Head of Data & Analytics in Wigan

We are looking to appoint a highly skilled Head of Data and Analytics to lead the Football Data and to drive the strategic direction for data science initiatives across all football operations. This is a key leadership role responsible for developing and executing a data-driven recruitment strategy that supports first-team performance, emerging stylistic trends, squad planning, and player acquisition. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading innovative data science solutions in the areas of Football Performance & Talent.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and implementation of a data-informed recruitment framework aligned with the club’s football philosophy and budget.
• Define KPIs and performance metrics for player identification, benchmarking, and squad analysis.
• Act as a senior figure in recruitment meetings, influencing strategic decisions with data-backed insights.

Data Analysis & Scouting Integration:

• Developing strategically important data science initiatives that result in the advancement of talent identification, player trading, player development, and team performance.
• Oversee the statistical scouting process and lead the development of player shortlists.
• Embedding data-informed systems and processes related to Talent Identification & Talent Evaluation to enable the Club to make effective & efficient decisions in the transfer market.
• Create robust models and tools for player profiling, comparison, and risk assessment.
• Integrate data analysis with live scouting feedback and video analysis workflows.
• Lead cross-functional projects to combine performance, medical, and scouting data.

Reporting & Communication:

• Produce high-quality reports, dashboards, and presentations for recruitment and executive staff.
• Produce reports looking at emerging stylistic trends to enhance the Club's current game model.
• Translate complex data into actionable recommendations in a football-intuitive manner.
• Present findings confidently to stakeholders, including coaching staff, scouts, and the Club’s Board.

Team Management & Development:

• Management of a data science team through the provision of a positive work environment by coaching and empowering them to drive towards strategic objectives.
• Providing effective leadership in analytics engineering & data science, which positively influences the actions of senior staff.
• Leading data science research and modelling, including the introduction of new and innovative approaches to problem-solving.
• Lead, grow, and develop the analytics team, including analysts and interns, with a focus on mentoring junior staff and ensuring high analytical standards across football operations.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance environment within the department.
• Provide mentoring and support to junior staff, promoting continual development.
• Leading the Football Data team in creating & delivering data-informed systems & processes that enable proactive interventions related to team and player performance.
• Maintain and improve internal databases, scouting platforms, and bespoke analysis tools.
• Lead relationships with third-party data providers (e.g., Wyscout, Skillcorner, StatsBomb, Hudl, Opta).
• Stay up to date with trends in football analytics, technology, and talent evaluation.

What we are looking for:

• Proven experience in a senior data analysis or scouting role in professional football.
• Deep understanding of recruitment processes, performance metrics, and football data (e.g., xG, xA, defensive actions, etc.).
• Proficiency in data analysis tools: Python, R, SQL, Excel.
• Experience building dashboards with Power BI, Tableau, or similar.
• Experience working with football scouting software (e.g., Wyscout, Instat, Hudl).
• Strong leadership, communication, and presentation skills.
• Passion for football and a nuanced understanding of Championship, League One/Two player markets as well as Scotland and abroad.