The Football Foundation Appointment of Chief Financial Officer

The Football Foundation Appointment of Chief Financial OfficerAugust 2021

Contents03 Introduction

04 About the Football Foundation

06 Our impact

07 Our finances

08 Role description

11 Person specification

13 How to apply

Appointment of Chief Financial Officer | August 2021 02

Thank you so much for taking the time to find out more about the Football Foundation and this fantastic opportunity. I am exceptionally proud to lead this organisation.

Our purpose is to transform individual lives and

communities by providing people with a great place to

play. That’s an inspiring thought – but behind it sits a

great team. The Foundation is an independent charity,

but has at its heart a collaboration between the Premier

League, The Football Association and Sport England.

Our role is to facilitate their joint investment into

community sports facilities. We do this through

partnership working – being part of a team is really

important to us. Together we have ambitious plans –

318 individual Local Football Facility Plans – to be

delivered over the next nine years. Each plan contains

individual projects that need developing, assessing,

funding and then measuring.

As our CFO you will lead on much of that work. Building

strong and trusted relationships with our partners locally

and nationally; ensuring that the £100m + of annual

investment received each year is carefully accounted for

and reported against; and leading a Technology and

Insight function that can help us accurately measure and

tell the story of our social impact. As a member of the

Senior Management Team you will be a leader, a direct

counsel to me and your Director colleagues, and trusted

by the Board of Trustees and partner funders. We have

a great deal to get done, but how we do it matters too.

We are striving to be an inclusive and diverse organisation

– not only in the outcomes we deliver – but in how it

feels to be one of the team. Helping to lead the Football

Foundation will give you the chance to deliver a positive

impact in every community in England; to help transform

lives and communities through great places to play; and

to be part of a team that works hard and plays fair to

achieve its goals. I hope we get a chance to meet and

discuss this opportunity further.

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer

Introduction


Together for Football.We’re the Football Foundation – the Premier League,

the FA and government’s charity delivering upon a

shared vision to help communities improve their local

football facilities through grants.

We’re the only example of a partnership between a

national Government and a national sport coming

together to support communities throughout the country.

Over the last 20 years we’ve been busily planting the

seeds to grow grassroots football, transforming

communities where demand is greatest, and impact

will be strongest. We have worked closely with local

authorities, County FAs and other passionate people in

communities up and down the country to deliver over

17,000 sports projects worth over £1.8 billion and we’ve

got big plans to revolutionise England’s grassroots

facilities over the next decade.

About the Football Foundation

20,000 Improved grass pitches over the

next 10 years

1,300 3G facilities

over the next 10 years

1,700 New pavilions over the next

10 years


About the Football Foundation

Our approach to achieve these goals includes:

• A National Football Facilities Strategy which sets

out the Football Foundation’s ambition to transform

England’s grassroots game over the next ten years.

The Premier League, The FA and Government aim to

deliver thousands of new pitches, while also

investing in the improvement of existing grass

pitches and off-pitch facilities across the country.

• Local Football Facility Plans – In order to achieve

our ambition, The Football Foundation has worked

for the last three years with The FA, local authorities,

County FAs and communities to create 318 Local

Football Facility Plans for every area in England.

Local stakeholders have provided crucial knowledge

on current football provision and the demand for

future facility developments.

We’ve spoken to over 2,000 local clubs, more than 300

local authorities and a range of other stakeholders to

identify an excellent pipeline of projects. Each Plan is a

short, well-defined document that captures current

football facilities and identifies investment priorities

where the needs are greatest. For the first time ever,

we have a roadmap to give England the grassroots

infrastructure it deserves.

The Foundation’s funding of facilities is done by using

the investment from Government, the Premier League

and The FA and working with local partners, for

example local authorities and schools to leverage

match funding. On average, the Foundation invests

about 60 per cent into capital projects, with the other

40 per cent coming from the local partners.

• Grass Pitch Improvement Strategy – We are

working alongside The FA with a 10-year plan to

transform the quality of 20,000 grass pitches across

the country. We’ll achieve this by collaborating with

experts and volunteers, investing in facilities, and

innovating to develop new products to make

knowledge, support & funding more accessible.

The majority of grassroots football is still played on

traditional grass pitches, and maintaining these

spaces to the highest quality is crucial.

• Our Hubs – The £200m investment in multi-pitch

hubs has enabled us to work in partnership with

councils and local football organisations, with hubs

already in Liverpool, London and Sheffield.

• All weather pitches – In 2019, we opened 77 new

floodlit third generation (3G) pitches, guaranteeing

access to hundreds of thousands of people across

the country, no matter the weather. The installation of

3G artificial grass pitches provides the single biggest

increase to participation of any of our facilities and

our goal is to install 1,300 over the next 10 years.

