Closing Date of Applications – 12/01/2025
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, consistent with what “City” football has meant to people for over a century.
Our Winning Team
Our purpose is to empower better lives through football. We are proud of the role City Football Group clubs play in their localities, delivering positive economic, social and environmental impact through our operations and through programmes and activities that bring about meaningful, lasting change. We are strongly committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion for our people, fans, players and communities. We recognise that football doesn’t always feel like a level playing field for everyone. We welcome applications from candidates from all backgrounds to be part of creating exciting fan experiences and a culture where everyone thrives, is safe and belongs.
This Opportunity
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Manager to join our EDI team to enable the Group to deliver it’s EDI mission and strategy.
The successful candidate will provide EDI technical expertise and guidance to departments across the Group so that they take an EDI evidence- based approach and build EDI behaviours, processes and practices into their work. They’ll programme manage business-wide EDI plans and report on the impact the Group is making in EDI in line with internal and external governance requirements. They will design and roll out EDI policies, tools, products, and activations to promote fair and inclusive experiences for people, fans and players. And shape how the Group uses EDI data and insight to enhance and support EDI decision-making and impact.
They will continuously develop their expertise in EDI and role model behaviours for an inclusive culture across the Group.
This is Your City
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.
Your expected working hours at 37.5 hours a week with an expectation that you will work outside office hours on occasion around football fixtures and campaigns and activations. The role is Hybrid/ flexible working- Manchester office / home based– with the nature of your work dictating your place of work
Your Impact
- Apply EDI technical specialism across the Group to influence, advise and support operational departments to take an evidence-based approach to integrating EDI into their operational plans and thinking.
- Project manage business-wide EDI plans, managing relationships with wide-ranging stakeholders to ensure that EDI priorities are delivered, mitigating risks and monitoring and reporting on impact in line with Group and external governance requirements
- Produce EDI policy papers and reports, being careful to convey complex information in an engaging way to gain buy-in and confidence.
- Create and roll out industry benchmarked and data informed EDI policies, tools and products to enhance people, fan, player and community experiences
- Operational management of wide-ranging internal and external EDI stakeholders, including EDI staff and fan engagement groups, and industry, equality sector, and governance bodies.
- Advise on and create EDI communications, engagement and learning and development to help facilitate stronger organisational understanding, demonstrate authenticity and deliver meaningful impact.
- Design EDI data and insight frameworks and manage EDI related research projects to inform decision-making within the Group
- Apply EDI technical specialism in key equality areas of gender, disability, ethnicity & LGBTQ+ to make tangible and evidenced differences to improve representation, organisational culture and experience.
- Advise teams and departments on EDI related discrimination, welfare and case management. Analyse and report on trends relating to discrimination to inform plans, decisions and products & services.
- Role model inclusive behaviours to create and promote an inclusive team environment; supporting managers to develop an inclusive culture and apply EDI related policies
- Undertake on-going continuous professional development to develop EDI technical specialism and business acumen. Participate and represent EDI team on EDI agendas in internal and external forums.
What we are looking for
Essential
- Applied understanding, skills and experience in programme and project management, budget & risk management, performance & impact management frameworks
- Applied understanding of the evolving equality, diversity and inclusion landscape and legislative and regulatory frameworks in sports entertainment and across related industries
- Applied understanding, skills and experience of delivering action plans and impact across a range of equality areas, including gender, disability, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, Mental Health & Wellbeing, social mobility) and taking account of intersectionality
- Strong data, research and analysis skills; experience in conducting research projects and applying EDI data and insight to make evidence-based decisions and actionable plans
- Skills and experience in developing & implementing EDI related policies, processes and tools aligned with leading practice
- Skills and experience in designing and delivering impactful EDI learning & development & campaigns to engage a wide range of stakeholders including leaders and managers
- Skills and experience in communicating complex and sensitive information in accessible and engaging way
- Skills and experience in managing wide-ranging stakeholder interests and reporting to a range of stakeholders to achieve results
- Openness to learning and engaging in new areas and ways of working
- Experience in creating and supporting an inclusive culture, through behaviours and actions
- Qualification or similar learning and development in EDI, or areas relating to business
What to Expect from Our Recruitment and Selection Process
- Candidates should expect that the recruitment process takes 6-8 weeks typically. In some cases this may be a longer process.
- Shortlisting: You will hear back within the above timeframe on whether your application has been shortlisted
- Initial Interview: Candidates who are successful at shortlisting stage are invited to a screening on Teams to find out about candidate's experiences and answer competency- based questions
- Second Interview: Those who are successful at initial interview stage are invited to an onsite interview with a diverse panel to further explore the competencies for the role and to find out about our culture and the role. Candidates will be asked to prepare a presentation relating to a typical area of responsibility for the role.
