Data Scientist

UK Sport; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional football club is seeking a Data Scientist to support data-driven decision-making. The successful candidate will analyze football data, develop machine learning models, and create visual tools for performance enhancement. Strong experience in Python, SQL, and data visualization is essential, along with a degree in a related field. This full-time role offers a salary of up to £45,000.

Qualifications

• Strong analytical and computational skills demonstrated either through education or experience.
• Hands-on knowledge of machine learning techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning.
• Familiarity with football data sources and experience working with both event and tracking data.

Responsibilities

• Analyse and model football data to support decision-making in performance and recruitment.
• Develop and apply machine learning methods to uncover insights from various leagues.
• Design dashboards and visual tools for coaches and analysts.
• Communicate findings to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Skills

Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn)

SQL

Data visualization (Power BI, Tableau, Streamlit)

Machine learning techniques

Analytical mindset

Education

Degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or related field

Job description

Overview

Sheffield United FC are looking for a Data Scientist with a strong analytical mindset and a passion for football. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping data-driven decision-making across the club - working with modern football data sources, building machine learning models, and delivering insights that directly support performance and strategy on the football side.

Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent
Hours: 35 Hours per week
Location: Bramall Lane, Sheffield
Line Manager: Data Manager
Salary: Up to £45,000
Post Reference: BL092025-PDS

For a valid submission please complete our official application form, found on our vacancies page.

Role Responsibilities

• Analyse and model football data to support decision-making across performance, recruitment, and opposition analysis
• Develop and apply machine learning methods to uncover insights from a wide variety of leagues and competitions
• Work with leading football data providers such as Opta, SkillCorner, and Driblab
• Design dashboards and visual tools that make complex data accessible for coaches, analysts, and recruitment staff
• Communicate findings clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders, influencing football strategy and operations
• Ensure data accuracy, consistency, and quality across reporting outputs and data pipelines
• Automate recurring analytical workflows to improve efficiency and consistency across the department
• Champion the use and value of data-informed insights throughout the business
• Any other reasonable requests as required by management

Club Wide Responsibilities

• Adhere to all Sheffield United Football Club's Safeguarding Policies and Procedures to foster an environment which protects from harm those defined as children and adults at risk.
• Report any concerns of a Safeguarding nature to the relevant parties and remain fully compliant with any applicable Safeguarding checks and due diligence and recognise your responsibility to the Club's Safeguarding agenda.
• Report any concerns of discrimination to the relevant parties and promote a welcoming and inclusive club environment for all.
• Adhere to the Club's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policies, supporting the Club to create an environment which is inclusive and all-encompassing.

Essential Criteria for the Role

• Degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, or a related field - or equivalent industry experience demonstrating strong analytical and computational skills
• Strong experience with Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn)
• Hands-on knowledge of machine learning techniques, including supervised, unsupervised, and semi-supervised learning
• Proficiency in SQL for data extraction and transformation
• Experience building clear and engaging data visualisations using tools such as Power BI, Tableau, or Streamlit
• Familiarity with football data sources, with demonstrable experience working with both event and tracking data

Desirable Criteria for the Role

• Understanding of version control systems (e.g. Git)
• Ability to present and explain data-driven insights to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and impactful way
• Experience with MLOps tools and workflows for model deployment, monitoring, and versioning