Data Scientist

saintsfc; Southampton; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

2 free match tickets

Staff health & wellbeing initiatives

Merchandise discount

25 days' holiday + birthday off

Pension scheme

Worldwide travel insurance

Learning & development

Free onsite parking

Cycle to Work Scheme

Inclusive working culture

Job summary

Southampton FC (SFC) is seeking a Data Scientist based at Staplewood Training Ground to deliver insights across recruitment, performance analysis, sports science, and player development.

You'll build automated data pipelines and predictive models, collaborate with data engineers, and present findings to coaches and staff at multiple clubs within the group. Experience with R/Python and BI tools is preferred.

Qualifications

• Requires an undergraduate degree (or postgraduate desirable) in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or related STEM field.
• Experience building statistical models and/or ML algorithms; strong programming in R or Python.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and develop automated data pipelines to process data and create metrics.
• Build advanced predictive models to measure and classify player and team performance.
• Collaborate with data engineers on data cleansing and ingestion for databases.
• Present and explain findings to stakeholders across clubs and audiences.

Skills

Data pipelines

Predictive models

R or Python

Power BI

Tableau

Data visualization

Communication

Multilingual ability

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mathematics/Statistics/CS

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Be part of our journey...

Location: Staplewood Training Ground

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Criminal Record Check: DBS Enhanced with Child's Barred List

What is the role?

As a key member of the data science team at Southampton FC (SFC), based at Staplewood Training Ground, you will be involved in a diverse range of analysis tasks and research projects to provide data insights.

This includes working on player recruitment, team and opposition performance analysis, sports science physical testing, injury prevention, player pathways and academy player development. Our investments in other sports technology companies will allow you to work with other cutting-edge data products. You will also provide data support to the other clubs in the Sport Republic group (Goztepe and Valenciennes).

This is a unique opportunity to work closely with sporting directors, coaches and other football staff across multiple different clubs and see your work have a direct influence on decision making on and off the pitch.

What will you be doing?

You will be responsible for maintaining and developing automated pipelines to process data and create metrics efficiently as well as building advanced predictive models to measure and classify player and team performance. In addition to this, you will be liaising with data engineers on the cleansing and ingestion of various data sources into our databases and you will be required to possess the ability to present and explain your findings to diverse audiences across all of our clubs.

You will also be collaborating with football club staff to understand technical and tactical concepts and translate them into metrics. Additionally, you will be conducting your own research to answer a variety of football questions, creating visual apps, dashboards and documents to share your insights with stakeholders and by following your own curiosity by carrying out your own research projects in a way that benefits our clubs.

You will stay at the forefront of technological advancement and data companies/providers and have a strong understanding of how to utilise AI, ensuring SFC are using the appropriate AI tools/systems across all delivery and taking responsibility for all AI projects.

Is this you?

To be successful in this role you will have an undergraduate degree (or a postgraduate degree is desirable) in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or other STEM field with experience in building a variety of statistical models and/or ML algorithms as well as a strong understanding of statistical computer programming languages (R or Python).

You will need to have the ability to use data visualisation software (Power BI or Tableau) and professional experience managing data pipelines (experience with football data desirable), be an excellent communicator (ability to speak multiple languages is an advantage) who can present effectively to audiences with varying levels of data literacy.

Previous experience within a professional football club is desirable however with a passion for football and a strong understanding of football tactics applications from other areas will be considered.

You must have UK Right to Work and be able to work at our Staplewood Campus daily.

How this benefits you...

If you are successful, you can look forward to;

• Access to 2 free match tickets for every home league game
• Access to our staff Health & Wellbeing initiatives (Mental & Physical Health).
• Discounted Southampton Football Club merchandise.
• 25 days' holiday per year excluding bank holidays plus your birthday off each year.
• Contributory Pension Scheme.
• Worldwide Travel Insurance for you and your family.
• Learning & Development opportunities - supporting you to develop your potential and achieve in your career.
• Free onsite parking.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• Collaborative & inclusive working culture.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and we expect everyone to share this commitment. You will be required to adhere to all relevant policies and uphold the Club's commitment to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk and to ensure that Southampton Football Club is free from discrimination and harassment.

The post holder will demonstrate a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, supporting the organisation's strategic aims to remove barriers and address inequality. You will play an active role in promoting an inclusive, discrimination-free environment that ensures fair access to opportunities and resources. This includes fostering a culture of dignity, respect, and belonging where everyone is empowered to contribute, perform, and re