An exciting job opportunity has arisen at Leeds United Football Club for anyone with a passion creating bespoke models that will enhance our footballing intelligence and insights for recruitment & game analysis.
Elland Road has been the home of Leeds United since 1919 and remains one of English football's great theatres and is 'the only place for us' ever since. With a capacity of 37,890, it is one of England's largest football grounds.

Everyone at Leeds United is dedicated to working as one team and to be the best we can be.

Come be part of our fabulous team as we March on Together.

The Football Department at Leeds United is working to create bespoke intelligence to enhance player recruitment and game analysis. We are looking for individuals who use their intellectual curiosity to build models that enhance the way we describe and predict player and team performance.

Main Responsibilities:
• Design intelligent ways to use data, through modelling to understand and inform the technical and tactical requirements of football for both individual and game analysis.
o Leverage bespoke, internal data to build supervised models to detect key technical and tactical aspects of the game.
o Utilising concepts such as pitch control to create features for both on-ball and off-ball actions to improve our player evaluation models.
o Create features from synchronised event-tracking data that can evaluate team performance relevant to the game phase.
• Develop, validate, automate and monitor quantitative models using statistics, machine learning, optimization, and simulation

Required Relevant Experiences:
• Professional experience in sport (club/data provider/consultancy), with a good understanding of the technical and tactical demands of football
• Experience working with optical/broadcast tracking data for feature creation and modelling to produce actionable insight.

Technical Skills we are looking for
• High-Level proficiency in using R/Python for data processing, modelling and feature development
• Experience using SQL and cloud-based computing for analysis and automation of machine learning models
• Experience with different types of data modelling theories and techniques: multivariate regression. Modelling, Bayesian analysis, random forest and decision tree based modelling, etc.
• Proficient football literacy and able to discuss the game at a technical level sufficient for developing football models and, if needed, explaining them to members of the football department staff in an understandable way

Behavioural attributes we are looking for:
• Inspires others and is a positive role model
• Is personable and able to connect and build relationships with others easily
• Demands high standards and has an attention to detail
• Shares the vision and values of the Club and is motivated to achieve its objectives
• Able to work in a high-profile environment with regular media coverage and public interest
• Is responsible and acts in the best interests of the Club
• Is open minded, innovative and willing to explore new ideas/concepts
• Enjoys facing challenges and have the resilience and resourcefulness to see complex tasks through
• Is proactive and able to identify and mitigate risks
• Is a collaborator and relishes the opportunity to work alongside others to overcome challenges and achieve goals
• Willing to share their knowledge experience as part of a community of practice
• Able to work with players, staff and other stakeholders of varying ages, experience, backgrounds and cultures
• Committed to personal development and continuous improvement
• Possesses a strong work ethic and are motivated to be the best they can be
• Able to promote the positive image of the Club
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Reliable, punctual & honest
• Excellent communication skills
• Positivity and objectiveness
• Ability to use initiative and be creative
• Ability to prioritise and manage time effectively
• Confident and assertive
• Ambition, passion and willingness to learn