• Changing pavilions – We constructed and refurbished

over 57 pavilions in 2019, providing players and match

officials with safe, secure spaces to get changed,

whilst also acting as hubs for the delivery of vital

community outreach work. We’re committing to 1,700

new pavilions over the next 10 years.


Since 2000, we have been privileged to make a truly transformative difference to grassroots

football across the country. We’re proud that through the investment of our funding partners

into grassroots football we’ve seen incredibly positive effects on physical health, mental

health, participation and the overall economy, and we want to keep moving the goalposts.

Our impact

6426 Natural grass

pitches improved

958 Artificial grass

pitches installed

1223 Changing room pavilions built

and refurbished


With the recent announcement from the government to invest a further £75million into grassroots football, the Football Foundation is well-supported to continue to invest in pitches and communities across the nation.

We’re excited to increase access for all to enjoy the game

with our new Return to Disability Football Fund, with

£300,000 in funding from the FA and Sport England to be

made available to help clubs and organisations get more

disabled players back playing on the pitch.

Read more about our finances in our annual report here.

Our finances

Summary balance sheet for the year ended 31 May 2019

Group 2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Charity 2019 £’000

2018 £’000

Total Assets 113,915 103,023 113,466 102,615

Total Liabilities (67,627) (48,698) (67,485) (48,549)

Net Assets 46,288 54,325 45,981 54,066

Net Funds 46,288 54,325 45,981 54,066

Summary consolidated statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 May 2019

Restricted Funds 2019

£’000

Unrestricted Funds 2019

£’000

Total Funds 2019 £’000

Total Funds 2018 £’000

Total Income - 59,415 59,415 58,585

Total Expenditure - (68,218) (68,218) (53,717)

Net Gain on Investments - 766 766 428

Net Movement on Fund - (8,037) (8,037) 5,296

Fund Balance Brought Forward

- 54,325 54,325 49,029

Fund Balance Carried Forward

- 46,288 46,288 54,325


https://footballfoundation.org.uk/football-foundation-annual-review-2019

We’ve got big plans to revolutionise England’s grassroots facilities and are looking for a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to help us realise our ambitions over the next decade. We are looking for a highly strategic, qualified accountant, with a proven track record of successfully delivering strategic, financial and performance services across an organisation.

Reporting to the CEO as a key member of the SMT, the

CFO will be responsible for providing overall leadership

and management of our finance, impact, and IT

functions. They will ensure our technology solutions

and financial and accounting services support the

vision and strategic priorities of the Foundation and our

IT service is fit for purpose. A clear and confident

communicator, our next CFO will be able to articulate

the impact of our investment to Funding Partners and

internal stakeholders through the provision of robust

evidence and transparent updates. They will guarantee

the Foundation has an integrated cyber strategy across

systems, data and users.

Key responsibilities:Finance:

1. Direct the day-to-day accounting operations.

2. Lead the end-to-end interim planning, year-end

external audit, and annual budgeting and planning

processes.

3. Oversee the preparation analysis and presentation

of financial reports; reviewing all financial plans and

budgets; monitoring progress and changes and

producing monthly budget versus actual reports.

4. Manage the Foundation group cash flow and

forecasting. Develop and manage the annual cash

investment plan in line with the Financial

Management Policy, maximising financial returns

whilst satisfying weekly grant and operational cash

flow requirements.

5. Ensure all financial practices and accounting applied

is in line with current statutory regulations and

legislation and review and own the maintenance of

the finance and strategic risk register.

6. Lead all representation of the Executive’s financial

position with the Audit Remuneration & Governance

Committee and Board of Trustees.

Job description


Impact, Technology, and IT:

1. Lead the Foundation’s impact agenda across the

Foundation aiming to continuously improve the

service we offer for our Funding Partners (FPs) and

ensure we use robust evidence to demonstrate the

difference the FPs investment is making.

2. Working with our FPs, define and maintain an

appropriate and fit for purpose performance

framework, aligned to the FPs needs for monitoring,

evaluation and learning for the Foundation, and then

lead and ensure delivery of the agreed aims.

3. Provide strategic advice on technology

advancements, supporting the team to identify

new and emerging technologies while modernising

and sustaining current Foundation systems and

translating these into a delivery programme

(for example, a new Finance system).

4. Oversee the implementation of the Foundation’s

new Grant Management System.

5. Ensure IT support is matched to the technology with

a fit for purpose solution, providing value for money

and high-quality, service-focused business outcomes.

6. Ensure effective business continuity plans are in

place for IT resources and appropriate IT policies

are in place.

7. Ensure cyber security, data protection and good

governance are at the heart of our systems,

technologies and digital solutions, staying closely

informed on security breaches and acting as a

lead during a significant cyber or information

security incident.

