Head of Talent Insight & Development, Rugby

Welsh Rugby Union Group; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary Sacrifice Pension

Life assurance scheme

WRU Group Ticket Allocation

Job summary

Welsh Rugby Union Group is seeking a senior leader to define and deliver a world-leading Talent Insight and Management strategy across Welsh rugby, unearthing and developing players from pathways to international level. The role integrates AI, data science and human factors to create a longitudinal view of player depth and progression.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, connect scouts, coaches and clubs, and drive evidence-led decisions while maintaining Welsh rugby's DNA.

Qualifications

• Senior experience in elite sport or high-performance environments.
• Experience designing strategy across complex, multidisciplinary systems.
• Deep understanding of talent identification and progression.
• Knowledge of data science, predictive modelling and longitudinal analysis.
• Familiarity with AI, automation and agentic systems.
• Ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Define, own and embed a world leading Talent Insight and Management strategy, creating a single longitudinal understanding of Welsh-qualified players and their development from initial identification through the pathway, professional rugby and senior international performance.
• Design and lead an integrated national player pipeline, connecting how Welsh rugby unearths, identifies, understands, tracks and accelerates the development of players from the pathway through to senior international rugby.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team, incorporating rugby AI, data/talent science and human factors expertise to create a more complete understanding of player performance, potential and development.
• Lead the talent contribution to What It Takes to Win and Welsh Rugby DNA, ensuring the characteristics and capabilities of the Future Welsh Player inform identification, development, selection/recruitment and succession planning.
• Work collaboratively across departments to create a genuinely trans-disciplinary view of the player by combining expert observation, coaching judgement, performance data, physical development, behavioural insight, maturation, opportunity and other relevant evidence.

Skills

Strategic talent

Talent identification

Data science

AI & automation

Performance analysis

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Welsh Rugby Union Group is seeking a senior leader to define and deliver a world-leading Talent Insight and Management strategy across Welsh rugby, unearthing and developing players from pathways to international level. The role integrates AI, data science and human factors to create a longitudinal view of player depth and progression.

You will lead a multidisciplinary team, connect scouts, coaches and clubs, and drive evidence-led decisions while maintaining Welsh rugby's DNA.