Chelsea Football Club

ABOUT CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB

Chelsea F.C. is one of the world’s most iconic football clubs, renowned for its winning legacy, global fanbase, and relentless pursuit of excellence both on and off the pitch. With a culture rooted in ambition, innovation, and teamwork, Chelsea offers a dynamic environment where bold ideas are welcomed, and careers are built. From our state-of-the-art facilities at Stamford Bridge and Cobham every role at Chelsea is part of a bigger mission: to inspire, lead, and shape the future of football.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Director of Technology is the senior technology leader at Chelsea Football Club, responsible for setting and delivering the Club's technology strategy across all areas of its operations.

The role has accountability for the full breadth of technology at the Club: enterprise and business systems, stadium and venue technology at Stamford Bridge, football performance technology at Cobham Training Ground, and information security across all environments.

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and part of the Business Operations team, the Director of Technology leads a 28-person department organised across five functions: Technology Services, Technology Portfolio, Technology Strategy and Architecture, Technology Business Partnering, and Security. The postholder works closely with the Business Management Committee (BMC), the ownership group, and the wider executive team to ensure technology investment is aligned to business outcomes, and that the Club's technology estate is resilient, modern, and capable of supporting elite performance on and off the pitch.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Leadership

• Define and own the Club's technology strategy, ensuring alignment with commercial, operational, matchday, and football performance objectives.
• Translate business priorities into clear technology programmes, investment proposals, and delivery roadmaps.
• Act as the primary technology advisor to the COO and the BMC, providing commercially grounded insight and recommendations.
• Represent the Technology function at executive and board level, including with the American co-ownership group.
• Lead, develop, and retain a 28-person technology department, managing through five functional heads: Technology Services, Technology Portfolio, Technology Strategy and Architecture, Technology Business Partnering and Security.
• Build a high-performing, accountable team culture with clear goals, development pathways, and performance standards.

Technology Services

• Oversee the delivery of reliable, high-quality technology services across all Club sites, including Stamford Bridge and Cobham.
• Ensure service desk, infrastructure, end-user computing, and communications services meet the demands of a 24/7 operational environment.
• Set and maintain service level standards, with a focus on matchday readiness and operational continuity.
• Own the Club's IT asset lifecycle, from procurement and deployment through to refresh and disposal.

Technology Portfolio and Delivery

• Govern the Club's technology change portfolio, ensuring programmes are prioritised, resourced, and delivered to time and budget.
• Provide executive sponsorship for major technology programmes across business, commercial, stadium, and football domains.
• Ensure robust project governance, including business case development, benefit realisation, and post-implementation review.
• Oversee procurement, vendor selection, and contract management across a complex supplier landscape.

Technology Strategy and Architecture

• Set the Club's technology architecture principles and standards, ensuring a coherent, scalable, and secure technology estate.
• Oversee the Club's cloud strategy across Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, and other platforms.
• Drive the Club's technology transformation agenda, identifying opportunities to modernise and consolidate the technology landscape.
• Ensure all new technology investments are assessed against strategic fit, architectural standards, and total cost of ownership.
• Lead the development and communication of multi-year technology roadmaps aligned to Club strategy.

Security

• Maintain overall accountability for information and cyber security across the Club, supported by the Technology Security Manager.
• Ensure compliance with Premier League cybersecurity requirements, PCI DSS, GDPR, and applicable regulatory frameworks.
• Provide executive-level oversight of the Club's security posture, risk register, and incident response capability.
• Ensure security considerations are embedded into all technology investment, procurement, and change decisions.

Stadium, Venue, and Football Technology

• Oversee the technology estate at Stamford Bridge, including AV and broadcast infrastructure, point-of-sale, access control, CCTV, and fan-facing digital services.
• Ensure matchday technology operations are planned, resourced, and executed to the standards expected of a Premier League club.
• Support football operations technology at Cobham, including performance analysis, GPS and tracking systems, video platforms, medical and athlete management tools, and data infrastructure.
• Work with football leadership, performance staff, and commercial teams to ensure technology investment directly supports Club objectives.