Job description


Team Leadership and Management:

1. Provide inspiring, energetic and visible leadership

to your team, in accordance with our vision and

values. Create a positive working environment in

which staff can do their best, and develop an

effective, high-performing team.

2. Build and maintain successful teams through

effective management, supervision and

development of staff and external subject matter

experts. Monitor and appraise their performance,

providing them with advice and guidance with the

aim of gaining maximum output and satisfaction for

team members through effective performance

management and team development.

3. Periodically bring your team together for the sharing

of knowledge and information and to help maintain

a supportive and collaborative working environment.

Member of the Senior Management Team (SMT):

The role of the SMT is to support the CEO on matters

relating to the strategy and management of the

Foundation for continued improvement and success.

SMT members have responsibility for:

1. Supporting the CEO in developing the strategic

vision for the Foundation and ensuring it is used as

a basis to inform key decisions, and leading on key

strategies and projects of importance for the

development of the Foundation.

2. Supporting the enhancement of the Foundation’s

profile and influence through strong relationships

with FPs, peer organisations, suppliers and other

key stakeholders.

3. Developing strong and effective working

relationships with the SMT and supporting

collaborative working, acting as a positive role

model for effective leadership at the Foundation.

4. Operating as a trusted adviser to the Foundation

Group Boards.

The role will also be required to:

• Undertake any other reasonable management request,

including duties as can be reasonably expected to

ensure the smooth running of the Foundation.

• To carry out duties and responsibilities of the post

always in compliance with Foundation policies and

principles.

• Ensure compliance with data protection in all matters.

• Demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity

and inclusion.

Job description


Qualifications:

1. Professional Accountancy qualification (e.g. ACA,

ACCA, CIMA) with minimum 6+ years of post-qualified

financial and operational management experience

(essential).

Essential criteria:

• Substantial experience of managing financial

systems, associated processes, and governance

structures to inform financial planning and analysis to

better support strategic decision making and aid

forecasting.

• Evidence of implementing and maintaining strong

internal control processes and procedures.

• Significant experience in leading an end-to-end

external audit process.

• Evidence of managing financial investments and assets.

• Significant leadership experience in developing a

high performing team, across a range of support

functions, and driving and delivering change.

• Track record of success in delivering innovative

solutions and cost-effective continuous improvement

across an organisation.

• Working effectively in partnership with a wide range

of internal and external stakeholders, with

experience at Board level.

Desirable:

• Experience of helping organisations transition to

digital ways of working.

• Experience of managing company and charity financial

reporting requirements (including FRS SORP 102).

Person specification


Core qualities and competencies:

1. Strategic leadership across a range of functions in a

fast-moving and growing organisation.

2. An open manner and exceptional interpersonal

skills, able to adapt quickly to the Foundation’s

operating environment and establish trust and

respect at all levels, both internally and externally.

3. An effective contributor to strategic decision

making, with the confidence to operate at the

highest level and provide clear and concise advice

at any type of meeting.

4. Ability to support specialists in their roles, with the

ability to develop and articulate a clear strategic

vision for performance, technology and IT.

5. Practised in analysing complex situations, with a

keen attention to detail, and the ability to translate

and articulate financial issues to non-financial

audiences.

6. Confident in effectively and appropriately

challenging existing practices across the

organisation and leading initiatives for new and

more efficient use of resources.

7. Excellent IT skills, including advanced level in Excel,

PowerPoint and computer-based accounting

packages such as Dimensions and Sage.

Person specification


To apply, please submit a CV and covering letter,

detailing how you fulfil the role description and

personal specification to https://candidates.

perrettlaver.com/vacancies/ quoting reference 5280.

The deadline for applications is Monday 23rd August

2021 at 9am BST.

The role is based in London and the salary is

c.£100,000 – £120,000 and commensurate

with experience.

You will initially be entitled to 25 days annual leave

plus bank holidays (which increases after 2 years),

plus additional time off to volunteer. We also offer a

generous pension scheme (8% employer contribution),

free health care provision, a monthly gym subsidy,

interest-free season ticket loan, death in service

benefit and access to selected match tickets. We are

committed to helping our staff maintain a healthy

work-life balance, so offer flexible working hours

around core hours to help you achieve that.

First stage interviews with Perrett Laver will take place

in September 2021 and the final interviews with

Football Foundation will take place in October 2021.

The Football Foundation is committed to, and values the

principles of diversity, equality and inclusion. We strive to

provide an inclusive and supportive working environment

where all employees feel respected and supported in

fulfilling their potential. We encourage and welcome

applications from all, regardless of background and are

particularly interested to hear from people belonging to

under-represented groups including people from

minoritised communities, people with a disability and

LGBTQI+ people.

How to apply


https://candidates.perrettlaver.com/vacancies/

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The Football Foundation Appointment of Chief Financial Officer