Programme Manager(s) - FA Learning (Permanent and Fixed-Term)

Decide the game

We are excited to be searching for two Programme Manager's (FA Learning). One will be advertised permanently and the other is a one-year fixed-term contract.

You will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating multiple strategic projects and activities across FA Learning, ensuring they align with the FA Learning Strategy and Business Plans. This involves coordinating cross-functional efforts, overseeing milestones, connections and dependencies and managing risk in alignment with the agreed programme management framework and approach.

What will you be doing?

• Drive collaboration between teams, departments and divisions, as appropriate, to ensure connectivity, joined-up thinking and synergies aligned with FA Learning's purpose and strategy.
• Coordinate delivery across projects and activities through consolidated programme plans, ensuring progress is accurately tracked and reported, and risks are effectively managed.
• Oversee programme deliverables, timelines, milestones, risks and interdependencies to ensure that programmes are delivered on time, within scope and meet quality standards.
• Oversee programme budgets, ensuring cost-effective use of resources and maximising value for FA Learning.
• Establish programme governance frameworks that outline meeting structures, roles & responsibilities, decision-making processes and reporting lines for the programme.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure a collaborative and cross-functional approach to strategic programmes, ensuring the right expertise and capacity are available for successful delivery and communicating programme status effectively.
• Work closely with the Strategic Insight Leads to track programme effectiveness against established outcomes and measures of success, ensuring informed decisions and adapting as necessary to improve outcomes.
• Conduct post-programme evaluations to assess effectiveness and identify lessons learned, using this insight to inform future programme management.
• Support the Senior Lead - Programme Management to cascade the programme management framework and approach across FA Learning and help upskill colleagues on best practices in project planning and management.
• Provide support for strategy, business and financial planning cycles.
• Executes additional tasks as required in order to meet FA Group's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure 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:

• Project management qualification.
• Undergraduate degree.
• Experience managing programmes in complex and fast-paced environments.
• Ability to align programmes with strategy and business plans.
• Ability to make informed decisions and manage risk effectively.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to manage multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work within matrix-structured organisations and galvanise people within non-direct reporting structures.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent organisational and planning skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and relationship-building skills.
• Experience of project management software e.g. Smartsheet.
• Extensive experience with Excel.
• Advanced Reporting Writing skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Office.
• Ability to create presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders.

Beneficial to have:

• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Programme management qualification.
• Experience working in an educational or sports-focused environment.
• Passion for sport and/or football.
• Delivering project and programme management training to a diverse workforce.
• Strategy planning and management.
• Financial planning and management.
• Understanding of the importance and requirements to develop the next generation of coaches and young players.
• Excellent influencing & negotiation skills.
• Smartsheet experience.

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 wellbeing.
• 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.
• A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page,

Our Organisation

The Football Association The FA is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.

The FA oversees England international teams across men's, women's, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup and Women's Adobe FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park, all with a purpose to Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation.

We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.

Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of Wembley Stadium or St. George's Park unless the role is advertised as a home-based contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.

The FA, For All, For You

Our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.

A Game For All outlines three key strategic commitments - Lead the Change, Be the Change, and Inspire the Change - which will ensure tackling discrimination remains a core priority for English football for years to come.

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.