Group Director of Player Health & Performance
Location: Manchester, GB
Opening Date: 12 Nov 2025
Full Time: Full Time
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date of Applications: 21/11/2025
Our Story
Established in 2013, City Football Group is the world’s leading private owner and operator of football clubs, with total or partial ownership of twelve clubs across the world. City Football Group also invests in other football related businesses and serves as a global commercial platform for our partners, whilst fulfilling our purpose of empowering better lives through football on a local and global scale.
The Role
The Global Football Director Of Player Health And Performance Will Lead The Evolution And Delivery Of CFG’s Player Health And Performance Strategy, Helping To Achieve Global Football’s Objectives Of
* Creating winning teams that play the CFG way.
* Developing leading platforms for talent development across the world.
* Generating long-term value for the Group and its clubs.
Working across CFG’s global network, the role will foster collaboration and mentorship among club medical, physical performance, and psychology leaders to build sustainable systems that continually improve player health, welfare, and on‑pitch performance.
Reporting to the Performance Director, the successful candidate will enable the Group’s health and performance heads of service to assure safe and effective practice, embed universal injury and wellbeing monitoring systems, and support the transitions and long‑term development of Manchester City and Emerging Talent loan players.
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of player health and performance across a truly global football organisation — combining strategic leadership with hands‑on influence to enhance player care, injury prevention, and performance standards across every club in the CFG family.
Your Impact
Leadership & Strategy
* Lead and evolve CFG’s global player health and performance strategy, aligning services across all clubs.
* Line‑manage global heads of service and mentor clubs’ performance and medical leaders to build sustainable systems that enhance player outcomes.
* Manage the global player health and performance budget and contribute to CFG’s Performance Services Management Team.
* Collaborate with Talent, Coaching Methodology, and Football Intelligence to deliver integrated, data‑led support across clubs.
Player Health & Injury Management
* Oversee injury risk management, clinical care pathways, and rehabilitation standards for Manchester City and Emerging Talent loan players.
* Drive the implementation of universal injury surveillance and movement screening systems across CFG clubs.
* Ensure compliance with medical governance, record‑keeping, and anti‑doping regulations globally.
Physical Performance
* Enable best‑practice delivery of sports science and physical preparation programs.
* Support player transitions and wellbeing through universal monitoring systems and holistic recovery processes.
Psychology, Mental Health & Wellbeing
* Champion psychological resilience, mental health, and leadership development within clubs.
* Enable environments that promote effective decision‑making, wellbeing, and sustainable performance under pressure.
Research & Innovation
* Collaborate with Football Intelligence to deliver applied research projects that enhance training and recovery.
* Identify, evaluate, and implement high‑efficacy innovations to improve player health and performance across the Group.
Essential
What we are looking for
* Postgraduate degree in a field related to player health.
* HCPC or equivalent professional accreditation.
* Extensive experience leading multidisciplinary teams within elite sport.
* Strong strategic and operational leadership in player health, injury management, and performance systems.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence across all levels.
* Proven experience managing significant budgets and driving continuous improvement in complex environments.
* Calm, adaptable, and proactive leader committed to excellence and best practice.
Desirable
* PhD in a related field.
* Experience in professional football or multi‑sport leadership.
* Knowledge of medical screening, injury profiling, and performance monitoring in elite sporting populations.
* Fluency in one or more of Spanish, Portuguese, French, or Italian.
* Experience in completing NGB or equivalent audits.
The Perks
As part of our team, you will be entitled to 26 days annual leave plus an additional day off for your birthday, private healthcare and a simply health cash plan, an annual discretionary bonus, plus a range of partnership and lifestyle discounts.
City Football Group promotes equal opportunities in employment and we positively welcome applications from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. We will screen all applicants and select candidates whose skills and experience seem to meet our needs. We will carefully consider your application during the initial screening and will contact you only if you are selected for an interview. Employment is subject to the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK. Due to our safeguarding promise, all UK based CFG roles will be subject to a DBS check upon commencing employment with us. This will be either a basic, standard or enhanced check depending on the job role and responsibilities.
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