Head of Sports Science

Easts Group; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sydney Roosters are seeking a highly analytical Head of Sports Science to lead athlete tracking, fatigue profiling, and applied performance data protocols at our Moore Park facility.

Reporting to the Head of Performance, you will bridge data infrastructure and the training field, ensuring clean data feeds and translating metrics into actionable insights for staff to optimize player readiness and squad availability.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in Sports Science or related field (Master’s/PhD highly regarded).
• ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist (Level 1 or 2).
• 5+ years in sports science or high-performance data role.
• Experience with elite sporting environments (NRL, AFL, Super Rugby, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Translate performance metrics into data solutions and visualizations.
• Oversee real-time GPS/GNSS tracking and manage workloads.
• Lead fatigue and readiness profiling using HRV, sleep, and wellness logs.
• Produce high-impact visual briefings for coaches and staff.
• Support return-to-play frameworks with medical and rehab teams.

Skills

Data manipulation

Statistical workflows

Communication

Athlete performance profiling

Education

Master’s or PhD in Sports Science

ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist (Level 1 or 2)

Tools

Catapult

VALD

Athlete Management System (AMS)

Job description

The Sydney Roosters are a proud foundation club of the National Rugby League (NRL) with a deeply embedded culture of success, elite standards, and innovation. Operating out of our state-of-the-art high-performance facility at Moore Park, we pride ourselves on providing our athletes and staff with a world-class environment to thrive.

The Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional, highly analytical Head of Sports Science to lead our athlete tracking, fatigue profiling, and applied performance data protocols.

Reporting directly to the Head of Performance, you will act as the crucial link between our data infrastructure and the training field. Working alongside our dedicated Data Engineering team, you will ensure our central performance databases are fed with clean, high-integrity telemetry. You will translate complex metrics into real-time, actionable insights for the Head Coach, Head of Performance and Performance staff to optimize player physical readiness, support a high-intensity playstyle, and maximize squad availability.

Key Responsibilities

• Data Translation & Insights: Work closely with our Data Engineering team to translate high-performance football needs into scalable data solutions, acting as the subject matter expert on how performance metrics should flow and be visualized.
• Live Workload Monitoring: Oversee real-time GPS/GNSS tracking during field sessions, actively managing live workloads and advising Head of Performance on micro-cycle thresholds.
• Fatigue & Readiness Profiling: Lead daily neuromuscular fatigue testing (via our Vald Suite) and monitor systemic recovery metrics (HRV, sleep, and wellness logs).
• Coaching Integration: Translate complex acute-to-chronic workload models and physiological data into simple, high-impact visual briefings for the Head Coach and Head of Performance.
• Return-to-Play Frameworks: Partner closely with the medical and rehab staff to build quantitative, objective milestones for athletes returning from injury.

What We Are Looking For

• Experience: 5+ years operating in a sports science or high-performance data capacity within a tier-one elite sporting environment (NRL, AFL, Super Rugby, Premier League, etc.).
• Data Competency: Advanced proficiency in data manipulation and statistical workflows. While our engineers build the pipelines, you must be highly comfortable handling complex data structures, calculating advanced load models, and using tools like R or Python for custom athletic profiling.
• Technical Literacy: Deep, expert-level mastery of elite athlete tracking hardware (e.g., Catapult), force plate systems (e.g., VALD), and enterprise Athlete Management Systems (AMS).
• Communication: An excellent communicator who can work seamlessly with highly technical engineers on one side, and non-technical coaches and athletes on the other.
• Education & Accreditation: Postgraduate degree (Master’s or PhD highly regarded) in Sports Science, Exercise Science, or a related human movement discipline. ESSA Accredited Sports Scientist (Level 1 or 2).

The Sydney Roosters acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and play, and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We are committed to meaningful engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to contributing to positive outcomes through our work and community initiatives.

We are proud to be an inclusive organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know.