Job Title: Head of Women’s Football

Employer: Lewes FC

Reports To: Board of Directors

Direct Reports:

• Assistant Head of Women’s Football Operations & Welfare
• Women’s First Team Manager
• Women’s Technical & Performance Staff

Location: The Dripping Pan, Lewes, with flexibility for hybrid working

Contract Type: Full-time, including evenings and weekends

Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience and aligned with Women’s National League standards

Role Purpose

The Head of Women’s Football will lead the sporting vision, culture, leadership, and performance environment of Lewes FC Women.

Functioning as the senior sporting lead for the women’s side of the club, this role is responsible for shaping and delivering a high-performance football environment aligned with the values, ambitions, and identity of Lewes FC.

The role will oversee all sporting aspects of the women’s programme outside of commercial and revenue-generating functions, including football strategy, people leadership, player recruitment, performance culture, technical operations, and long-term sporting development.

A key responsibility of the role is protecting and evolving the “Lewes Way” culture, ensuring Lewes FC continues to lead within women’s football through its commitment to player care, progressive leadership, wellbeing, inclusion, holistic support, and cultivate a high-performance ecosystem for staff and players to excel in.

The Head of Women’s Football will create an environment in which players and staff are empowered, supported, challenged, and able to focus fully on performance and execution.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Lead the long-term sporting vision and strategy for women’s football at Lewes FC.
• Support the Board in developing sustainable football and performance strategies aligned with the club’s ambitions and values.
• Lead the football contribution to licensing, league compliance, pathway development, and future competition ambitions.
• Identify opportunities for innovation and growth across the women’s football programme.
• Ensure the women’s programme continues to reflect and strengthen the unique identity and values of Lewes FC.

Football & Performance Leadership

• Oversee the entire football performance environment across the women’s programme.
• Lead and support the Women’s First Team Manager and multidisciplinary staff in achieving agreed football objectives.
• Oversee squad planning, recruitment strategy, succession planning, player contracting, and talent identification.
• Support integrated working across coaching, medical, sports science, analysis, operations, and welfare functions.
• Drive a high-performance culture that balances elite standards with player wellbeing and care.
• Support the development of player pathways and relationships across the wider football ecosystem.

People & Culture Leadership

• Act as the custodian of the “Lewes Way” culture within the women’s football programme.
• Foster a culture that is ambitious, inclusive, collaborative, psychologically safe, and accountable.
• Lead recruitment and development of football, technical, operational, and support staff.
• Provide leadership, feedback, support, and development opportunities to staff across the women’s programme. 
• Build strong and trusted relationships with players and staff through visible and authentic leadership.
• Ensure player wellbeing, voice, and holistic development remain central to decision-making.
• Represent Lewes FC Women with The FA, leagues, clubs, governing bodies, and external stakeholders.
• Build strong collaborative relationships across football, operations, commercial, communications, and community departments.
• Provide regular strategic reporting and updates to the Board.
• Contribute positively to the wider direction, culture, and leadership of Lewes FC.
• Ensure the women’s programme operates to high professional, ethical, and safeguarding standards.
• Oversee compliance with competition regulations, licensing requirements, and football governance expectations.
• Support effective budget planning and resource allocation across the women’s programme.
• Ensure operational functions are appropriately supported to enable smooth season-long delivery.
• Plan and monitor budgets, ensuring compliance with any financial regulation schemes in place.
• Produce compelling business cases for internal and external funding and communicate needs to the commercial functions of the club to identify priorities and requirements.
• Ensure the club fulfils competition rules and any licence requirements, and write and submit relevant compliance reports.
• Report against The FA funding requirements and present evidence required to release funding, including annual reporting through the club accountant and finance office, and other reports as requested by The FA.
• Take part in relevant CPD (Continuing Professional Development) events organised by the club and The FA.
• Support the creation of a collaborative, inclusive working culture for colleagues and players.
• Undertake other support functions as required to achieve club goals.

What Success Looks Like

• Lewes FC Women has a clearly defined and respected football identity and culture.
• Players and staff consistently feel supported, valued, challenged, and cared for.
• The women’s programme operates as a high-functioning and aligned performance environment.
• Recruitment, staffing, player support, and football planning processes are proactive and sustainable.
• Lewes FC is recognised as a leader in player care, culture, and progressive women’s football environments.
• Technical staff are empowered to focus on coaching and performance delivery.
• Strong collaboration exists across all departments supporting the women’s programme.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Significant leadership experience within elite or high-performance sport.
• Strong people leadership and communication skills.
• Strong leadership with excellent people management skills in a resource-tight environment.
• Demonstrated experience building culture and leading teams.
• Experience within football operations, recruitment, and performance environments.
• Strong understanding of women’s football structures and governance.
• Ability to build relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills.
• Understanding of safeguarding and duty of care responsibilities.
• Organised, resilient, adaptable, and solutions-focused.
• Experienced budget holder with the ability to develop and monitor budgets.
• Knowledge and experience of the women’s game, specifically the existence and implications of:
  • different governance and structures
  • the growth of the women’s game
  • player pathways
  • different coaching behaviours, and technical and tactical differences between men’s and women’s football
• Up-to-date understanding of Child Protection and Safeguarding procedures.
• Willingness to travel and work weekends and weeknights.
• Alignment with the values and ethos of Lewes FC.

Desirable

• Experience in a Sporting Director, General Manager, or Head of Football role.
• UEFA B License (UEFA A preferred).
• Experience working within elite women’s football.
• Understanding of FA licensing and compliance processes.
• Experience managing multidisciplinary performance teams.
• Knowledge of player pathway development and talent systems.

Application Process

Lewes FC prides itself as an equal opportunity employer and encourages and welcomes applications from all candidates, including those from under-represented backgrounds such as women, people with disabilities, BAME, and LGBTQ+ candidates.

Given the low levels of diversity in football, the club recognises that candidates from under-represented backgrounds may not have been given adequate opportunity in the game. Consequently, the application process is designed not to unduly favour candidates with traditional football experience over applicants without it.

All applicants must have specific Safeguarding and Protecting Children / FA Safeguarding Children qualifications and a DBS clearance / enhanced FA CRC check before starting the role.

To apply, please email a CV and cover letter outlining why you would be suitable for the role, alongside any relevant experience, to Kelly@lewesfc.com with the subject line:
“Head of Women’s Football: Your Name”

The interview process will commence on May 18th. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and the role will remain open until filled.

Applicants should clearly articulate in their cover letter how their experience and personal characteristics align with the values and ambitions of Lewes FC, and provide evidence of how their qualifications and experience match the requirements of the role described.