Senior Safeguarding Manager

The Role

We are looking for a Senior Safeguarding Manager to promote, embed and deliver a safe and inclusive culture within Men’s Football, with a particular focus on our Youth Academy sites at Hale End and Sobha Realty Training Centre. Working closely with the Head of Safeguarding, you will support the development, implementation and review of safeguarding systems that protect children and young people across the Academy.

In this key role, you will act as deputy to the Head of Safeguarding, providing senior-level support and leadership when required. You will oversee safeguarding compliance across Men’s Football and the Academy, deliver training and awareness initiatives, support Academy tours as the safeguarding lead, and work collaboratively with stakeholders across the Club to identify, assess and mitigate safeguarding risks. You will also contribute to the delivery of the Club’s wider Safeguarding Strategy and help foster a positive, inclusive and safe environment for everyone involved. 

Who we are

We are one of the most famous clubs in world football, with a rich heritage and history of success – read more about our history, here .

Beyond that, we are passionate about our local community and, behind the scenes, we have a wide variety of opportunities and career paths for all. We have a very defined purpose: to act for a winning team, culture and community. We achieve this by ensuring we are courageous in the pursuit of progress, we champion our community and each other, and that we do the right thing (even when no one is looking).

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to ensuring that our environments for children, young people and adults at risk remain safe and inclusive. We therefore require successful candidates to complete a DBS check and other essential background checks prior to starting their employment. Depending on the responsibilities of the role, a DBS will be either a basic, standard, or enhanced check.

Your day-to-day

• Act as the lead safeguarding contact for Men’s Football and the Academy - you will provide expert advice, guidance and support to players, parents/carers, employees and workers, helping to embed a positive safeguarding culture and ensuring best practice is consistently followed

• Represent Safeguarding within the Academy Leadership structure - you'll work closely with the Head of Safeguarding, Academy Director and wider wellbeing teams to shape and deliver safeguarding priorities, Academy outcomes and player welfare initiatives

• Lead on safeguarding investigations - you will manage concerns relating to poor practice, safeguarding incidents and allegations of abuse, working collaboratively with The FA, Premier League, statutory agencies, safeguarding partnerships and Police where appropriate

• Deliver safeguarding education and training programmes - you'll create and facilitate engaging workshops and awareness sessions for Academy employees, workers, players, host families and parents/carers to promote safe, inclusive and informed environments

• Provide safeguarding leadership for Academy tours and trips - you will complete thorough risk assessments, support tour planning and act as the Safeguarding Lead on domestic and international Academy tours when required

• Manage safeguarding compliance and audit activity - you'll oversee safeguarding requirements linked to the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), support Premier League safeguarding audits and ensure the Academy continues to meet the highest safeguarding standards

• Deputise for the Head of Safeguarding and drive strategic projects - you will provide senior-level leadership when required, prepare reports for senior stakeholders, support policy development and contribute to the delivery of the Club’s Safeguarding Strategy, Action and Implementation Plan

• Support safer recruitment and safeguarding risk management across the Club - you'll work closely with People teams, Designated Safeguarding Officers and key stakeholders to manage safeguarding risks, oversee DBS-related processes, conduct risk assessment interviews and ensure concerns are appropriately recorded, assessed and resolved

What we are looking for

• Qualified expert - you come equipped with a professional qualification in Safeguarding

• Best-in-class emotional intelligence - you're naturally empathetic with a high level of self-awareness and the ability to confidently navigate sensitive situations, difficult conversations and conflict resolution

• Creative and solutions-focused thinker - you bring a proactive and innovative approach to safeguarding, with the ability to work independently, develop effective solutions and lead projects that strengthen safeguarding practice

• Excellent relationship builder - you're highly skilled at engaging and working directly with children, young people, adults at risk and their families, building trust and maintaining positive, professional relationships

• Trusted safeguarding practitioner - you have significant experience managing safeguarding concerns, investigations, referrals and escalations, working effectively with external agencies to achieve positive outcomes

• Exceptional communicator and influencer - you're able to communicate complex information clearly and confidently across a wide range of audiences, from players and parents/carers to colleagues, senior leaders and external stakeholders

• Proven stakeholder management skills - you have experience building and managing relationships with senior representatives from statutory agencies, including Children's Services, safeguarding partnerships and the Police, while handling confidential information with discretion and professionalism

• Analytical and operationally minded - you're experienced in designing and delivering safeguarding training, implementing policies and procedures, analysing safeguarding data, producing reports and case documentation, and working flexibly across multiple sites and outside standard hours when required
  

Why choose us

At Arsenal, we want everyone to feel a sense of trust and belonging, so we are proud of both our club values and also what we offer to our employees. As one of our Gunners, you will receive:

• An exciting reward and recognition scheme

• Generous holiday allowance which increases with your length of service

• Great internal learning and development programmes

• A flexible hybrid working model

• Priority access to apply for match tickets

• A competitive health and wellbeing benefits package

• A leading Employee Assistance Programme

• Great discounts with some of our Partners

• An opportunity to play a vital role in delivering our ED&I strategy by joining one of our Employee Networks

Discover why ‘Our Gunners’ are proud to be part of our team - view their stories here.

Arsenal for Everyone

Arsenal for Everyone is our commitment to promoting and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion, so that everyone connected to the club feels like they belong to the same Arsenal family. We believe that diversity of background, skills and experience drives our success on and off the pitch. 

Disability Confident Leader

We are a Disability Confident Leader. We actively welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application.

If you are likely to meet the definition of being a ‘disabled person’ according to the Equality Act 2010 , you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme - please indicate this in your application form below. The information you share with us about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment decisions.

Application Closing Date - Thursday 3rd September 2026

Please note: we reserve the right to close the position early if application volumes are particularly high. We encourage you to get your application in sooner rather than later.

Updates on the status of your application will be sent via email, please routinely check your spam and junk folders, as occasionally emails sent via the Teamtailor platform will find themselves there.

Good luck!