Job Title U16 Head Coach Department Academy Direct Reports U16 Assistant Coach Reports to Academy Director Location Cobdown Park, Station Road, Aylesford, Kent, ME20 6AU Working Pattern 40hrs per week, evenings and weekends Level of DBS Enhanced Child Barred List About Us: London City Lionesses are part of the Kynisca group, setting a vision and building an infrastructure in which all the players and staff can thrive. Owned by Michele Kang, our vision for Kynisca is to: 1. Become the most pre-eminent sports organisation in the world; 2. Have a high-performance culture of winning on and off the pitch; 3. Train women as women; and 4. Motivate and inspire the next generation of girls and women. Our Values: We Lead The Way | We Dream Big | We Get it Done | We Innovate | We Inspire our Community Role Purpose: The U16 Head Coach is responsible for embedding a learning environment for staff and players that is innovative, brave, and creative. The post-holder will help foster an environment that develops player autonomy, critical thinking, adaptability, and unpredictability, encouraging continuous initiative and problem-solving. They will create a dynamic, challenging, and stimulating environment where players take ownership of their decisions, experiment within the game. The post-holder will also provide leadership to coaching staff and players, cultivating a culture where creativity and autonomous decision-making are embedded. They will oversee Individual Development Plans, support talent identification, and continuously evolve coaching practices to develop autonomous, resilient, and co-adaptive players. They will lead the development of players who are creative, adaptive, and able to take initiative, constantly adapting to the situations they find themselves, ensuring all development pathways consistently nurture these qualities and enable players to express the Academy’s Identity on and off the pitch. Main Duties/ Responsibilities 1. Leadership · Lead through an authentic and evidence-based coaching philosophy rooted in contemporary leadership research and Self-Determination Theory, creating a motivational climate that nurtures athletes’ intrinsic motivation. · Foster autonomy by empowering players to make decisions on the field, encouraging ownership of the performance context, and creating an environment where individuals feel trusted and intrinsically motivated. · Promote competence through intentional skill development, clear performance feedback, and training that challenges athletes appropriately while reinforcing progress and mastery. · Build relatedness by cultivating strong team cohesion, demonstrating empathy and approachability, and establishing relationships where players feel valued, connected, and supported both on and off the field. · Develop strong working relationships with lead coaching staff in the design and delivery of coaching and games programme, on and off the field 2. Player Development · Lead a player development approach that understands skill as emerging from the interaction between the player, the task, and the environment, prioritising adaptability, problem solving, and creativity in real game contexts. · Lead the players within the games programme, to help maintain the highest possible standards following the LCL coaching philosophy. · Design and deliver a training environment that uses representative tasks, well-designed constraints, and strong perception–action connections to encourage players to self-organise and solve problems effectively. · Work collaboratively with performance and analysis staff to ensure training reflects the demands of the game, aligning session design, development plans, and progression pathways with these principles. 3. Methodology and Continual Professional Development · Contribute to the development and evolution of the Academy’s identity, fostering a culture that is brave, innovative, creative, and promotes autonomous, problem-solving players. · Collaborate in evolving coaching methodologies, integrating evidence-based approaches to enhance player learning and development. · Lead the implementation of the Academy’s methodology, guiding staff in applying modern learning principles across all areas of team development. · Drive continuous improvement of Academy programs, reflecting on coaching practice and player interactions to enhance creativity, autonomy, and problem-solving on and off the pitch. · Support Continual Professional Development staff, leading targeted sessions to share expertise and help the evolution of the Academy’s way of working and a culture of learning. 4. Player Recruitment & Talent ID · Support the U16s and U21s Lead Recruitment in the process of identifying and assessing high-potential players in alignment with the clubs Football Identity. 5. Player Reporting · Take responsibility for U16 IDP’s, ensuring IDPs are stored on the club drive and updated a minimum of 3x per season. · Providing support to the exit/release procedure of Academy players in the most effective manner and in line with any WSL PGA requirements. 6. Other ad-hoc duties as assigned from time-to-time by management Club Accountabilities 1. To comply with all Club policies, procedures and practices and carry out your role diligently and in the best interests of the Club 2. To lead with a proactive, high-performance mindset and actively contribute to a winning culture on and off the pitch 3. To behave in a manner consistent with Club values and policies 4. To ensure compliance with all relevant legal, regulatory, ethical and social requirements. 5. To keep confidential any information gained regarding the Club and its personnel. What we are looking for: Qualifications and Training Essential · FA Youth Award (all three modules) · FA Advanced Youth Award · UEFA A Coaching Licence (or motivated to work towards) · FA Safeguarding Children · Emergency First Aid in Football (EFAiF) Desirable · Any additional relevant qualifications Knowledge, Skills and Experience Essential · Evidence-Based Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead using contemporary coaching research and principles of Self-Determination Theory, fostering motivation, autonomy, competence, and relatedness among players. · Player Development Expertise: Proven experience in designing and delivering training environments that promote skill acquisition, problem-solving, adaptability, creativity, and self-organization in game-representative contexts. · Collaborative Working Style: Strong experience working effectively with coaching staff, performance analysts, and professional development teams to align training, methodology, and player development strategies. · Methodology and Innovation: Ability to implement and evolve coaching methodologies, drive continuous improvement, and foster a culture of innovation, creativity, and autonomous learning. · Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Experience managing player development plans, monitoring progress, maintaining high standards, and contributing to player exit or transition processes. · Talent Identification and Recruitment: Experience supporting the identification and assessment of high-potential players in line with a defined football identity. · Communication and Relationship Building: Strong interpersonal skills with a track record of building positive relationships with players, staff, and stakeholders, creating a supportive and cohesive environment. · Commitment to Professional Development: Experience leading, mentoring, and sharing expertise with colleagues, contributing to the ongoing development of staff and the wider coaching culture. Desirable · Experience in women’s football, ideally within a girl’s PGA environment. · Demonstrated Leadership and Influence: Has successfully built high-performing, cohesive teams of staff and players, fostering a shared philosophy and culture of excellence. · Experienced in Strategic Observation and Analysis: Has applied advanced reflection, analysis, and insight to optimize player development pathways, training design, and long-term performance outcomes. Characteristics · Passionate about women’s football and broader women’s sport culture. · Entrepreneurial spirit and ability to deal with matrix stakeholders & ambiguity. · High standards of personal integrity and EQ. · Comfortable and able to work on own initiative · Has a learning mindset; is keen to continue their self-development and keep up to date with best practice and learning opportunities · Continually seeks to improve efficiency and performance · Seeks out and embraces new ways of thinking and working – not afraid to fail. London City Lionesses is committed to safeguarding, health and safety, and equality, diversity, and inclusion. We prioritise the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, the well-being of all staff and visitors, and fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported. These responsibilities are shared by all staff and volunteers, with safeguarding, safety, and inclusivity being collective priorities. All staff are required to adhere to the Club’s policies, complete relevant training, and actively contribute to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment. This includes timely reporting of concerns, compliance with health and safety regulations, and upholding the Club’s zero-tolerance approach to discrimination. For certain roles, additional checks, such as Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks or health assessments, may be required. Applications must include a fully completed application form; CVs alone will not be accepted. All candidates will be assessed on merit and their alignment with the Club’s values.