As a player, she was a member of the Team Bath squad that won the inaugural 2005–06 Netball Superleague title.
In July 2019, Thirlby was appointed head coach of the senior England national netball team.
Jess Thirlby is the daughter of Chris Garland, who was a former professional football player, and his wife, Patricia Cooper.
[7][9][10][15] During the 2007–08 Netball Superleague season, Thirlby served as an assistant coach to Jan Crabtree at Team Bath.
[12][13][16][18] In July 2019 Thirlby was appointed head coach of the senior England team, taking over from Tracey Neville.