ABOUT US
Football Australia is situated on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We acknowledge the histories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and commit to building a brighter future together.
Football in Australia is a melting pot of approximately 2 million participants represented by over 200 different cultures; we are proud to be the most diverse and globally connected sport within the Australian sporting landscape.
This diversity in culture, ideas, and experience makes us strong and prepares us to achieve our vision to ‘be a leading football nation where everyone is inspired to live and love the game’. To achieve this, we live by our company values which are:
Welcome: Open doors, open minds, open hearts – One Game for All
Ready: Always ready, always ahead
Connect: Together, united
Excel: Our best, every day in every way
Protect: Guarding the game, Securing the future
WHAT WE OFFER
- At Football Australia we want to look after our people and below are just some of the many benefits of joining our team:
- Flexible work arrangements
- Birthday Leave
- Study Leave
- Wellbeing & Lifestyle leave
- Paid Parental leave in addition to statutory government offering
- Volunteer leave
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Partner discounts
- Workplace Banking Program
- Social Activities such as 5-a-side futsal
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Head of Women’s Football is a senior leader within the Football Department, responsible for providing technical leadership, strategic oversight and driving system alignment across participation, pathways and performance environments in women’s football. The role operates within a system-focused model, working collaboratively to deliver aligned, high-quality football outcomes.
The role exists to strengthen access, progression and depth across the women’s football ecosystem, applying deep expertise in player development and talent identification to build sustainable capability and long-term performance. It focuses on aligning environments, improving development quality and supporting clear, equitable pathways from entry-level participation through to elite performance.
Working as part of the Football Department leadership team, the Head of Women’s Football contributes to whole-of-football strategy, shared decision-making and collective accountability for system performance and international competitiveness.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
This role is Football Australia’s senior technical authority for women’s football, operating within a system-focused Football Department model.
- Serve as Football Australia’s senior technical authority for women’s football, providing whole-of-football leadership across participation, pathways and elite performance environments.
- Apply deep expertise in player development and talent identification to continuously improve development environments, identification processes and progression pathways.
- Ensure strong technical alignment between pathway environments and Women’s National Team programs to support depth, progression and long-term performance outcomes.
- Partner with the Executive Director Football and system stakeholders to co-design and deliver integrated women’s football strategies across Member Federations, clubs and national programs.
- Use data, research and Talent Development Ecosystem (TDE) insights to monitor pathway effectiveness, identify risks and drive system-wide continuous improvement.
- Represent Football Australia nationally and internationally with key bodies (e.g. FIFA, AFC, AIS, ASC), leveraging global best practice to inform domestic system alignment.
- Contribute to Football Department leadership and culture, uplifting technical capability across the women’s football ecosystem through mentoring, knowledge-sharing and workforce alignment.
ROLE OUTCOMES
The priority outcomes of this role are to deliver an accessible, technically aligned and system-coherent women’s football ecosystem that enables sustainable participation growth, clear development and progression pathways and high-quality performance and leadership opportunities for women and girls.
- Deliver an accessible and inclusive women’s football ecosystem that enables equitable participation, progression and opportunity for women and girls at all levels.
- Build a technically aligned, high-quality pathway that supports consistent player development, improved quality of play and long-term performance outcomes.
- Strengthen the sustainability and performance of the women’s football system through evidence-led decision-making, strong technical leadership and shared system ownership.
- Improve performance, depth and readiness of Women’s National Teams as a reflection of system alignment and effectiveness.
- Increase access, mobility and continuity of football opportunities for women and girls across participation, pathway and elite environments.
- Create positive, safe and engaging football experiences that drive enjoyment, retention and long-term involvement.
- Lift technical quality and alignment across women’s football environments to support stronger development and consistent performance.
MAJOR INTERACTIONS
- CEO, FDC, Board of Football Australia
- Head of Men’s Football, Head of Nationals Teams, GM Women’s National Teams
- Football Department Leads
- PFA, MF CEOs and MF Technical Departments
- A-League Club CEOs and Academy Directors/Technical Leads, FIFA, AFC and ASEAN Technical Departments
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
- The following requirements reflect the senior technical, strategic and system leadership expectations of the role.
- Recognised technical expertise in player development and talent identification, with a deep understanding of how girls’ and women’s development pathways operate from entry-level participation through to elite performance.
- Demonstrated experience designing, leading or influencing talent development systems, including age-appropriate development models, identification frameworks and progression pathways aligned to long-term performance outcomes.
- Strong understanding of evidence-led approaches to talent identification and development, including the use of data, observation, context and system insight to inform selection, progression and investment decisions.
- Proven ability to lead strategic change and system evolution, applying innovation and data-informed decision-making to drive outcomes and monitor progress across complex football environments.
- Highly developed communication, influencing and relationship-building skills, with the ability to lead, collaborate and align coaches, practitioners, executives and system partners around shared development principles.
Desirable
- Experience working within women’s football environments, including female player pathways, elite women’s programs or women’s national team contexts.
- Exposure to elite or professional football settings, as a coach, technical leader, performance staff member or senior practitioner, providing insight into high-performance demands and environments.
- Experience contributing to or leading talent identification, pathway reviews or system reform initiatives, particularly in women’s football or developing football systems.
- Strong understanding of leading international practice in women’s football, including benchmarking, performance standards and system design.
- Experience engaging with national or international football structures, such as leagues, federations, confederations or international competitions.
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
- Tertiary qualification in sport, business, leadership, law, economics or a related discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and extensive senior experience in professional football or high-performance sport.
Desirable
- Advanced football coaching or technical qualification (e.g. Pro Diploma, A Diploma or equivalent), or comparable senior technical accreditation.
- Formal education or accreditation related to professional football environments, such as sport management, high-performance leadership or football governance.
- Postgraduate or executive education in leadership, strategy or governance.
