At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop statistical models for tennis and support research across various sports.
- Company: Join Smartodds, a dynamic team in North London focused on sports analysis.
- Benefits: Enjoy 30 days holiday, in-house chef, and a range of health benefits.
- Other info: Opportunities for professional development and exciting team events await you.
- Why this job: Make an impact in sports modelling while developing your skills in a collaborative environment.
- Qualifications: MSc or PhD in Statistics or related field with strong programming skills.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 70000 £ per year.
We have a fantastic new opportunity to join our team at Smartodds as a Tennis Quantitative Analyst. Based in North London, Smartodds provides in-depth research and analysis on sporting events around the world, supported by world-class, bespoke software platforms. We are proud of our collaborative and dynamic culture, grounded in our core values of Boldness, Open-mindedness, Ownership, and Togetherness. We are a supportive and collaborative team - our environment is open, inclusive, and focused on doing great work together.
About the role
As a member of the Quant Team, you will join an exciting environment, predicting outcomes of professional sports on behalf of our clients. We focus on football, baseball, basketball, cricket, tennis, American football, ice hockey and horseracing. In this role, you will be the main Quant working on Tennis and will be responsible for developing statistical models for both pre-match and in-play. You will also support research into other sports, as well as investigate how our predictions can be leveraged to improve profitability and the overall commercial performance. Furthermore, you will play a key role in developing and supporting the reliable production of high-quality predictions for our clients. You will have plenty of autonomy to execute your models from idea to code to validation to deployment, integrating your well-documented and tested code into our internal libraries. We highly value the personal development of our team members, and you will therefore be able to allocate dedicated time to improve your skills and gain the necessary experience that will enable you to progress into more senior roles. The atmosphere is a collaborative academic one with peer reviews, research talks, and the opportunity for further education. Unlike academia though, the market is there to give immediate feedback on how good your model is. This makes the job challenging but also very exciting.
While we are open to applications from anyone who meets the minimum requirements, we would be especially keen to hear from applicants with more substantial research experience for this particular role.
Key Responsibilities
- Contribute to identifying promising research directions; ensure research is carried out to the highest standard
- Develop tennis predictive models for both pre-match and in-play
- Contribute to discussions and efforts to identify weaknesses and potential improvements in existing models across all sports
- Support Smartodds' clients in their pricing tasks by developing, maintaining and supporting the mathematical libraries behind our range of tools and models and software that delivers model predictions into production
- Perform statistical analysis of datasets, testing well-defined hypotheses and effectively communicating results to the various stakeholders, including Smartodds' clients
- Attend at least one event to support your professional development as a sports quant analyst on an annual basis: conferences, courses, meet-ups, networking events; in-person or remotely; on sports, statistics, machine learning, gambling, etc.
Skills & Experience Required
- Either an MSc in Statistics or a related field (e.g., Data Science or Mathematics), or another field (such as Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, etc) with some experience in statistics and 3+ years of work experience in a relevant role, e.g. sports quantitative analyst for a betting syndicate or a bookmaker; or a PhD or equivalent in Statistics or a related field (e.g., Data Science or Mathematics), or another field (such as Computer Science, Engineering, Finance, etc) with some experience in statistics
- Extensive experience of probabilistic and statistical modelling
- Strong programming skills in a high-level language such as R or Python
- Demonstrated passion for working in sports modelling, evidenced by personal projects, MSc project in a related area or statistical analyses of sports or teams
- Collaborative team player, with a constructive approach to receiving and applying feedback
- Understands the importance of reproducible research and properly tested code
- Thorough and reliable, with a verification mindset
- Ability to work autonomously while communicating proactively about any blockers when needed
- Good organisation and communication skills, including the ability to coordinate work across teams (data analysts, data engineers, software developers)
- Ability to communicate results to those with and without specialist knowledge
- Ability to work in the UK
Preferred
- A strong interest in tennis demonstrated by previous attempts to model outcomes or analyse data
- Good understanding of sports betting markets
