Stadium Accreditation Project Officer
(Maternity Cover – 12 months)
Recruitment Pack
June 2023
The Premier League Stadium Fund provides financial support to clubs that play at Step 1 to 6 of the National League System, and Tier 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid.
The Premier League Stadium Fund is fully funded by the Premier League, and delivered and administered by the Football Foundation.
Introduction
Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about the Premier League Stadium Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.
The Premier League Stadium Fund historically awards capital grants to clubs to support improvement of their stadium facilities for players, supporters and officials. Funding is available to clubs who play in Steps 1 to 6 of the National League System (NLS), Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid (WFP) and clubs promoted into the English Football League (EFL).
From July 2023. the remit of the Premier League Stadium Fund is expanding, as we assume responsibility for the collection of ground grading data from The FA by delivering our newest programme, Stadium Accreditation. Utilising a new digital tool called StadiumPower that we have built, we will collect data about every stadium that is used by NLS and WFP across the country and use this insight to report its findings to key stakeholders and help inform where we should look to target our investment going forward.
The purpose of the Football Foundation is to transform individual lives and communities by providing people with a great place to play. That’s an inspiring thought – but behind it sits a great team. The Foundation is an independent charity, but has at its heart a collaboration between the Premier League, The Football Association and Sport England. Our role is to facilitate their joint investment into community sports facilities. We do this through partnership working – being part of a team is really important to us.
Becoming part of the Football Foundation team, will give you the chance to deliver a positive impact in every community in England; to help transform lives and communities through great places to play; and to be part of a supportive and inclusive staff team that strives to work hard and plays fair to achieve its goals.
I hope you take the time to apply.
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer
The Premier League Stadium Fund
Since 2000…
5,500+ Grants Awarded £188m+ Investment
1,000+ Clubs Supported
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Our Impact
About the Premier League Stadium Fund
The Premier League Stadium Fund became the new name of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) in March 2022. It took on the existing work of the FSIF but with an extended remit, providing financial support to clubs throughout the football pyramid.
The Premier League Stadium Fund awards capital grants to clubs to support improvement of their stadium facilities for players, supporters and officials. Funding is available to clubs who play in Steps 1 to 6 of the National League System, Tiers 1 to 4 of the Women’s Football Pyramid and clubs promoted into the English Football League.
The Premier League Stadium Fund now provides funding via several different opportunities:
• Stadium Fund
Our core programme provides funding for clubs to help undertake stadium improvement works and ensure compliance with the requirements of the FA National Ground Grading Criteria.
• Club Development Fund
Funding available for both ‘on the pitch’ and ‘off the pitch’ projects which will help clubs develop links with their local communities and increase financial sustainability.
• LED Floodlight
Fund
Recent research confirmed that a large proportion of clubs in the NLS and WFP are still reliant on metal halide floodlights. Due to rising energy costs and environmental concerns, a dedicated Floodlight Fund will be launched to help clubs make the ‘big switch’ to LED
• Women’s Infrastructure Fund
Providing funding for to ensure stadiums are more inclusive can respond to the needs of the growing Women’s game.
As well as continuing to provide capital grants, the Premier League Stadium Fund has also assumed responsibility for the collection of ground grading data with a new programme called ‘Stadium Accreditation’ which is launching in July 2023. You can read more about this here.
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.
B
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.
Application offer – salary & benefits
Location
• The salary band for this role is £30,000 per annum (dependent on experience).
• This is a temporary maternity cover role, expected to last 12 months. We would ideally want the candidate to start work by the end of August 2023 to handover from the current employee.
The role will be home-based, although occasional travel to our main office at Wembley Stadium, London, as well as stadiums will be required
• You will initially be entitled to 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays. The Foundation also offer a generous pension scheme (8% employer contribution), yearly collective bonus, free healthcare provision, a monthly gym subsidy, interest-free season ticket loan, death in service benefit and access to selected match tickets.
• We are committed to helping our staff maintain a healthy work-life balance, so offer flexible working hours around core hours to help achieve that.
THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION
ABOUT THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION
Whilst the Stadium Accreditation Project Officer will be responsible for the successful delivery of the Fund, they will be employed by the Football Foundation, and therefore it’s important that they understand the wider context – in terms of what we do and how we go about it.
The Football Foundation’s purpose is to transform individual lives and communities by providing people with a great place to play. That’s an inspiring thought – but behind it sits a great team. The Foundation is an independent charity, but has at its heart a collaboration between the Premier League, The Football Association and Sport England. Our role is to facilitate their joint investment into community sports facilities. We do this through partnership working – being part of a team is really important to us.
Over the last 20 years we’ve been busily planting the seeds to grow grassroots football, transforming communities where demand is greatest, and impact will be strongest.
