It’s everyone’s stadium…
The FA have an exciting opportunity for a Deputy Safety Officer to join the team. As Deputy Safety Officer, this role is responsible for supporting the delivery of the highest possible standards in event safety and an exceptional event experience for event owners and customers.
This role will report to the Stadium Safety Officer, managing the development and implementation of the Crowd Safety strategy for all Wembley Stadium events, and where required will act as Lead Safety Officer.
What will you be doing?
- Manage and oversee the planning processes for the crowd safety teams, including the senior event day crowd safety command structure, stewards and security staff, ensuring all events are planned and delivered to exceptional safety and security standards whilst maximising the customer experience.
- Effectively lead a diverse team of event professionals, creating and maintaining an inclusive and productive working environment, consistently demonstrating positive behaviours in line with FA Group values
- Manage and oversee the Steward agency contracts in terms of both quality and quantity of supply.
- Support delivery and development of the strategy and advise on the operational delivery for crowd safety management planning for all events at Wembley, aligning the practices and processes of the stadium crowd safety, fire and medical teams to those of the external emergency service providers and coordinated with all other FA Group business strategies, including, but not limited to, the stadium crisis management and business recovery policies.
- Develop exceptional relationships with the local authority, SGSA and stadium emergency service providers, particularly the Metropolitan Police Service and any counter-terrorism officers, working in partnership, and with trust, to deliver continuous improvement of stadium operations for all events and deliver mutual benefits and efficiencies across all agencies.
- Promote and develop a performance-focused culture, helping to grow the teams’ capabilities and provide resilience within The FA. Provide regular feedback and learning opportunities for the team to enable the achievement of the Safety Strategy.
- Support the Stadium Safety Officer in discussions with key stakeholders regarding the stadium’s external footprint, understanding the impact of the developing site surrounding the stadium, identifying key issues and developing and implementing associated strategies.
- Expected to work as one of the Event Deputy Safety Officers for every event, either in the Control Room or as a mobile Deputy Safety Officer, requiring a flexible approach to working hours/days.
- Have a full working knowledge of the Stadium security systems, procedures and protocols to consider and recommend improvements.
- Regularly review security SOPs as well as the security operations manual and incident response plan.
- Support the Events Team in the development of a venue strategy which creates and delivers an event operation specific to each event type at the stadium i.e. International Football, Club Football, Music, NFL, to demonstrate a proactive approach with continuous improvement and efficiency for the benefit of Event Owners and fans.
- Oversee the financial performance and delivery of the Crowd Safety department budget, providing accurate budgets and forecasts for the Stadium Safety Officer.
- Executes additional tasks as required to meet FA Group’s changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure the highest standards of health, safety and well-being can be maintained.
- As part of The FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
What are we looking for?
Essential for the role:
- NVQ Level 4 Spectator Safety qualification.
- Proven successful experience as a Deputy Safety Officer.
- Significant understanding and experience in crowd safety management and related public disorder strategies.
- Proven team leader with demonstrated experience in effectively leading and managing a diverse team of event professionals, creating an inclusive and positive team culture.
- Experience in cultivating a consistent best practice behaviour.
- Significant understanding and awareness of the relevant applicable legislation for venues and major events.
- Proven experience in the financial performance and delivery of significant budgets.
- Flexible approach to working hours.
Beneficial to have:
- Experience in presenting and influencing.
- Understanding of the Equality Act concerning disability discrimination issues.
- Understanding and experience of working in partnership with Police on event days.
- Understanding of estate management and regeneration.
- Commitment to continuing professional development.
- Understanding of technology in the events industry and crowd safety management.
- Project management experience from concept to delivery.
What’s in it for you?
We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George’s Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.
We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:
- Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and wellbeing.
- Free, nutritious lunches, at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
- Free private medical cover.
- A contributory pension scheme.
- An additional Thank You days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave.
- A hybrid working model offering flexibility on where you work.
For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page, https://www.thefa.com/about-football-association/careers
Our Organisation
The Football Association [The FA] is the not-for-profit governing body of football in England. It is responsible for promoting and developing every level of the game, from grassroots through to the professional game, and generates significant revenue to support investment into English football each year.
The FA oversees England international teams across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, as well as running the National League System and FA Competitions including the Emirates FA Cup, Barclays FA Women’s Super League, FA Women’s Championship, and Women’s Adobe FA Cup, and the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park, all with a purpose to Unite the Game and Inspire the Nation.
We currently work within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary.
Your contract with The FA will specify a fixed location of either Wembley Stadium, St. George’s Park or our Processing Centre, unless the role is advertised as a homebased contract. The contractual location of this role can be found at the top of this advert on our FA vacancy page.
The FA, For All, For You
Our equality, diversity and inclusion strategy forms an integral part of our long-term commitment to using our influence across English football to create a game free from discrimination.
https://www.thefa.com/-/media/thefacom-new/files/about-the-fa/2021/fa_a-game-for-all-strategy.ashx
A Game For All outlines three key strategic commitments – Lead the Change, Be the Change, and Inspire the Change – which will ensure tackling discrimination remains a core priority for English football for years to come.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.
As part of The FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