- Experience with and/or knowledge of Bayesian models, state space models, filtering and smoothing, computational statistics and approximate inference methods
- Experience with and/or knowledge of machine and statistical learning, deep neural networks, feature engineering, reinforcement learning, dynamic optimisation and optimal control
- Experience with automated trading systems
- Strong software development foundations
- Experience with any additional programming languages (such as C++ or Julia)
- Familiarity with database technologies, e.g., SQL, MongoDB, Redis, Postgres
- Experience with version control, code reviews and merge requests
What you can expect in return – Our Benefits
- 30 days holiday (in addition to bank & public holidays)
- In-house chef*
- In-house masseuse*
- Team sporting events
- 25% discount on Brentford Football Club merchandise
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Interest-free travel season ticket loan
- Offsite trips
*Available on selected days
After 3 Months
- Pension - Employer Contribution starting at 5.5%, and employee starting at 2.5%
- Income protection – 75% of salary (subject to terms & conditions)
After Probation
- Private Medical Insurance - including coverage of any excess payment
- Health Cash Plan via Medicash
- Life Assurance (4 x times earnings at time of death)
- Enhanced Company Sick Pay
- A discretionary annual bonus
After 2 Years
- Increase in Employer Pension to 6% (to a minimum employee contribution of 3%)
- Enhanced Maternity Pay
- Enhanced Paternity Pay
After 4 Years
- Increase in Employer’s Pension to 7% (to a minimum employee contribution of 3.5%)
Quantitative Analyst - Tennis employer: Smartodds
Smartodds is an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant and collaborative work culture in North London that prioritises personal development and innovation. As a Tennis Quantitative Analyst, you will enjoy a wealth of benefits including generous holiday allowances, professional growth opportunities, and a supportive team environment that encourages autonomy and creativity in developing cutting-edge predictive models. With a focus on employee well-being and a commitment to excellence, Smartodds stands out as a rewarding place to build a meaningful career in sports analytics.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Quantitative Analyst - Tennis
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, especially those at Smartodds. A friendly chat can go a long way in making you stand out when it comes to interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Prepare a portfolio of your best projects, especially those related to tennis modelling or statistical analysis. This will give you a solid edge during discussions.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Brush up on your coding skills in R or Python, and be ready to tackle some real-world problems during technical interviews. We love seeing candidates who can think on their feet!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our awesome team at Smartodds.
We think you need these skills to ace Quantitative Analyst - Tennis
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Tennis:Make sure to highlight your love for tennis in your application. Whether it's through personal projects or analyses you've done, let us see how you've engaged with the sport. This will help us understand your motivation and fit for the role!
Be Clear and Concise:When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to explain your experience and skills, especially in statistical modelling and programming. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the point!
Tailor Your Experience:Don’t just send a generic application! Tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific skills and experiences that match our job description. Show us how your background aligns with what we’re looking for in a Tennis Quantitative Analyst.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to the right people. Plus, it shows us you're keen on joining our team at Smartodds!
How to prepare for a job interview at Smartodds
✨Know Your Stats
Brush up on your statistical modelling skills, especially in relation to tennis. Be prepared to discuss your previous projects and how you've applied statistical methods to real-world scenarios. This will show your passion for the sport and your analytical capabilities.
✨Showcase Your Programming Skills
Make sure you can demonstrate your programming prowess in languages like R or Python. Bring examples of your code or projects that highlight your ability to develop and validate models. This will give the interviewers confidence in your technical abilities.
✨Be Ready for Collaborative Discussions
Since Smartodds values teamwork, be prepared to engage in discussions about model improvements and weaknesses. Think of examples where you've worked collaboratively to solve problems or enhance existing models, as this will align with their culture of togetherness.
✨Communicate Clearly
Practice explaining complex statistical concepts in simple terms. You might need to communicate your findings to stakeholders who aren't specialists, so being able to articulate your results clearly is crucial. This will demonstrate your communication skills and your understanding of the importance of reproducible research.
