AFC Bournemouth
Job Description
The role brings about an exciting opportunity to join AFC Bournemouth’s Womens Team.
AFC Bournemouth Women are looking for individuals to idenitfy with and embody the following values:
- Professionalism: Always acting with integrity and respect to the badge in a competent and reliable manner.
- Togetherness: Working collaboratively through high levels of communication in a manner that supports and environment where everyone feels included, respected and valued.
- Opportunity: Providing fair and equitable chances to all individuals by encouraging a growth mindset through empowering the natural abilities of others in service of the overall mission.
- Team First: Prioritising the team beyond personal or individual interests.
The purpose of the Women’s Team Pathway Manager role is to lead and manage the Women’s Development Squad environment, ensuring players are developed safely, effectively and appropriately for progression into the Women’s First Team. The role plays a critical part in the long‑term strategic pathway of AFC Bournemouth Women by developing players, staff and the wider environment in a manner that maximises potential, prioritises welfare and supports holistic development.
Key Attributes
AFCB Women are looking for an individual who possesses:
- A relentless pursuit of long-term player and staff development.
- Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to design, adapt and realise long, medium and short-term plans.
- Highly reliable in all operational capacities.
- Understanding of environments that develop talent.
- Outstanding growth mindset and a belief that player and staff talent can be developed.
- Alignment with AFCB values.
- Committed to diversity, inclusion, and the growth of women’s football.
Key information about this role:
Please note this role is offered on a permanent, part-time employed basis. This consists of 20 hours a week with the following delivery schedule:
Monday – 6-8 PM
Friday – 7-9 PM
Sunday – 12-4 PM
The remaining hours pattern will be discussed and agreed by both patries upon job offer.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee the daily environment of the Women’s Development Squad.
- Uphold the cultural and operational standards outlined in the Club’s long-term planning document — including sustainability, professionalism, holistic care and creating opportunities for local players.
- Line manage and support all Development Squad staff in line with Club policies and Human Resources procedures.
- Work closely with the Girls’ Academy to ensure that the player pathway into the Women’s Development Squad remains safe and productive.
- Lead on individual development planning (IDPs) for Development Squad players, ensuring regular reviews, appropriate progression opportunities and clear communication with the Women’s First Team and Girls’ Academy where relevant.
- Lead on development action plans (DAPs) for Development Squad staff, ensuring regular reviews aligned with the Women’s First Team.
- Contribute to the Club’s broader pathway strategy by supporting talent identification and progression discussions with the Girls’ Academy and local clubs.
- Ensure that training and match demands are age-appropriate and safely managed to support long-term player progression.
- Ensure adherence to all relevant league rules, competition regulations and registration requirements.
- Ensure safeguarding standards are consistently applied, working closely with the club’s Safeguarding Team to create a safe and supportive environment.
- Ensure all operations including training, match preparation, communication and scheduling run smoothly and support safe, appropriate player development.
- Work collaboratively with the AFC Bournemouth media and communications team to support appropriate public representation of the Development Squad, prioritising player safety, welfare and the Club’s strategic messaging.
- Work collaboratively with all additional internal and external stakeholders to optimise the pursuit of the long-term strategic plan.
- Undertake relevant additional tasks as required by business needs, upon request by Head of Women’s Football or President of Football Operations.
- Act as a key member of Women’s management team, attending regular meetings as required.
- Maintain up-to-date knowledge and pursue CPD opportunities.
- Complete and update Development Action Plan.
- Engage with all staff development processes as outlined by Head of Women’s Football
- To ensure the club’s mental health & wellbeing objectives are embedded in your department’s actions, procedures and dealings and to have a good knowledge of the processes to support staff’s mental health & wellbeing.
- To ensure the club’s equality aims, action plan and policies are in evidence in all departmental actions, procedures and dealings.
- To ensure commitment to the club’s safeguarding vision and to actively promote the policies within your department, embedding safeguarding into procedures.
- Obligation to promote and monitor the club’s health and safety policy and procedures within your department.
- Responsibility to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and all related Company policies, taking reasonable care for their own safety and that of others, reporting hazards or incidents, following safe systems of work, and co-operating with all training and emergency procedures.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Experience working in an elite youth development sporting environment.
- A deep understanding of safe and age‑appropriate player development processes.
- Ability to manage a development environment effectively and consistently.
- Understanding of safeguarding best practice.
- Safeguarding and DBS clearance. (Club provided upon job offer)
- Experience working in an elite youth development football environment, ideally a girls’ pathway
- Familiarity with PGA standards and WSL/WNL pathway models.
- UEFA coaching qualifications and/or youth‑specific development awards.
- Emergency First Aid for Sport
- Academic qualifications relating to pedagogy, coaching or sport at degree level or higher.
- Experience in media engagement and public representation.
- FA Talent ID qualifications.
Benefits
- Free onsite parking.
- Season ticket and allocation of complimentary/purchased tickets.
- Subsidised lunches and complimentary healthy snacks throughout the day.
- Discounts at the club Superstore.
- Access to Health Cash Plan with Simplyhealth.
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Contribution towards eye tests and glasses.
- Discounts and benefits from partners and local businesses.
- Club pension & Life Assurance Scheme.
- Paid parental leave (bank of five days per year).
- Club events or other social events throughout the year run by our club social team.
- Paid volunteer opportunities (2 days per year).
- Paid day’s leave on your birthday.
About AFC Bournemouth
Having established the start of an exciting new chapter in our long and storied history since a takeover in 2022 by chairman Bill Foley, AFC Bournemouth has seen significant investment committed towards sustaining Premier League status.
The construction of a state-of-the-art training facility alongside the arrival of promising young talent from top clubs around Europe have provided the club with a fantastic platform from which to build its on-field expectations.
We have placed an importance on maintaining the same focus on family and community that we have proudly displayed over the years, and delivering that engagement with our loyal supporters is a passionate and integrated backroom staff, working closely together to provide a positive and lasting experience for all.