Blackburn Rovers Community Trust currently have a vacancy for the following role:
- Head of Community Football
To apply, please submit your application to recruitment@brfctrust.com.
CVs will not be accepted.
Please see attached documents for further information.
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Job Specification
Head of Community Football
Organisation Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (BRCT)
Position Head of Community Football
Salary Consummate to experience
Location Ewood Park Stadium, Blackburn, BB2 4JF and various surrounding communities.
Type of Contract Fixed term – permanent
Additional Benefits:
- 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Flexible working location/arrangements (where possible)
- Pension scheme
- Generous sick pay scheme
- An internal staff wellbeing group to support staff welfare
- Continuous personal development opportunities
- Additional pay for working matchdays and community initiatives
- Official Blackburn Rovers staff uniform/tracksuit
- Access to a multi-faith prayer room
- 50% discount on food and drink during the week in
Blues Bar, Ewood Park
- Complimentary lunch on pay day at Blues Bar
- Access to complimentary staff match tickets
- Free parking at Ewood Park
- Job Title Head of Community Football
Salary Consummate to experience
Hours of Work You will be expected to work a minimum of 37.5 hours per week, excluding lunch breaks. The role includes evening and weekend unsociable hours. 33 days annual leave including bank holidays.
Location Ewood Park Stadium, Blackburn, BB2 4JF and various community locations across Blackburn with Darwen and surrounding communities.
Responsible To Services & Partnerships Director and Operations Director
Contractual Status Full Time – permanent
- Overall purpose of the Job The Head of Community Football is a senior management role with strategic and operational responsibility for Blackburn Rovers Community Trust’s community football portfolio. The post holder will provide visible leadership across football development, participation and player pathway programmes, ensuring provision is high quality, inclusive, financially sustainable and aligned to BRCT’s charitable objectives and wider organisational strategy.
As the organisation’s senior lead for community football, the post holder will shape and implement the Community Football strategy;
lead and develop the football workforce; hold accountability for budgets, income, performance, quality and risk; and build influential relationships with Blackburn Rovers FC, governing bodies, funders, grassroots clubs, schools, facilities and community partners.
The portfolio will include, but is not limited to, ‘Rovers Play’ (holiday camps, development centres, Women and Girls), Emerging Talent Centre (ETC), provision for underrepresented groups such as South Asian heritage and other community participation programmes, alongside strategic oversight and quality assurance of football delivered through programmes such as Premier League Kicks. The role will ensure clear, inclusive progression opportunities exist from first engagement through to sustained participation and appropriate talent pathways.
- Duties and
Responsibilities Strategic Leadership and Management
- Lead the development, implementation and continuous review of BRCT’s Community Football strategy, translating organisational priorities into clear annual plans, objectives and measurable outcomes.
- Act as BRCT’s senior lead and subject-matter expert for community football, providing advice and recommendations to the Executive, Senior Leadership Teams and contributing to wider organisational planning and decision-making.
- Take overall accountability for the performance, quality, growth and sustainability of the Community Football portfolio, ensuring activity remains relevant to local need and BRCT’s charitable objectives.
- Lead service planning, workforce planning and resource allocation, balancing quality, impact, participation, income generation and value for money.
- Identify emerging opportunities, risks and trends within community and grassroots football and ensure BRCT responds proactively.
- Represent Community Football at internal senior management meetings and provide clear, evidence-based updates on performance, risks, opportunities and priorities.
Programme Leadership, Quality and Pathways
- Provide strategic and operational oversight of all communityfocused football programmes, ensuring consistently high standards across delivery, venues, participant experience and safeguarding.
- Own the football coaching philosophy and curriculum across relevant programmes, ensuring age-appropriate, inclusive and participant-centred practice.
- Create clear pathways across BRCT’s football offer, from introductory community participation through to development and talent opportunities, with appropriate links into grassroots and wider football structures.
- Lead quality assurance through observations, audits, participant feedback, performance reviews and improvement plans.
- Maintain sufficient visibility within delivery to understand participant and staff experience, while ensuring day-to-day coordination is appropriately delegated.
People Leadership and Workforce Development
- Provide effective line management, leadership and direction to Community Football staff, setting clear expectations, objectives and standards of performance.
- Lead recruitment, induction, deployment, retention, supervision and performance management across the football workforce, including permanent, part-time and casual staff.
- Create and implement a workforce development and CPD plan that strengthens coaching quality, leadership capacity and succession planning.
- Develop a positive, accountable and inclusive team culture in which staff are supported to perform, develop and take ownership.
- Ensure appropriate staffing structures and rotas are in place to meet programme needs safely and efficiently.
Financial Management, Income and Business Development
- Hold delegated responsibility for Community Football budgets, ensuring robust forecasting, monitoring, financial controls and value for money.
- Develop annual income and expenditure plans and take corrective action where performance is outside agreed tolerances.
- Lead the development of sustainable earned-income opportunities across football programmes while protecting accessibility and charitable benefit.
- Identify and develop funding, sponsorship and partnership opportunities and contribute to high-quality bids, proposals and business cases.
- Work with colleagues to develop pricing, capacity and growth models informed by demand, impact and financial performance.
Partnerships and External Representation
- Build and maintain strategic relationships with Blackburn Rovers FC, the Premier League Foundation, EFL in the Community, The FA, Lancashire FA, local authorities, schools, grassroots clubs, leagues, facilities and other key stakeholders.
- Represent BRCT professionally at senior external meetings, networks, events and working groups, advocating for the Community Trust and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
- Develop partnerships that increase participation, improve pathways, extend reach into underrepresented communities and strengthen the local football ecosystem.
Performance, Impact and Governance
- Set and monitor annual targets and KPIs across the Community Football portfolio and ensure performance is reviewed regularly with appropriate action plans.
