Kit and Cleaning Operations Manager

Organisation: Stadium MK
Salary: £30,000.00
Location: Milton Keynes
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 30 May 2025
Job Description: Job purpose: To strategically plan, lead and deliver an elite kit and cleaning service that is aligned with the objectives of Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.

Role Competencies:

Planning Timescales:
• Strategically plan and coordinate the timely provision, transportation, and organisation of all playing, training, and travelling kit and equipment.
• Plan and manage laundry services to ensure that all kit is laundered and presented to a high professional standard.
• Plan and manage cleaning schedules to ensure all First Team areas are cleaned and presented to a high professional standard.
• Plan and manage the rotas and work schedules of Kit and Cleaning Operatives.

Decision Making:
• Make impactful day-to-day and strategic decisions to manage and deliver an elite-level kit and cleaning service.
• Maintain meticulous records of kit inventory and regularly conduct audits and inventory checks and take prompt action to rectify shortages, missing items, or damages.
• Strategically procure appropriate quantities of playing, training, and travelling kit and equipment while ensuring all action of with the agreed budget parameters.
• Ensure the correct selection and safe use of various cleaning equipment and chemicals while abiding to strict health and safety requirements.
• Formulate, implement and review kit and cleaning department procedures and protocols.

Impact & Influence:
• Actively contribute to the creation of a high-performance environment ensuring all duties are completed with pride, consistency and to the best of your ability.
• Maintain high standards of professionalism while always acting as an ambassador for Milton Keynes Dons Football Club.
• Create positive and influential relationships to promote an interdisciplinary collaborative approach across the Club and wider networks.

Skill Level:
• Excellent strategic, organisational, logistical and time management skills with ability to meet stringent deadlines with meticulous attention to detail.
• Able to work in a high-pressured and controlled environment with a flexible approach, to dedicate time as the schedule determines, including a willingness to work unsociable hours, including overnight stays and international travel.
• Ability to plan and prioritise, while working at an energetic and efficient pace, to ensure all kit and cleaning tasks are completed and in compliance with a range of policy and procedures protocols.
• Solution focused with a strong 'can do' attitude with the ability to adapt to different, changing, and challenging situations.
• Ability to work independently under your own initiative and as part of an extensive high-performance team.
• Honest and trustworthy with a high level of confidentiality and exceptional personal integrity.
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office and the formulation of spreadsheets.

Communication:
• Excellent communication skills with an ability to liaise with players, staff, management, opponents, fans, the public and other such individuals in a personable and professional manner.
• Ensure timely liaison with various stakeholders to allow effective communication and reporting on kit and cleaning matters, as and when required.
• Attend and actively contribute to any departmental, management, Club or other meetings that are arranged where relevant to your role.
• Work closely with coaching, support staff and players to understand their kit, equipment and cleaning needs to ensure all requirements are met.

Budget Management:
• To strategically forecast, appropriately manage and be accountable for the Kit and Cleaning budget , ensuring all financial actions are within the agreed budget parameters.

Lead & Develop:
• Provide consistent inspirational leadership to manage, co-ordinate and develop kit and cleaning staff and the department to ensure all objectives are met.
• Possess the drive and enthusiasm to set high standards, lead by example and achieve agreed objectives.
• Ensure a programme of continuous professional development is in place for all Kit and Cleaning staff.
• Ensure the Kit and Cleaning Department operates within Club policies including, but not limited to, safeguarding of children, GDPR and health and safety.

Operating Parameters:
• Ensure that all players’ and staff’s training kits are prepared, clean, correctly labelled, and placed in the appropriate dressing rooms ahead of each training session, while accommodating any individual requirements.
• Ensure all First Teams areas are clean and presentable to a professional standard and ensure any issues are appropriately reported and actioned. This will include the provision of routine inspections, spot checks and other quality assurance measures.
• Prepare all kit and equipment for each training session, ensuring it is in a clean and presentable condition and delivered on time to the training venue.
• Prepare for all home matches, ensuring all dressing rooms, official’s rooms, the tunnel, managers office, dugouts and other key match day areas are clean, tidy and professionally presented for the match. This will include, ensuring all match kits and equipment meet the standards of the appropriate regulatory body and are neatly presented in the appropriate dressing room.
• Logistically plan for all away matches, training camps and any other team activities to ensure all kit and equipment requirements are met. This will involve liaison with various away venues, detailed assessment of needs and risk, meticulous planning, the packing, loading, transportation and unloading of kit and equipment, setting up dressing rooms and venues, and dynamic problem solving.
• Collect all training kit and equipment post training/match/event and ensure is it cleaned, laundered, organised and prepared for subsequent needs.
• Perform minor maintenance and repair tasks in a professional, effective, and safe manner.
• Assist with any other reasonable duties as directed by management staff.

Essential & Desirable Job Criteria:
Essential
• Previous experience of managing kit and/or facility operations in a professional football club or other high-performance environment.
• Previous experience of managing staff, rota, and schedules of work.
• Detailed understanding of Health & Safety legislation relative to the role, including the correct use and storage of laundry and cleaning chemicals.
• A comprehensive knowledge of relevant policies, procedures, and regulations as required by Law, the Club, FA, EFL, PL and any other appropriate bodies.
• Relevant qualifications in English and Maths.
• The capacity to carry out a physically demanding job in all seasonal weather conditions and extremes (see below for further detail)
• FA Learning Safeguarding Children Certificate.
• Full driving licence.
Desirable
• Relevant qualifications in operations, facilities management or similar.
• Previous experience of working in a controlled and regulated environment.
• A Category D1 Driving Licence (not needed if a driving licence was held prior to 1 January 1997).

This position contains physically demanding aspects which we determine to involve the following:

Walking – there is a lot of walking associated with this role which may exceed 8,000 steps per day.
Standing – there will be periods of long standing, as an example there is a requirement to stand and slow walk for 30 mins while assisting at a training session.
Bending – there will be a requirement to bend while completing tasks such as collecting used kit, packing kit and inflating balls.
Stretching- there will be a requirement to stretch while completing task such as placing shirts on a rail.
Lifting- there will be a requirement to lift heavy objects, such as a kit skip which weights 15kg.
Carrying- there will be a requirement to carry heavy objects, such as a container of liquid which weights 10kg.
Driving- there will be a requirement to drive the kit van to away games and training camps this will also include long distance travel, such as driving to a fixture 5 hours away (appropriate rest periods will be applied).

Safeguarding - We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and young people (CYP) and at-risk Adults (ARA) Our expectation is that you will fully accept your responsibility for the safety and welfare of all CYP and ARA by being fully conversant with all our safeguarding policies and reporting anything that does not appear to be correct. The post maybe subject to an enhanced DBS check and yearly self-declarations.

Equality & Diversity – must be able to demonstrate that equality, diversity and inclusion will be maintained and developed across all programmes and areas of the business.
How to apply: To apply for the role : please send your CV and a cover letter detailing your experience and vision for the role to careers@stadiummk.com.