Head of Medical and Performance

Organisation: Huddersfield Town AFC
Salary: c. £75,000 - £80,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Contract type: (Full time)
Closing date: 27 May 2026
Interview date: 9 June 2026
Job Description: Job Description

Post Title
Head of Medical and Performance.

Department/Location
First Team Medical and Performance department, the Canalside Training Centre.

Reports to
Sporting Director.

Purpose of the Role
The post holder will lead and manage the Club’s Medical and Performance departments for the First Team, ensuring that working practices, processes, and standards are aligned to the Club’s football identity and performance objectives.

The role will be responsible for driving high standards across player availability, rehabilitation, physical performance, recovery, and return-to-play processes, while supporting the delivery of a physically robust squad capable of sustaining the demands of the Club’s playing style.

The post holder will work closely with the Sporting Director, Head Coach, and wider football staff to ensure alignment and collaboration across Medical, Performance, Coaching, Player Recruitment, and Football Operations.

Internal: Sporting Director.
Head Coach.
Football Administration Manager.
Medical and Performance Team.
Coaching Team.
Senior Leadership Team.
Staff and Managers throughout the organisation.

External: Other Clubs’ Medical and Performance Staff.
Premier League and English Football League.
Football Association (FA).
League Managers Association (LMA).
Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA).

Key Performance Indicators

The post holder will:

• Maximise player availability throughout the season.

• Use rehabilitation processes consistently returning players to training and competition in an optimal physical condition.

• Ensure physical performance practices align to the demands of the Club’s playing identity.

• Develop effective monitoring and management of player loading, recovery, and physical outputs.

• Improve collaboration and communication across Medical, Performance, and Coaching staff.

• Drive clear and consistent medical and physical input into player recruitment and return-to-play decision making.

• Establish and maintain high standards, behaviours, and accountability across the department.

Role Specific Responsibilities

Leading on First Team Medical and Performance Strategies

The post holder will:

• Lead and manage the effective running of the First Team Medical and Performance departments.

• Drive consistent standards and working practices across all areas of the Medical and Performance departments.

• Line manage all members of the First Team Medical and Performance staff, providing leadership, direction, and accountability across the department.

• Develop greater alignment and collaboration across Medical, Performance, Coaching, and wider Football Operations staff.

• Support the development of a physically robust squad capable of sustaining the demands of the Club’s playing style.

• Provide clear and concise communication to the Sporting Director, Head Coach, and key stakeholders regarding player availability, physical readiness, and injury prognosis.

• Ensure medical and physical performance information is communicated clearly and appropriately to support practical football decision-making across the Club.

• Lead regular planning and review meetings with Medical and Performance staff.

• Ensure return-to-play processes reflect the physical and tactical demands of First Team football.

• Provide day-to-day physiotherapy and performance support services to the Club’s First Team, including training sessions and both home and away fixtures where required.

• Work closely with the Sporting Director and Player Recruitment staff to provide medical and physical performance input on potential signings and player due diligence processes.

• Plan and manage the Medical and Performance budget for the First Team.

• Use performance, availability and injury data to support decision making and continuous improvement across the department.

• Work with the Sporting Director and key stakeholders to develop and review performance-related objectives for all members of the First Team Medical and Performance departments, in line with the annual Performance Development Plan (PDP) process, ensuring these align with wider departmental and Club goals, are regularly reviewed and recorded appropriately.

• Identify areas for staff development and promote continuous professional development across the department.

• Promote a proactive, collaborative, and accountable culture across Medical and Performance staff, in line with the Club’s ‘Everything Together’ ethos and associated values.

• Work with the Human Resources team and other key stakeholders in relation to the recruitment, development, and retention of staff.

• Ensure Service Level Agreements are in place each season in relation to external or third-party medical and performance services, working alongside the Chief Financial Officer and Head of HR and EDI as required, to ensure compliance with UK legislation including IR35.

• Execute additional tasks as required to meet the Club’s changing priorities.

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive, and the post holder will also be required to undertake any other duties as required by the Sporting Director and/or other senior leaders within the Club.
How to apply: Huddersfield Town AFC Head of Medical and Performance c. £75,000 - £80,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience. Full-time and permanent, working evenings and weekends to cover home and away fixtures (flexibility with days and times of work is required). We are looking for a talented individual to lead and develop our multidisciplinary Medical and Performance departments. This is a high-level and pivotal leadership role at the heart of our First Team environment, responsible for maximising player availability, optimising performance, and delivering and leading a high standard of rehabilitation and return-to-play processes. The post holder will manage and integrate the Medical and Performance teams to build a culture of performance excellence that drives continual improvement and competitive advantage. The post holder will be an experienced, forward-thinking practitioner who thrives in elite sport and can create a high-performance culture aligned with the Club’s ‘Everything Together’ ethos and ambitions on and off the pitch. Best practice in clinical governance, athlete welfare, and evidence-based performance support will underpin this role. The post holder will have strong leadership skills with the ability to influence across all levels of the department. This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role within a forward-thinking football club with clear ambitions for success, working within an elite environment where your expertise will directly impact player performance, team success, and the long-term ambitions and development of the Club. If you have the specified experience, qualifications, and personal attributes, and are enthusiastic about the variety and opportunities that this role offers, we would love to hear from you. We receive a high volume of applications for our vacancies and as such we encourage you to ensure that your application details how you feel you match our requirements. The volume of applications received prevents us from being able to provide feedback at short-listing stage. To apply, please create an account in our online application portal and ensure you complete the associated questions in full. This is a high-level leadership role and your application should fully reflect your capabilities, supported with examples from your current or previous position(s). Please highlight any factors that you would like us to consider, for example, if you have a disability or health condition that may require us to make reasonable adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. Safeguarding We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults and we expect all staff and other stakeholders to share and contribute to this commitment. As this role is likely to involve the supervision of and work with children, young people, and/or adults at risk, the successful candidate will require clearance to work in football and an Enhanced Criminal Records Check (CRC) through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Applicants must disclose all previous convictions including spent convictions in accordance with the associated legislation; this can be done via a private letter/disclosure to the Head of Human Resources and EDI. The amendments to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain convictions and cautions are considered ‘protected’. This means that they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot consider them. Guidance about whether a conviction or caution should be disclosed is available on the Ministry of Justice website. Equality and Inclusion Huddersfield Town AFC strives to promote a diverse and inclusive community – a place where everyone can be themselves and in which everyone feels valued, included, and supported to achieve their full potential. We offer a range of family-friendly and inclusive employment arrangements, and we have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination. We have comprehensive employment benefits including a Flexible Working Policy and enhanced provisions in relation to maternity, paternity, and adoption leave and pay. We are well known as a leader within the football industry for our inclusive practices. We hold the Advanced Level Health Check Award for the Premier League Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Standard (PLEDIS) and the Gold Award for the EFL Equality Code of Practice. We are also a Disability Confident Leader, a Mindful Employer, and the first organisation to be accredited as both a Menopause Friendly and Menstruation Friendly Employer. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds, and we are particularly seeking to diversify our workforce in relation to gender, ethnicity, and disability. We are committed to the redress of any inequalities by taking positive action where appropriate. As a Club, we describe our vision as ‘Everything Together’ and our associated values relate to the word ‘Everything’. If your values align with and add to ours, we would love to hear from you. Further information about the Company and working with us is available from the Careers section of our website: https://careers.htafc.com/ To apply, please complete the application form in our portal. If you need any assistance and/or would prefer to apply in an alternative format, please contact us by email to jobs@htafc.com Completed applications must be submitted by 9:00am on Wednesday 27th May 2026. Interviews are likely to take place in early June 2026.