Forward Deployed Data Engineer in Stretford

Manchester United is undertaking a major transformation to become a truly data‑led organisation, embedding predictive and AI‑driven decision‑making across football and the wider business. The Forward Deployed Data Engineer is a hands‑on builder who works directly with teams across Manchester United to solve high‑value data, technology and AI challenges at source. Rather than operating at arm’s length from the business, you will embed with the people closest to the problem, understand their goals deeply, and deliver practical solutions that create measurable impact.

Key Responsibilities:

• Embed with teams across football operations, commercial, fan and corporate functions to understand problems and identify opportunities where data, technology and AI can create value.
• Scope, design, prototype and deliver practical solutions to real business challenges.
• Build and maintain data pipelines, models and applications on our Azure and Databricks lakehouse platform.
• Identify opportunities to integrate automation and existing AI into workflows where they provide clear value, balancing innovation with governance, cost and quality considerations.
• Own solutions throughout their lifecycle, from discovery and design through to deployment, monitoring, adoption and ongoing improvement.
• Design and build with reuse and scale in mind, ensuring that solutions developed for one area can support wider use cases across the club.
• Work directly with non‑technical stakeholders to understand requirements, manage expectations and communicate technical decisions in a clear and accessible way.
• Partner closely with teams across engineering, analytics, data science and software development, as well as IT teams responsible for architecture, security and technology standards.
• Make pragmatic technology decisions, balancing speed, maintainability and long‑term sustainability while avoiding unnecessary complexity and tooling sprawl.
• Define success measures with stakeholders and use data to evaluate the effectiveness and adoption of delivered solutions.

Success looks like:

• Teams across the club solving problems faster through trusted and widely adopted data products and workflows.
• Practical solutions that create measurable impact rather than simply producing analysis or recommendations.
• Reusable capabilities and shared foundations that reduce duplication and improve efficiency across functions.
• Growth of internal capability and reduced reliance on fragmented tooling or external point solutions.

The Person:

• Strong experience designing and building production‑grade data pipelines, applications and data products, with excellent Python and SQL skills.
• Experience working with modern cloud data platforms, ideally Azure and Databricks, including orchestration, data modelling and lakehouse architectures.
• Demonstrated experience delivering solutions end‑to‑end, from problem definition through to deployment and adoption.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments and turning loosely defined business challenges into structured technical solutions.
• Experience applying AI and automation responsibly, with an understanding of governance, cost and quality considerations.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and explain technical concepts clearly to non‑technical audiences.
• Sound engineering judgement and a pragmatic approach to decision‑making, balancing immediate delivery needs with long‑term scalability and maintainability.
• Adaptable and curious, comfortable moving across different problem areas and stakeholder groups with limited initial context.

Desirable:

• Experience in a forward‑deployed, consulting, solutions engineering or embedded delivery environment.
• Familiarity with Microsoft technologies and ecosystem tools.
• Experience measuring product adoption or business impact.

What We Offer:

• Annual Incentive Scheme to reward your dedication and hard work.
• 25 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and an opportunity to purchase additional holiday days.
• Electric Vehicle scheme via Octopus and cycle to work scheme.
• Wellness Support with access to mental health resources, digital health checks, and nutritionists through Aviva Digicare+.
• Workplace Exclusive Discounts through our United Rewards platform, giving you access to exclusive deals from the club and partners.
• Gym Facilities in our onsite locations and opportunities for regular social events and team‑building activities.
• Enhanced family Leave Benefits and policies.
• Enhanced Career Development with access to professional learning platforms like LinkedIn Learning, and internal training programs.
• A Supportive Work Environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion, and individual growth.

Our Commitment to You:

We believe that a diverse and inclusive environment makes us stronger. We are committed to building a team where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. Diversity, equity, and inclusion sit at the core of our recruitment strategy, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.