FA Hospitality & Protocol Manager

Organisation: The Football Association
Salary: Competitive
Location: Wembley Stadium
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 3 July 2025
Job Description: Set the bar for greatness...

Are you passionate about creating unforgettable guest experiences and driving excellence at every touchpoint?

The FA is seeking a forward-thinking hospitality and protocol professional to deliver best-in-class hospitality for FA guests. In this dynamic role, you'll lead the benchmarking of FA Hospitality against top-tier industry standards. This is your opportunity to shape the future of hospitality at one of the most iconic sporting institutions in the world.

You will oversee the full operational delivery of FA Hospitality and Matchday Protocol, including the management of guest lists, ticketing, fulfilment, and VIP protocol coordination across FA Events. Working in collaboration with a complex stakeholder network, you will liaise with senior executives across the business in a fast-paced, demanding environment. Helping to shape the successful delivery of The FA's flagship events, including but not limited to FA Cup Finals, England Internationals, and supporting FA Guests attending major tournaments.

What will you be doing?

Management and delivery of FA Protocol for FA Events (FA Competitions and England Men's and Women's Teams) at football matches held at both Wembley Stadium and at Stadiums around the country.
Management and delivery of FA hospitality operations at both Wembley and Stadiums around the country for invited guests to FA-owned hospitality products, including but not limited to:
The Royal Box & The Wembley Suite (VIPs including FA Board, Council Members, and Senior Management Team)
FA Lounge & FA Club (Sponsor Guests)
Legacy Lounge (Guests of Players)
End-to-end management of The FA's invite strategy and guest invitation processes for FA Events.
Working closely with FA International Relations, this role will be the lead point of contact with opposition VIP delegates for international fixtures, and club protocol representatives for FA VIP and hospitality arrangements, including the delivery of gift exchanges and any other required matchday presentations.
Attend site visits for host stadiums away from Wembley, to assess and allocate suitable hospitality lounges to host FA invited guests for the relevant fixture. This will require the role to capture photos and information on the stadium, so that it can be uploaded into The FA's venue management database.
Liaison with the FA Chair and the CEO's Office regarding match protocols and hospitality arrangements for FA VIPs. Providing both the FA Chair and the CEO with pre-match briefings and being their main point of contact on matchday.
Liaison with the Royal Household regarding Royal attendance at Cup Finals and major tournaments.
Coordinate and manage the delivery of FA Board visits overseas to major tournaments for England Men's and Women's Senior Teams, including Euros and World Cups.
Day-to-day communications and troubleshooting with FA Council members for ad-hoc matchday support.
Lead on FA protocol logistics at the FA Cup Finals with the Official Presentation Party for both pre-match and post-match requirements, including the delivery of the medal presentation and trophy lift in the Royal Box at Wembley.
Monitoring presentation and operating standards throughout the event planning and delivery phases, ensuring FA Hospitality is best-in-class.
Liaise with key delivery partners to coordinate hospitality requirements. Including but not limited to catering suppliers, production and branding agencies, the wider stadium and event delivery team.
Produce and distribute timely and accurate event information where required, including updating event-specific planning notes and catering riders for FA Events at Wembley and stadiums around the country.
Ensure all health and safety requirements are met and safe working practices are adhered to in FA hospitality operations.
Coordinate with internal departments and matchday staffing agencies (as appropriate) to ensure adequate resourcing (including build-up and breakdown) for FA hospitality areas.
Strong financial management, delivering world-class hospitality within pre-agreed event budgets.
Contribute to debrief processes as and when required.
Line management responsibility for 2 direct reports.
Support the Head of FA Events with the strategic development of FA Hospitality and Protocol.
Executes additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.
As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

What are we looking for?

Essential for the role:

Significant experience in hospitality operations in the leisure and/ or entertainment sector.
Flexible approach to working hours and ability to work events which involve evenings and weekends.
Understand FA obligations within all staging agreements.
Understand relevant commercial agreements.
Experience of minimising and reducing conflict.
Experience in managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines.
Experience coordinating across a range of diverse hospitality events.
Experience in following internal and external procedures..
Proficient skills in Microsoft Office.
Experience working in a fast-paced environment.

Beneficial to have:

Experience in chairing meetings.
Experience in understanding operational requirements of internal departments, outside of the candidates' natural aptitudes.
Experience of working in a high-profile multi-purpose venue.
Strong financial skills.
Relevant degree or similar qualification.
Experience in managing high-profile, security-sensitive visits.
Understanding of staging agreements, commercial catering and hospitality agreements.
IOSH qualification or equivalent.

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.

We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well-being.
Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
Free private medical cover.
A contributory pension scheme.
An additional 'Thank You' days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract.)
A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance
How to apply: https://careers.thefa.com/jobs/vacancy/fa-hospitality--protocol-manager-wnsl0920-wembley-stadium/2601/description/