National Programme Manager – Football Stewarding and Workforce Development

Job summary

A football stewarding reform and improvement programme has been developed by key stakeholders including the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), Premier League, English Football League (EFL), appointed subject matter experts (SMEs) and other key partners. It responds to recognised challenges and opportunities across football stewarding in England and Wales.

Research undertaken by the SGSA highlighted areas for focus including:

• greater consistency in training and standards, with a focus on continual improvement;
• improved safety, security and supporter experience;
• a stronger and more sustainable stewarding workforce, including development and retention; and
• more consistent and higher standards and approaches across stewarding agencies.

A central element of the programme is the Stewarding Quality and Development Hub (SQUAD) – a digital learning and programme platform being developed for football stewarding. The developing offer includes football-specific Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4 learning content and modules aligned to relevant National Occupational Standards, together with functionality to support participating clubs and stewards.

The next phase will involve further testing and refinement, club onboarding, phased rollout and development of the wider offer on a national basis.

The programme also connects with the Mayor’s Stewarding Academy, a complementary workforce-development partnership between the Premier League and the Greater London Authority (GLA). Alignment will help ensure SQUAD complements the Academy’s delivery in London and the wider national programme as both progress.

Job description

The Programme Manager will provide senior programme leadership and coordination for the football stewarding reform programme, ensuring that agreed priorities move from strategy into practical delivery across partners, clubs, suppliers and subject matter experts.

The postholder will combine strategic partnership liaison and programme coordination with hands-on operational delivery. They will own and drive the programme workplan, personally progress agreed actions and priority workstreams where required, and ensure activity is planned, delivered, monitored and communicated effectively.

The postholder will work closely with established stewarding subject matter experts and relevant representatives from Steering Group partners to review, refine and roll out programme content and delivery arrangements.

The role is therefore not intended to be the principal stewarding subject matter expert. Its core value will be programme leadership, practical delivery, partnership working and stakeholder management, drawing on specialist expertise from across the programme where required.

Working arrangements and relationships

The post holder will be employed by the SGSA and remain in regular contact, with line management into the Chief Executive to track the progress and delivery of the programme. The Premier League, as a key stakeholder of the stewarding reform programme, under the secondment arrangement, will host the post holder with the Director of Operations and Strategy (Policy) providing guidance and oversight.

The role will operate to the agreed priorities and governance of the Stewarding Programme Steering Group and work across the Premier League, EFL and wider football landscape.

The postholder will work closely with:

• the SGSA, Premier League and EFL;
• Premier League and EFL clubs;
• relevant safety, security, matchday operations and stewarding networks;
• Stewarding companies
• appointed subject matter experts;
• technology, learning and other delivery partners;
• the Mayor’s Stewarding Academy partners; and
• other relevant stakeholders.

The postholder will develop trusted relationships with those responsible for safety, security and service, matchday operations and stewarding and ensure that club and partner perspectives continue to inform programme planning, delivery and future development.

Key responsibilities

Programme leadership, project management and delivery

• Lead the day-to-day programme management and delivery of the Stewarding Reform Programme, personally driving priority actions and workstreams as well as coordinating delivery across partners.
• Maintain an integrated programme plan covering outcomes, scope, milestones, dependencies, resources and decisions, supported by a rolling 90-day planning rhythm.
• Drive follow-through on agreed actions, resolve delivery issues where possible and ensure matters requiring partner or Steering Group decisions are identified and escalated promptly.
• Support effective Steering Group and programme governance, including preparation of papers, recommendations, decisions, actions and escalation.
• Coordinate the consideration and progression of specialist legal, data protection, safeguarding, accessibility and assurance matters through the appropriate experts.

SQUAD development and rollout

• Lead and drive the operational coordination and delivery of ongoing SQUAD testing and refinement, pilot activity, club onboarding and phased rollout at scale, including across Premier League and EFL clubs.
• Coordinate readiness across technology and digital systems, content, data protection, legal, communications, club support, reporting and other relevant areas.
• Personally progress issues and actions required to maintain rollout momentum, working with the appropriate subject matter experts and suppliers rather than operating solely through formal governance processes.

Requirements, feedback and subject matter expertise

• Work with appointed subject matter experts, clubs, suppliers and delivery partners to coordinate the ongoing review, testing, approval and implementation of content and programme changes.
• Ensure club, steward and user feedback is assessed and translated into clear technical, content and practical delivery requirements.
• Bring together the appropriate expertise to resolve issues and convert recommendations and decisions into practical implementation.

Stakeholder engagement and communications

• Develop and maintain a structured stakeholder and club-engagement approach, coordinated with programme communications.
• Provide timely updates, build confidence among programme partners and clubs, and represent the programme at relevant meetings, forums and working groups within agreed authority.
• Identify stakeholder concerns and delivery barriers and work proactively with partners to resolve.

Partnership and workforce-development alignment

• Support effective alignment between the national programme and the Premier League and GLA Mayor’s Stewarding Academy partnership.
• Work with clubs, the GLA and delivery partners to understand connections between the initiatives, avoid duplication, support complementary delivery and identify learning that may inform future national workforce-development activity.

Accountability

Employed by the SGSA and working to the agreed priorities of the key stakeholders including the Stewarding Programme Steering Group. Formal employment responsibility will sit with the SGSA, with hosting, operational management and support provided through the secondment arrangement with the Premier League to enable the post holder to drive practical delivery of the programme.

Person specification

Essential

• Senior project or programme management experience, including strategic planning and practical implementation across complex, multi-stakeholder programmes.
• Evidence of personally driving delivery and turning agreed plans and decisions into practical action, with experience of driving and managing change.
• Strong partnership and stakeholder-management skills, with the credibility to work across football bodies, leagues, clubs, public organisations, specialist advisers and delivery partners.
• Ability to turn objectives, evidence and stakeholder feedback into clear plans, requirements, decisions and deliverable activity.
• Experience of managing delivery dependencies, systems, risks, governance, reporting and budgets, with sound judgement about when to resolve issues directly and when to escalate.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including concise senior reporting, decision papers, presentations and external engagement.
• An understanding of football, sport or event-based operations and the importance of stewarding to safety, security and supporter experience.
• Ability to operate effectively in a partnership environment where authority and expertise sit across several organisations rather than within a single reporting line.

Desirable

• Experience of training, qualifications, workforce development or organisational change.
• Experience of digital learning, learning-management systems or technology-enabled implementation and rollout.
• Direct experience of sport, football or event operations, including venue/stadium safety, stewarding or a comparable spectator-events environment.
• Experience of working with public bodies, regulators, governing bodies or complex partnership structures.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £69,075, Sports Grounds Safety Authority contributes £20,011 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).Membership of the Civil Service pension scheme

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

As a key stakeholder of the football stewarding reform programme and secondment host, the Premier League is supporting the administration of this SGSA recruitment. Applicants will be taken via the link provided to a Premier League job page to make an online application. Applications will be shortlisted by the SGSA and the Premier League.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Recruitment
• Email : recruitment@sgsa.org.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@sgsa.org.uk