Head of Safeguarding United

The Head of Safeguarding will lead the strategic direction, development, and operational delivery of safeguarding and employee wellbeing across the club.

Location: Carrington Training Complex / Old Trafford Stadium

At Manchester United, we believe that excellence on the pitch starts with excellence off the pitch. Our team thrives in a high-performance environment, united by a shared passion for success. We aim to elevate the standard of performance through collaboration and continuous growth, creating a space where everyone can contribute their best to our common goals.

We work together at our iconic Manchester United offices, enabling connection and innovation as we look ahead to what we can achieve as a global football club. We are excited to bring in passionate people who share our vision and drive for success.

The purpose:

The Head of Safeguarding will lead the strategic direction, development, and operational delivery of safeguarding and employee wellbeing across the club. This role is pivotal in creating safe, inclusive, and supportive environments that allow all individuals — from elite athletes to staff and visitors — to thrive.

The role involves overseeing safeguarding risks, ensuring best practice, and promoting a proactive safeguarding culture across all departments, including the Academy, Foundation, Women’s and Men’s teams, and wider business operations. You will act as the club’s subject matter expert, liaising with statutory agencies, external partners, and internal stakeholders to ensure best-in-class safeguarding standards.

The role:

Key responsibilities:

Strategic leadership

• Lead and develop the club’s safeguarding and wellbeing strategy in alignment with club values and priorities.
• Influence and embed a culture of safety, inclusion, and accountability across all club functions and levels.
• Serve as the principal advisor to senior leadership on safeguarding, wellbeing, and safe practice matters.

Operational management

• Provide oversight and accountability for safeguarding policies, case management, reporting frameworks, and audit compliance.
• Ensure safeguarding concerns are managed transparently, swiftly, and appropriately, with a focus on continuous learning and improvement.
• Lead and support the safeguarding team in risk identification, incident response, and service delivery.

Policy, compliance & continuous improvement

• Maintain and evolve safeguarding and wellbeing policies in line with statutory obligations, regulatory requirements, and sector best practices.
• Monitor legislative changes and integrate learning from external reviews, national reports, and internal insights.
• Ensure robust safer recruitment practices, ongoing staff training, and organisational compliance.
• Build and sustain strong working relationships with statutory agencies, governing bodies, law enforcement, and other external partners.
• Collaborate with internal departments — including People, Legal, Football Operations, Academy, and Foundation — to embed safeguarding practices into operational routines.

Wellbeing leadership

• Co-lead the design and implementation of the employee wellbeing strategy in collaboration with the People Team.
• Drive initiatives that enhance mental health support, work-life balance, and a culture of care for staff across the club.
• Monitor and evaluate wellbeing programs, ensuring data-informed approaches to employee support and retention.

The person:

• Technical and practical knowledge in safeguarding children, and adults at risk with a relevant professional qualification
• Demonstrable experience in safeguarding leadership within complex, high-profile environments (e.g., sport, education, health, youth services).
• Strong understanding of statutory safeguarding frameworks, guidance, and regulatory obligations (e.g., KCSIE, Working Together, FA/PL requirements).
• Proven experience managing complex safeguarding cases, audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Skilled in leading multi-disciplinary teams and supporting remote and cross-functional colleagues.
• Track record of implementing change and embedding best practices across diverse communities and operational settings.
• Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills, with…