Job Description

Salary: Please state your expectations within your application

Contract: Full Time, 42 hours a week

Location: The Nigel Doughty Academy, Nottingham, NG2 7SR

Department: Academy Sports Science and Medical

Reporting to: Head of Academy Performance & Medical

Closing Date For Applications: 4th June 2026

About the Role:

The Head of Academy Physiotherapy is a key leadership role within the Nottingham Forest Medical and Performance department. The successful candidate will drive the strategic direction, operational management, and clinical governance of the physiotherapy service across the entire Academy pathway (U9–U21). While providing primary, elite-level clinical care to the B Team (U21) squad, you will serve as a vital leader and mentor, standardising rehabilitation philosophies, managing junior and part-time staff, and fostering an environment of high performance and long-term athletic development.

Working in close alignment with the Academy Doctor and the Head of Academy Medicine & Performance, you will ensure that evidence-based practices, rigorous injury prevention, and world-class clinical care are seamlessly delivered to optimise player availability and safeguard the club's youth assets.

The Perks of the Job:

• Opportunity to access tickets for events at The City Ground.

• Employee Assistance Programme.

• Access to high street and gym discounts.

• Discount within our Club shop.

• Free on-site parking.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Departmental Management

• Lead, coordinate, and supervise the delivery of the Academy’s physiotherapy services from U9 through to the B Team, ensuring an elite standard of care at all times.

• Standardise the club's medical philosophy by designing, implementing, and auditing uniform injury rehabilitation and prevention protocols across all Academy age groups.

• Direct the line management, scheduling, and clinical supervision of full-time junior physiotherapists and the pool of part-time academy medical staff.

• Oversee the monthly and annual Academy injury audits, translating clinical data into actionable insights to improve training availability and departmental accountability.

• Manage high-level clinical administrative duties, including the FA Whereabouts schedule for the Professional Development Phase (PDP) squads and coordinating the Club’s Health Partners insurance scheme alongside the First Team medical department.

Elite Clinical Delivery & B Team Management

• Act as the lead physiotherapist for the B Team squad, managing the day-to-day clinical screening, injury assessment, diagnosis, and performance-based rehabilitation of all players.

• Provide comprehensive match-day and training medical cover for the B Team, including managing the medical logistics and emergency action plans for domestic fixtures, training camps, and international tours.

• Drive the multidisciplinary integration between the medical and sports science teams to deliver bespoke, data-driven return-to-play protocols that transition players safely back to competitive team training.

• Deliver elite-level musculoskeletal profiling and screening for all PDP players, ensuring all objective baseline data is integrated into the club's centralised electronic medical records.

Clinical Governance, Player Welfare & Consultations

• Take an active, leading role in all Academy multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings, acting as the authoritative voice for the physiotherapy department.

• Oversee and streamline the escalation of complex clinical cases, collaborating with the Head of Academy Medicine and Academy Doctor to coordinate external imaging, specialist consultant referrals, and mandatory cardiac screenings.

• Accompany players to external medical consultations domestically or internationally at short notice, ensuring flawless pre- and post-appointment handovers.

• Uphold impeccable professional standards by ensuring all staff complete daily medical notes within 24 hours of treatment, strictly adhering to Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) core standards and information governance laws.

• Collaborate closely with the Club’s Safeguarding team to ensure a safe, protected environment for all minor and development athletes, maintaining up-to-date certifications across the staff.

Workforce Development & CPD

• Champion a culture of continuous learning by designing and executing an internal, structured CPD pathway for full-time and part-time medical staff.

• Act as a direct clinical mentor to junior physiotherapists and sports therapists, supporting their professional growth and practical skill development.

• Maintain an exemplary personal CPD portfolio, staying at the absolute forefront of sports medicine, and routinely feeding back cutting-edge research and techniques to the wider department.

What are we looking for:

Essential:

• BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy.

• MSc in Sports Physiotherapy, Sports Medicine, or a directly relevant sports-related discipline desired.

• Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

• Chartered Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (MCSP).

• Valid FA Level 5 Advanced Trauma Medical Management in Football (ATMMiF) qualification (or recognised immediate equivalent).

• Minimum of 5 years of post-qualification experience as a practicing physiotherapist.

• Minimum of 3 years of experience operating within an elite sporting environment, with a strong preference for professional football.

• Full, unrestricted right to work and remain in the UK.

Compliance:

• Any job offer will be strictly subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and the successful completion of the FA Child Safeguarding certification.

Forest For Everyone

We aim to create a culture which embraces and celebrates our differences, enables individuals to feel comfortable, maximise their potential and eliminate discrimination.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital / civil partnership status, pregnancy / maternity leave, race, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is a signatory of the FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code. We are committed to developing policies to promote equal opportunities and diversity within our workforce. To monitor our progress against these commitments, we require all applicants to provide accurate diversity data during the application process.

Disability Confident Committed Employer

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer. We 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 selections.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital / civil partnership status, pregnancy / maternity leave, race, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Nottingham Forest are committed to developing policies to promote equal opportunities and diversity within our workforce. To monitor our progress against these commitments, we require all applicants to provide accurate diversity data during the application process.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of the Club’s commitment to safeguarding, the successful applicant may be required to undergo a Disclosure Barring Service (“DBS”) check or an enhanced DBS check. The results of a DBS check will be considered on an individual basis, and the Club will act in a proportionate manner when deciding whether or not to proceed with the appointment.

An FA Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for all relevant new appointments to the Club. Individuals will be asked to declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands, warnings or bind-overs that may have been incurred. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed on a DBS disclosure if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements. Failure to satisfy the Club and the PL's safeguarding requirements may lead to the job offer being withdrawn or, if they have already started employment, summary termination of the employment.