Principal Data Scientist

Organisation: Leeds United FC
Salary: Up to £90,000 per annum
Location: Elland Road Stadium, Elland Road, Leeds, LS11 0ES
Contract type: Permanent (Full time)
Closing date: 6 June 2025
Job Description: Role Summary
The Football Department at Leeds United is working to create bespoke intelligence to enhance player recruitment. We are looking for individuals who will lead our most challenging R&D projects and provide technical leadership on our data science and modelling capabilities.

Role Responsibilities
• Lead advanced research projects to enhance our analytical capabilities, evolving football analytics in the professional game i.e. On and Off Ball Value, Scanning Metrics from Pose Data
• Lead the development and implementation of cutting-edge predictive models, machine learning and deep learning algorithms, and statistical techniques (e.g. Markov chain & Bayesian Inference).
• Enhanced feature development through biomechanical and physics-based modelling
• Provide leadership in designing and implementing robust R&D infrastructure, ensuring scalability, security, and efficiency in handling large volumes of data.

Required Relevant Experience
• 5+ years professional experience in sport (club/data provider/consultancy), with a good understanding of the landscape of football analytics
• Led R&D and data science projects from ideation to model deployment at scale.

Required Technical Skills
• High-Level proficiency in using Python for feature development and modelling
• Confident in working with large 2D tracking and desirably “Pose” estimation datasets
• Proficient football literacy and able to discuss the game at a technical level for development of football models and explaining them to non-technical stakeholders in an intuitive way
• Experience working with cloud infrastructure (e.g. AWS Lambda).
How to apply: Complete the online applications form using this link: https://forms.office.com/e/5KVp72KhPC