WSL - Head of Football Development

The Women's Super League is looking for a Head of Football Development to lead the delivery of the WSL's football development priorities at ground level – ensuring consistent, high‑quality execution across clubs, player pathways, coaching systems, and technical standards. This role will act as the central connector between strategy and on‑the‑ground football delivery, supporting the growth of a world‑class, aligned, insight‑led technical ecosystem across the league, whilst being an advocate and guardian of the women's game.

To support in this search we have partnered with Elite Performance Partners. Please send a CV and Cover Letter to , to apply.

Below is a summary of key responsibilities.

• Develop and implement the football strategy to ensure both the league and clubs continuously raise standards and innovate, furthering the professionalisation of the game.
• Provide technical input into club football development plans, audits, and capability reviews – driving continuous improvement across environments.
• Lead a research and insight‑led strategy for football policy including Governing Body Endorsement and Home‑Grown Player Rules as well as working with the NGB on English Qualified players within the domestic game, connecting club and country success.
• Ensure the game is developed with high levels of consideration to the demands of the female athlete performance.
• Continue to develop and evolve a competition format through a football and player development lens.

• Lead and inspire the development needs of players of today and the future to achieve their potential and build and evolve high‑performance club environments where they can excel.
• Co‑create and drive implementation of the WSL’s player development framework from academy to first team, including minimum standards, licensing and funding models.
• Manage league‑wide systems for talent tracking, progression, and benchmarking across clubs.
• Identify and share best practice on transition management, holistic player development, and readiness for senior football.

• Support the delivery of the league's coaching development strategy, including consideration to league‑wide CPD, succession planning, and diversity targets.
• Build relationships with clubs' coaching staff to ensure alignment of technical philosophy and progression pathways.

• Monitor the implementation of football standards across clubs, ensuring accountability and improvement.
• Lead regular reviews of club technical and development progress, feeding into league performance dashboards.
• Support delivery of assessments and audits to drive consistency and excellence in technical practice.

Essential for the role:

• Proven experience in elite football development (club, league, or national level)
• Strong knowledge of player pathways, coaching systems, and high‑performance environments
• Experience working directly with technical and coaching teams in a leadership or advisory capacity and integrating coaching process and core performance services (i.e., sport science and sports medicine, performance analysis, psychology)
• Strong understanding of the women's football landscape and the unique needs of the female athlete and player pathway

Beneficial to have:

• Practical and delivery‑focused, with strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Technically credible and confident working with club technical leaders, coaching staff and practitioners
• Able to translate strategic vision into operational delivery
• Proactive, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple relationships and projects simultaneously

• FOR THE LOVE OF THE WOMEN'S GAME – Every decision we make drives the growth, quality, and impact of women's football for future generations.
• GREATNESS NEVER SETTLES – We have the relentless drive to keep the women's game, growing, and reaching for more. We have the courage to push boundaries, innovate boldly and continuously rewrite the playbook.
• FIND A WAY TO WIN,…