YDP Recruitment & Retention Manager | NFFC

YDP Recruitment & Retention Manager | NFFC

7 December 2025 | Scouting & Recruitment

YDP Recruitment & Retention Manager | NFFC (Jobs in Sports Performance Analysis)

The role of the YDP Recruitment & Retention Manager is to lead on the strategy for player recruitment across Youth Development Phase allowing Nottingham Forest to recruit and retain the highest potential talents locally and nationally.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage the Youth Development Phase recruitment strategy, inclusive of local and national player identification.
• Lead and manage the full-time, part-time, and voluntary staff within the FP & YDP Recruitment space.
• Carry out scouting activities primarily within the YDP age groups, through a mixture of local, national, and international games.
• Lead on the identification and recruitment of player acquisitions for the YDP age groups.
• Carry out other scouting activities as and when required.
• Oversee the Talent  for programmes such as, but not limited to, Magic Hubs, Goalkeeper Development Centre, Academy, Full-Time School Model.
• Collaborate with the Head of PDP & Emerging Talent Recruitment & Retention to ensure thorough handover of identified players from U15 to U16.
• Support the Head of PDP & Emerging Talent Recruitment & Retention with EPPP Audit preparations.
• Develop personal and professional connections that foster positive relationships within the Academy Recruitment Department, as well as wider Academy Departments.
• Collaborate with the Academy Recruitment Team to ensure that high standards are consistently met and that the Department continues to strive for improvement.
• Collaborate with all Academy Departments, in particular the Operations Department, to ensure professional and timely communication around trialists, as well as abiding by all Youth Development rules in the Talent  & Recruitment space.
• Embed and evolve an excellent Trial Process which displays Nottingham Forest’s warm values and enables informed decision-making.
• Push the boundaries in identifying, attracting, recruiting and retaining the most exciting young talents through a diverse range of strategies.
• Develop a reputation in the football community, with players, parents and other stakeholders for doing things differently and become market leaders in this space.
• Collaborate with the U7-U12 Recruitment & Retention Manager to lead, manage, and develop a team of scouts who will identify young talents in line with the Nottingham Forest profile and football philosophy.
• Maintain clear databases, in line with Forest responding procedures, of all young talent and create dashboards and reports on the progress of the young talent.
• Work closely with the Head of FP & YDP Player Development to generate an innovative and modern curriculum in line with Forest methodology.
• Create outstanding relationships with the grassroots community in Nottingham and beyond to extend the intel we obtain on young players in Nottingham and beyond.
• Deliver CPD for all scouts ensuring they understand our philosophy and behave and communicate in line with the clubs’ beliefs.
• Be proactive and bring new ideas and concepts to leadership on a regular basis to continually move the programme on.
• Other duties as reasonably requested by a member of the senior management team.
• To work with colleagues throughout Nottingham Forest Football Club to extend knowledge and skills to identify and develop best practice.
• To undertake such other duties, training and/or hours of work as may be reasonably required,and which are consistent with the general responsibility of this job.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge:

• Display strong leadership and management experience and capabilities
• Utilise technology to ensure that staff and parents alike are well informed of important details in a timely and professional manner
• To maintain the quality-of-service provision, regularly evaluating work and seeking to make improvements.
• Present a professional image when dealing with both internal and external contacts and partners, acting in a professional manner always.
• To create successful and professional relationships with players and staff
• To act, always, in a manner appropriate to a…