The Role 7

As the Stadium Accreditation Project Officer at the Football Foundation (Foundation), you will provide project support to our ambitious Stadium Accreditation Programme, launching in July 2023.

The aim of this Programme is to revolutionise the collection of ground grading data using our new digital tool, StadiumPower. Data will be collected on behalf of The FA for the stadiums that are used across England and Wales for the purposes of playing National League System and Women’s Football Pyramid football. This new role will work alongside the Head of PLSF, the Stadium Accreditation Technical Manager, StadiumPower Product Manager and a network of Stadium Accreditation Assessors. These Assessors are made up of a team of consultants engaged to inspect and formally assess the quality of stadiums, and to collect specific data and information on the grounds and facilities on behalf of the PLSF. We will also draw on resource from the Foundation’s Technical Team to carry out these formal assessments.

The Project Officer will support the team in planning and coordinating activity. They will help to keep a track of progress, and coordinate the day-to-day activity for the Programme. In the initial stages, the Project Officer will support the roll out of StadiumPower to clubs and leagues, dealing with enquiries as the programme establishes. An excellent working knowledge of StadiumPower will be an absolute must, so that support and guidance can be provided to the Assessors once its launched.

Key responsibilities

1. Oversee the day-to-day operation of the Foundation’s Stadium Accreditation Programme.

2. Liaise with key internal teams; the Grant Management Team, Finance Team, Programmes Team, Brand, Marketing and Communications Team, and FIT Team, to help embed the Stadium Accreditation Programme within the PLSF.

3. Support the StadiumPower Product Manager with the deployment and use of StadiumPower.

4. Build and manage relationships with a network of Leagues and County FA’s across the country to provide them with access to the StadiumPower data they require.

5. Support 92 Premier League and EFL Clubs with the roll out of the Stadium Accreditation Programme Academies and Training Ground audit, and support them with access to the data they require via StadiumPower.

6. Support over 1,000 National League System (NLS) and Women’s Football Pyramid Clubs (WFP) with the roll out of the Stadium Accreditation Programme, and support them with access to the data they require via StadiumPower.

7. Provide timely progress updates and reports to the Head of PLSF, Stadium Accreditation Technical Manager, The FA, Premier League and other external stakeholders, to ensure everyone is engaged with and alert to progress on the project.

8. Provide strong project and administrative support for the Programme, influencing the strategic planning, being forward thinking, anticipating risk and mitigating against it, working with the team to consistently deliver to deadlines.

9. Facilitate regular meetings with stakeholders to ensure appropriate engagement and involvement in order to define problems, develop business requirements, and to identify risks, issues, and dependencies.

10. Develop a risk management process to assess, evidence and minimise project risks.

11. Manage the booking of Stadium Accreditation appointments with Clubs and Assessors, arranging payment of invoices where required.

12. Support the management of the Stadium Accreditation Assessors budget, with assistance from the Stadium Accreditation Technical Manager and Finance Team.

Key responsibilities (continued)

13. Create and maintain detailed project records within StadiumPower.

14. Monitor and report on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to drive a continuous improvement process.

15. Always carrying out duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with the Foundations policies and principles.

Other Activity

You will be required to:

• Undertake any other reasonable management request, including duties as can be reasonably expected to ensure the smooth running and efficiency of the Grant Management Team and wider organisation, never forgetting that teamwork is at the heart of what we do.

• Carry out duties and responsibilities of the post at all times in accordance with Football Foundation policies and principles.

• Ensure compliance with data protection in all matters.

• Uphold the ‘four corners’ of the Football Foundation.

• Demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Application requirements

Qualifications:

1. Educated to GCSE / O Level (or equivalent) including Maths and English (Essential).

Knowledge & experience:

1. A knowledge and understanding of sports and how it can be used for community benefit. (Desirable).

2. Experience of working with NLS and WFP Clubs (Desirable).

3. A good understanding of The FA’s Ground Grading criteria (Desirable).

4. Building and maintaining highly effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. (Essential).

5. Some knowledge of different project management techniques and an ability to flexibly apply these in a practical manner. (Desirable).

6. Proven customer support experience, including handling queries, complaints, providing appropriate solutions, and following up to resolve any issues. (Essential).

7. Some experience of time management and planning techniques and an ability to apply these in a practical manner. (Essential).

8. Some experience of working with large volumes of data, and maintaining accurate records (Desirable)

9. Communicating with colleagues and customers remotely via email, video conferencing and phone. (Essential).

10. Supporting the development of detailed and robust reports to decision makers and. (Desirable).

11. Using dashboards and other performance management software to assist in monitoring the progress of projects and performance improvement in general. (Essential).

Application requirements

12. A knowledge of PLSF grant programmes, application processes and criteria. (Desirable).

13. Working in partnership with Leagues and County Football Associations. (Desirable).

Essential skills and abilities:

1. A passionate supporter, strong and visible passion and commitment to inspiring activity, the values of the Foundation and delivery of its strategic objectives.

2. A united team player, actively contributing to the team to complete tasks, meet goals and manage projects, as well as having the ability to work independently, focusing and prioritising on what you need to personally accomplish.

3. While it isn’t essential for candidates to have prior experience as a project officer to apply as we will train the successful applicant, candidates must have first-class organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise a varied workload balancing important tasks with urgent demands and keeping track of responsibilities and actions.

4. First class customer service, always on the lookout for ways to improve systems and processes, and for better ways to manage workflows and offer increased support to internal and external stakeholders.

5. Problem solving and with the ability to think about alternative solutions or approaches when needed.

6. Strong attention to detail and excellent time management.

7. Accurate, thorough and with excellent attention to detail, with the ability to achieve a high-volume of recurrent processes, while ensuring the quality of the work remains at a high-standard.

8. Managing a diverse workstream, with the ability to analyse information consistently, identify issues and escalate potential risks.

9. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, keeping everyone in the loop, and as a united team player provide respectful challenge and constructive feedback to colleagues, and receive the same with a receptive, open-minded manner.

Application requirements

10. Flexible and adaptable, with a willingness to support others at times when team priorities take precedence.

11. The ability to develop and sustain a level of professionalism at all times among team members, key contacts and stakeholders.

12. A star performer, striving for excellence and committed to self-development to support the growth of the Football Foundation and requirements of the role.

13. Proficient in the use of Microsoft Teams Microsoft Project, Outlook, Word, and Excel with the appropriate level of IT competencies to learn new software and support the completion of tasks in a fast-paced environment.