Financial and Commercial Governance

• Own the Technology department budget, managing spend across capital and operational categories.
• Provide investment cases and technology cost justification to the COO, CFO, and ownership group as required.
• Negotiate and manage vendor and supplier contracts, ensuring value for money and contractual risk is appropriately managed.
• Identify opportunities to reduce cost, consolidate platforms, and improve return on technology investment.

MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE

• Technology strategy is clearly articulated, understood by the executive team, and demonstrably aligned to Club business objectives.
• Technology portfolio is delivered on time and on budget, with measurable business outcomes.
• Service reliability meets or exceeds agreed standards, with minimal unplanned disruption to business and matchday operations.
• Information security posture improves year-on-year, with no material breaches and full compliance with Premier League and regulatory requirements.
• Technology estate is architecturally coherent, well governed, and fit for the Club's current and future needs.
• Budget is managed effectively, with clear investment prioritisation and transparent reporting.
• The Technology department is seen by the business as a strategic partner, not just a service provider.
• Senior leadership and ownership group have confidence in the quality of technology advice and delivery.

ASSESSED KEY COMPETENCIES

Stakeholder Management

• Experienced at building cross-functional relationships and presenting at senior level. Able to communicate complex technical ideas clearly

Team Leadership

• Proven leadership skills, with track record of developing high performing teams

Strategic Vision

• Ability to identify opportunities that unlock value through technology and deliver solutions. Comfortable balancing short, medium and long-term demands.

Operational Leadership

• Track record of delivering complex technology programmes on budget and on time

Resilience

• Able to operate in the fast-paced world of football, with the tenacity to meet ambitious demands

EXPERIENCE AND REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• Significant experience in a senior technology leadership role (Director of Technology, CIO, or equivalent) within a complex, high-profile organisation.
• Proven track record of setting and delivering technology strategy with clear, measurable business impact.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to frame technology investment in terms of revenue, cost, risk, and operational efficiency.
• Experience of process improvement and automation through technology (including AI adoption).
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary technology teams of comparable scale and complexity.
• Demonstrable ability to engage and influence at board and ownership level.
• Broad knowledge across enterprise IT (finance, commerce, workforce mgt.), cloud platforms (Azure, Microsoft 365), cyber security, and technology architecture.
• Experience managing significant technology budgets and complex vendor portfolios.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts clearly for non-technical audiences.

Desirable

• Experience in professional sport, media, entertainment, or a similarly operationally intense, high-visibility environment.
• Familiarity with football performance technology, stadium and venue systems, or sports data platforms.
• Relevant leadership or technology qualifications (e.g., ITIL, TOGAF, or equivalent).

CHELSEA F.C. ‘BLUE’ VALUES

BRAVE

• We are fearlessly ambitious.
• We challenge convention, embrace difficult conversations, and make bold decisions in pursuit of exceptional outcomes. We are not afraid to take calculated risks, learn from setbacks, and push ourselves beyond what has been done before.

LEAD

• We own our impact.
• Leadership is not a title, it's a mindset. We take accountability for our actions, earn trust through delivery, and consistently raise the standard for ourselves and those around us. We step forward when it matters and take responsibility for results.

UNITY

• We win together.
• Success comes from collective strength. We support one another, value diverse perspectives, and challenge each other to be better. By working as one team with a shared purpose, we achieve more than any individual could alone.

EDGE

• We bring a relentless competitive spirit.
• We pursue excellence in everything we do, embracing high standards, continuous improvement, and honest feedback. We move with pace, seek opportunities to gain an advantage, and never settle for average when better is possible.

What this means for candidates

Throughout the interview process, we'll explore how your experiences and behaviours align with our values. We encourage you to share examples that demonstrate how you've shown courage, ownership, collaboration, and a drive for excellence in your career