Leeds United launch four new roles as they seek transfer market success after Premier League return
Leeds United have advertised a quartet of vacancies as they seek to improve their success in the transfer market.
Newly-appointed managing director Robbie Evans is known to be an expert and enthusiast for data and currently oversees the Elland Road recruitment and football analytics departments. He will work with Adam Underwood, who recently ascended to the role of sporting director, first team manager Daniel Farke and head of recruitment Alex Davies this summer to try and build a squad that can keep Leeds United in the Premier League.
The Whites have recently launched job adverts for a host of positions across the club, including academy coaching, scouting and physio roles and matchday hospitality positions. But among the vacancies listed on the careers section of the official website are four jobs that will report directly to the Head of Football Analytics. Leeds are looking for a data engineer/scientist, a principal data scientist, a software engineer and a football recruitment coordinator with all four roles involved in the behind-the-scenes work that goes into transfers.
Leeds United recruitment
According to the job advert, the data engineer or scientist will build 'data pipelines' that serve the models, tools and central platform the club uses to collate and analyse information that can boost everything from player recruitment to physical performance. The advert said: "The Football Department at Leeds United is working to leverage data to enhance decision making from analysis and recruitment to performance and medicine. We are looking for an individual to build robust pipelines to create a data infrastructure ready for data science modelling and to support our football platform." The ideal candidate will have professional experience in data analysis, data science or data engineering and a good knowledge and experience of the various types of data sources in professional sport such as scouting notes and wearable technology, that can be harnessed to make decisions.
The club's advert for the principal data scientist vacancy says they are working to create 'bespoke intelligence' to enhance their transfer business. It reads: "We are looking for individuals who will lead our most challenging research and development projects and provide technical leadership on our data science and modelling capabilities."
Role responsibilities for that position include leading advanced research projects to 'enhance analytical capabilities' and evolving football analytics in the professional game.
The software engineer vacancy is for an individual who can help the club to leverage data to improve decision making 'from analysis and recruitment to performance and medicine' through a central football platform. They will work with the Leeds United Football Data Platform Lead to design and build a new football intelligence platform.
Hub for scouts and agents
And the football recruiting coordinator will play a central role in Leeds United's efforts to find and sign footballers. The advert says they will manage 'key logistics, presentation design and delivery, and coordinate internal operations of the recruitment process.' Whoever is appointed to the role will act as a central hub for scouts, analysts, back office staff and agents to give Leeds a 'seamless and professional' recruitment process. They will be tasked with organising and tracking domestic and international scouting assignments, updating databases of targets and assisting in the preparation of dossiers and player profiles for international presentations to club executives.
Leeds are also offering casual work for academy scouts, physiotherapists and physical development coaches.