- Ensure high-quality data, registers, monitoring information, evaluation and case studies are maintained in line with funder and organisational requirements.
- Use insight, participant feedback, financial information and performance data to drive continuous improvement and evidence impact.
- Provide accurate and timely reports for senior leaders, funders, partners and, where required, Trustees.
- Ensure contractual and funding requirements are understood and delivered, with risks or underperformance escalated promptly.
Safeguarding, Risk and Compliance
- Provide leadership that ensures safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded throughout Community Football provision.
- Ensure programme risk assessments, operating procedures, incident reporting and venue arrangements are appropriate, current and consistently applied in addition to effectively recognise and record safeguarding concerns in a timely manner.
- Work closely with BRCT’s safeguarding leads and relevant colleagues to ensure concerns are managed and escalated in accordance with policy.
- Ensure staff maintain required qualifications, checks and professional standards and that provision complies with governingbody and funder requirements.
General Senior Management Responsibilities
- Contribute actively to cross-organisational priorities and work collaboratively with other service leads and senior managers to maximise BRCT’s collective impact.
- Champion BRCT’s values and model professional, accountable and inclusive leadership at all times.
- Act as an ambassador for Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Blackburn Rovers FC, protecting and enhancing the reputation of both organisations.
- Attend relevant meetings, training, fixtures, matchdays and events, including evening and weekend commitments where required.
- Undertake other duties commensurate with the seniority and nature of the role.
- Person Specification
Essential Desirable
Knowledge and Experience Substantial experience in a senior football development, community sport or related leadership role, with responsibility for multiple programmes and teams.
Demonstrable experience of leading, managing and developing staff, including performance management, workforce planning and professional development.
Strong track record of designing, developing and improving football programmes at scale, with clear evidence of increasing participation, quality and impact.
Strong knowledge of community football, player development, inclusive participation and ageappropriate coaching practice.
Experience of managing significant programme budgets, financial forecasting, income targets and resources.
Experience of setting and managing
KPIs, using data and insight to drive performance and producing highquality reports for senior stakeholders.
Experience of developing strategic partnerships and representing an organisation with senior stakeholders.
Experience of business development, income generation and/or securing external funding.
Strong understanding of safeguarding, health and safety, equality, diversity and inclusion, risk management and governance within football/community provision.
Experience of managing externally funded programmes and meeting contractual, monitoring and reporting requirements. Senior leadership experience within a professional football club, football club community organisation or comparable sports charity.
Experience of overseeing football camps, Development
Centres, Emerging Talent
Centres or similar participation/playerdevelopment pathways.
Knowledge and experience of
Premier League Foundation,
EFL in the Community, The FA and/or County FA programmes and funding.
Strong knowledge of Blackburn with Darwen and surrounding communities, including barriers to participation.
Experience of developing business cases, funding applications, sponsorship or commercial partnerships.
Experience of facility planning, venue development or management.
Understanding of the appropriate and responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), including data protection, confidentiality, accuracy and professional accountability.
Skills
Strategic leadership skills, with the ability to translate organisational priorities into clear plans, targets and delivery.
Strong people-management skills with the ability to lead, motivate, challenge and develop multidisciplinary football staff.
Excellent financial and commercial awareness, with confident budgetmanagement and decision-making skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce reports, proposals and presentations for senior audiences.
Strong stakeholder-management and influencing skills, with the credibility to represent BRCT at senior level.
Ability to analyse performance information, identify trends and make evidence-based decisions.
Strong organisational, prioritisation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage a complex portfolio and competing demands.
Ability to lead quality assurance and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Strong IT and informationmanagement skills.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and take accountability for decisions within delegated authority. Experience of organisational change, service redesign or significant programme growth.
Experience of mentoring or developing managers and future leaders.
Experience of Salesforce or similar monitoring and evaluation systems.
Ability to build external profile and promote football programmes effectively to partners and participants.
Qualifications Minimum UEFA B Licence or equivalent recognised football coaching qualification.
Valid FA Safeguarding Children qualification or equivalent.
Valid FA First Aid qualification or equivalent.
UEFA A Licence or currently working towards the qualification.
Relevant degree or Level 4+ qualification in Sports
Development, Sports
Coaching, Management,
Leadership or a related subject.
How to apply:
To apply, please email your application form, equal opportunities form and covering letter to recruitment@brfctrust.co.uk. CVs will not be accepted.
Recruitment (recruitment@brfctrust.co.uk)
FAO: Gary Robinson - CEO
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust
Ewood Park
Blackburn
BB2 4JF
Please note:
The person appointed to this post will, day-to-day, have contact with children and vulnerable adults, many of whom are under eleven years of age, and a number of whom may have moderate learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Therefore, the post holder will require an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service check.
Safeguarding Recruitment:
Blackburn Rovers Community Trust and Blackburn Rovers FC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to undertake appropriate safeguarding checks as well as providing proof of right to work in the UK. The successful applicant can expect to have their personal information entered on to a Single Central Record and/or the FA’s Whole Game system, which will be shared with key football and other sports governing bodies and organisations where applicable.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
As we are a diverse community trust that respects differences in race, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, faith, background or personal circumstance we welcome all applications. We want everyone to feel valued and included in the football community and to achieve their full potential. BRCT is opposed to any form of discrimination and commits itself to the redress of any inequalities by taking positive action where appropriate.
The document is a guide only and should not be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline indication of the areas of activity and will be amended in the light of changing needs of the organisation.
Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes.
Recognised management or leadership qualification.
Additional FA qualifications relevant to inclusive football, coach development or talent development.
Qualification in mentoring, assessing or coach development.
