clearly aligned, safe, inclusive club philosophy from youth to senior football evidenced in a club owned Blueprint.

· To provide all players with dual career support throughout their journey

· Develop a coaching and performance workforce within the club, that better supports players in the pathway

· Create dynamic and versatile future players

· Reflect and review on successes and opportunities to make best use of investments

· Ensure the academy programme adheres to or exceeds licence requirements

· Be an advocate and guardian of the women’s game.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Player development programme

· Design and periodically review the player development curriculum

· Seek input and respond to feedback from other staff in the development and the delivery of the curriculum

· Oversee academy coaches in their planning, preparation, and evaluation of their coaching sessions

· Oversee the work of staff to ensure academy practice supports player engagement in their learning and development, ensuring players:

o are encouraged to ask questions and seek feedback for improvement and clarity

o are encouraged to have input to footballing decisions and their own learning process.

o are communicated the why’ as well as ‘what’ of decisions

o know and understand the purpose and ‘why’ of training sessions

Lead and support the player selection policy alongside the PGA’s Talent Identification Plan ensuring accessible opportunities for potential players.

Multi-Disciplinary Working & Academy Culture

· Deliver, or oversee the academy multi-disciplinary team activity:

o Work with individual players; set appropriated development targets with a plan to work towards those targets

o Provide feedback to players (using technology where appropriate)

o Monitor and evaluate player development; provide feedback to players and parents on a regular basis

o Liaise with and work closely with coaches, medics and performance staff regarding player development, and prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries

o Encourage / support the holistic development of players to support them as people and players.

o Ensure education is supported and incorporated, not restricted and challenged.

o Be available to players to offer advice, guidance and support on football and personal matters.

o Set, monitor and manage behaviours based on club and team values and expectations

o Make and act on decisions about disciplinary matters in conjunction with other staff

· Ensure coaches input information into the PGA’s data gathering system

· Work with the Women’s Safeguarding Manager to ensure that the wellbeing and welfare of all players and staff is always an operational priority

Staff development

· Through being a role-model, contribute to the development of a learning environment where people take responsibility for their own development, feel able to learn from their mistakes, experiment and show humility

· Be a role model of good personal wellbeing practice, and therefore show the way to the staff for sustainable performance

· Provide clarity regarding expectations, regular feedback, and appropriate support to enable strong leadership, engagement, and performance in the role

· Ensure every staff member has a personalised Development Plan (DP) that is tailored to meet their needs and wants, which they are committed to

· Observe, and provide feedback to coaches to assist their development

· Ensure all academy games activities are well managed with a development philosophy clear to players and coaches

Relationships

· Work to develop and maintain positive relationships with academy delivery partners (e.g. The FA, clubs and schools)

· Lead the audit and accreditation process from the club’s perspective.

· Report the outcomes internally.

· Work well with the Operations Lead, and other colleagues to ensure smooth running of the academy

· Develop relationships with parents; communicate with parents, and educate then regarding their role in supporting their child’s football and personal development

· Manage and harness productive relationships with First Team staff and support players entering the First Team environment.

· Manage and harness productive relationships with other senior clubs where players may exit to.

MAIN JOB REQUIREMENTS AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

Education/Qualifications/Training:

Essential

· Academy Managers should ideally hold a UEFA Alicence or should be working towards.
Or minimum UEFA B/FA Level 3 in Coaching Football or above Qualification.

· FA National Talent Identification and Scouting in Football

· FA DBS

· FA Safeguarding Children

· FA Level 1 Introduction to First Aid in Football (IFAiF)

Desirable

· Degree level qualifications in a related subject area.

· Engages in professional development other than technical football coaching development, for example:

· Physical Development of Youth Female Players (growth and maturation, female athlete physiology & menstrual cycle)

· Talent Identification & Talent Development across all sports (RAE, Unconscious Bias, Performance vs Potential)

· Player support qualifications (e.g., Talented Athlete Lifestyle Support)

· Coaching & mentoring qualification

Specific Experience:

· A background in Talent Development

· Experience of creating and managing programmes to facilitate young players’ long term athletic development

· An up to date understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures

· Experience of roles which have brought understanding of how children learn and develop (e.g., teaching)

· Experience of leading a team of people

· Knowledge and awareness of diversity and equality challenges in football

Safeguarding

Charlton Athletic Football club are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We endeavour to provide a fun, safe and welcoming environment where children and young people feel respected and valued.

If you are successful then you will be required to undertake an Enhanced DBS.

Additional Information

· This a full-time role that includes work on weekends and evenings

· Applicants must be eligible to live and work in the UK

· Charlton Athletic is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. This post is subject to a satisfactory DBS Disclosure

· As such, this post is exempt for the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974) and the successful candidate must disclose all convictions spent convictions should be declared, that have not been subject to filtering by the DBS

· Charlton Athletic FC is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and its policies for recruitment, selection, training, development and promotion are designed to ensure that no job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment.

· Any personal data that you provide to Charlton Athletic Football Club Ltd (data controller) will be processed in line with applicable data protection laws and will be used only for the purpose of recruitment.

· We will keep your personal information for 6 months after which we will erase it. You can always choose to have your data erased earlier by emailing us at dpo@cafc.co.uk.

· We’d love to hear from you if you believe you can meet the challenges of working within an elite sporting environment.

Please note that due to the high volume of applications we receive we regret that we are unable to respond to unsuccessful applicants.
How to apply: Apply here: https://cafc.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=766eb2d9-97cc-4195-83fc-e56a0b5c833b