At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and improve ML pipelines to shape the future of football.
- Company: Join The Football Association, a leader in sports innovation.
- Benefits: Enjoy free lunches, event tickets, and a flexible hybrid working model.
- Other info: Diverse workplace promoting inclusion and excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in football using cutting-edge machine learning technology.
- Qualifications: Strong Python skills and experience with cloud-based ML solutions.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
At The Football Association, we are harnessing the power of data, machine learning and advanced analytics to help shape the future of football.
As we continue our journey from experimentation to meaningful, real-world impact, we're looking for an ML Engineer to play a pivotal role in building the platforms, tools and operational foundations that make innovation possible at scale.
Working alongside talented colleagues across data science, analytics and technology, you will ensure that machine learning models and analytical products can be deployed, monitored and trusted in live environments, and help create robust, scalable solutions that deliver value across the organisation.
The FA is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment.
Flexible working options are available, and we encourage applications from people with varied backgrounds and experiences.
Responsibilities
- Build, operate, and improve production‑grade ML and analytics pipelines, ensuring they are reliable, reproducible and well‑governed.
- Support the packaging, deployment and lifecycle management of machine‑learning models developed across the organisation.
- Implement and maintain MLOps practices including versioning, automated testing, monitoring, logging and controlled release processes.
- Put in place model observability (performance tracking, drift monitoring, alerting) and work with delivery teams to agree appropriate measures.
- Act as a technical enabler for data scientists and analysts, providing patterns, tooling and guardrails.
- Translate analytical and business requirements into scalable, supportable platform components aligned with FA architecture and governance standards.
- Support the transition from prototype to production without redefining analytical ownership or methodological approach.
- Contribute to shared engineering standards, templates and automation that reduce friction for analytics and data‑science teams.
- Ensure ML services are secure, compliant, cost‑aware and auditable in line with FA policies.
- Maintain clear technical documentation to support handover, continuity and internal assurance.
- Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA’s changing priorities.
- Comply with all company policies and procedures to maintain the highest standards of health, safety and well‑being.
Qualifications
- Strong Python engineering experience (testing, packaging, environment management).
- Hands‑on experience operationalising ML or advanced analytics in a cloud environment (e. g. Microsoft Fabric, Azure ML, Azure Synapse or equivalent).
- Practical experience with CI/CD pipelines (Azure Dev Ops or Git Hub Actions).
- Solid understanding of security, governance, data quality and operational reliability in production systems.
- Familiarity with common ML frameworks (e. g. scikit‑learn, Py Torch, Tensor Flow) to productionise models authored by others.
- Experience with model registries, feature management or responsible AI tooling (beneficial).
- Exposure to monitoring and observability platforms for data/ML systems (beneficial).
- Knowledge of containerisation (Docker) or cloud orchestration patterns (beneficial).
About You
- Collaborative and pragmatic, sharing knowledge within a team and ensuring best practices are followed.
- Comfortable working in a matrix organisation with multiple partner teams.
- Able to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non‑engineering stakeholders.
Benefits
- Access to event‑day tickets at Wembley Stadium and regular internal events.
- Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
- Free private medical cover.
- A contributory pension scheme.
- Additional “Thank You” day’s leave, volunteering days and 25 days of annual leave (full‑time, permanent contract).
- A hybrid working model offering greater flexibility.
We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country.
The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.
We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer.
If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention them during your application.
As part of the FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check.
The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
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ML Engineer employer: The Football Association
The Football Association is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises professional development and collaboration within the FA Learning division. As a Casual Quality Developer, you will benefit from extensive opportunities to enhance your coaching skills while contributing to the growth of the coaching workforce in a supportive environment that values your insights and experiences.
