Football Research & Development Analyst - #257558

The Football R&D Analyst will take a data driven approach to support Coaching, Player Personnel, and Player Performance staff as a supplement to strengthen existing methods, under the direction of the General Manager.

Responsibilities and Duties:

• Supports Coaching staff and Player Personnel Dept with statistical analysis and reports pursuant to prep for upcoming opponents.
• Uses analytical methods to detail on-field results relating to player and team performance.
• Generates data-driven hypotheses to assist Coaching staff with weekly opponent preparation and assists with the testing of hypotheses through video cutups.
• Collaborates with and assists Pro Scouting Dept with scouting advances.
• Attends regular meetings with R&D group, Player Personnel Dept, and Coaching staff.
• Transforms player tracking data from games and practice into actionable conclusions for scouting and coaching strategy.
• Provides weekly prep for in-game strategy and game plan decision making.
• Identifies and pursues opportunities for club to make analytical advances which will translate into on-field wins.
• Stays apprised of research and analysis by partners, potential partners and 3rd party sources to then evaluate promising ideas for potential use by Club.
• Works with external vendors supplying on-field performance metrics and statistics.
• Creates and identifies useful metrics to improve analysis and projections.
• Advises internal staff regarding new technological advances and other opportunities to further Club’s use of data to make intelligent decisions.
• Submits written reports, visualizations and summary data as needed.
• Communicates results to management in a timely, clear, concise and efficient manner.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Abilities and Skills:

• Ability to use logic and reasoning to evaluate information to determine how it should be best interpreted.
• Ability to write clean, well-documented code as part of automated processes in a cloud computing environment, with an understanding of how to use version control.
• Ability to create a relationship of trust and loyalty by delivering accessible, efficient, and reliable services and products for internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills and ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.
• Organizational skills with the ability to manage time effectively, while balancing and prioritizing multiple or competing tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to produce clear, concise work product from open ended assignments
• Ability to achieve planned objectives through completing relevant tasks and focus.
• Sees the value of assignments and seeks new & additional opportunities to contribute while maintaining focus on the task at hand; works efficiently, proactively and completes assignments in a timely fashion.

Education and Experience:

• Strong understanding of the game of football.
• Bachelor’s degree in statistics, data science, mathematics or equivalent degree and at least 1-2 years’ relevant work experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency using statistical programming languages for data analysis, model building, and visualization (Python or R preferred, others accepted).
• Experience with SQL, Microsoft Office Suite, and Git.
• Experience with various statistical and machine learning techniques, as well as rationale for chosen methods.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

The employee will be sitting in a typical office environment the majority of the time and may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions.

The employee is frequently required to sit, use hands or fingers, handle or feel objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms. The employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk and lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

This position requires the ability to work extended hours and/or weekends.

Travel:

10% of local travel time expected for this position.