We have worked closely with local authorities, County FAs and other passionate people in communities up and down the country to deliver over 17,000 sports projects worth over £1.8 billion and we’ve got big plans to revolutionise England’s grassroots facilities over the next decade.
OUR FOUR CORNERS
We unlock the power of pitches. We transform lives and strengthen communities.
Whatever position we play in, we always strive for excellence.
WE REFER TO OUR COMPANY VALUES AS OUR FOUR CORNERS AND THESE FORM A CENTRAL PART OF OUR WORKING CULTURE. WHEN APPLYING FOR ROLES WE ENCOURAGE APPLICANTS TO BE AWARE OF OUR FOUR CORNERS AS WE WILL FRAME SOME OF OUR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AROUND THESE.
We support each other and work together to deliver the greatest impact wherever it’s needed the most. Nothing brings people together like sport and teamwork is at the heart of what we do.
We support the game in any way we can. We make sure applicants access funding as easily as possible. We work with partners to deliver outstanding football facilities. We transform lives and communities on behalf of our Funding Partners.
Being inclusive and understanding diversity allows us to tackle inequalities through everything we do. We play fair regardless of gender, race, ability or place, from the star performers we recruit, to the way we work, from the facilities we fund, to the people who play on them.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We genuinely believe that by having a diverse workforce, we will be more productive, make better decisions and gain a better understanding of the communities we serve.
In 2023, we proudly launched ‘Together for Football’ our EDI strategy.. This strategy outlines our ambitions and commitments to increasing our diversity, and the tactics we plan to use to help make the Foundation more inclusive. The initiatives and actions we have committed to are designed to help us better serve communities across England.
When you apply for a job with us, we’ll ask you to fill in an equality opportunities form. Your answers will be kept strictly confidential at all times and will not be used to identify you as an individual. The data collected from this form helps us to identify any disproportionate outcomes for applicants and will help inform future recruitment campaigns and strategies.
At the Foundation we want inclusion to be an everyday reality. For this to be the case, we need all our teammates to play their part in bringing our commitments and values to life. We are looking for applicants who share our passion for inclusion and who will support our aim of ‘unlocking the power of the pitch, to transform lives and communities’.
Together for football.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We encourage people from all communities and backgrounds to apply for our jobs. We are particularly interested to hear from individuals belonging to under-represented groups including diverse ethnic communities, individuals with a disability, and those from the LGBTQI+ community.
Our aim is to ensure our processes are equitable for candidates with disabilities, and we are committed to considering all possible adjustments to our recruitment process.
Please get in touch to discuss any adjustments you may need: jobs@footballfoundation.org.uk
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Application process
To apply, please follow the steps outlined below:
1. Please send the following to jobs@footballfoundation.org.uk
• CV
• Cover letter highlighting your motivation for the post and indicating how your skills and experience meet the criteria for the role.
2. Complete an anonymous Equal Opportunities form:
• Click here to fill it out. Please only submit one form, if you have any issues get in touch.
Closing date for applications: Wednesday 12 July, 09:00
We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible, as we may close the advert and application window once we have received sufficient applications.
We thank all applicants for taking the time to apply, however, due to the high number of applications received for most roles, the Foundation only contacts candidates if they are shortlisted for interview. If you do not hear from us within two weeks of the closing date, you should assume your application has not been successful.
The Foundation aim to provide feedback to shortlisted candidates who are unsuccessful at interview. However, due to the volume of applications received for most roles, the Foundation will unfortunately not provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for interview.
Application process Selection
All applications received will be short listed against the role requirements and person specification. Those most closely matching our requirements will be invited to take part in an online interview.
Interviews are provisionally scheduled for Tuesday 25 July 2023 (online).
Checks and references
If you are successful in your application, we will ask you to provide us with the contact details of two organisations that we can apply for an employment reference; one of which must be your current/most recent employer. Please be aware that the Foundation aim to have all references in place before new team members commence employment with us.
Under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, you are required to provide evidence of your right to work in the UK. If called for an interview, you will be advised of the documents that you will need to provide, which, if you are offered employment, will be checked to ensure the Foundation complies with current legislation.
Data protection
Information provided as part of your application will be used for the recruitment process. Any data about you will be held securely with access restricted to those involved in dealing with your application and in the recruitment process.
If you are successful in your application, the information you provide during the application process will be retained by us as part of your employee file for the duration of your employment, plus 6 years following the end of your employment.
If you are unsuccessful at any stage of the process, we will retain your personal information for a period of six months after we have communicated to you our decision about whether to appoint you to work.
Please see the full Privacy Notice for job applicants on the Careers page of our website for more information about how and why your personal data will be used, namely for the purposes of the recruitment exercise, plus your rights in relation to your data.
For more information, please email: jobs@footballfoundation.org.uk
