Head of Football Intelligence and Innovation

What will you be doing? Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Brings together our current departments and expertise across men's, women's, para and FA Learning, working closely with coaches and performance staff on critical performance questions, environment design at camps and day to day practice.
• First and foremost a connector, will define innovation in this context as ‘new and useful answers to critical performance questions’ and enforce a problem‑first approach.
• Lead an innovation operating model including data, advanced analytics and AI in line with our core priorities, acting as an accelerator to our strategic priorities.
• Establish clear priorities and frameworks to guide innovation across all technical functions.
• A visible leader and trusted advisor to the Chief Football Officer and wider leadership team, shaping how the FA leverages innovation, data and AI as a long‑term advantage.
• Experienced in cultural change, will be able to drive an environment of psychological safety, curiosity, collaboration and experimentation across technical staff.
• Assess current capability, resources and lead a high performing direct and/or matrix team structure with expertise in data science, innovation and performance analysis. Will know what the FA knows, and what it doesn't, and bring the network, knowledge and understanding to lean on external experts as required, particularly within AI.

• Champion the integration of AI, machine learning and predictive modelling across the technical and learning ecosystem, focusing on those that will make the difference against our core priorities, as opposed to ‘shiny one‑offs'.
• Ensure industry‑leading AI is at the heart of scouting, opposition analysis, injury prediction, training load optimisation, human development and decision‑support systems through a combination of internal build and external commissions as appropriate.
• Identify, evaluate and implement emerging technologies that enhance football performance, player development, and coaching effectiveness.
• Build an innovation operating system where all innovation starts from critical performance questions and which collects and retains our intellectual property via a knowledge management strategy which includes the soft, tactical and conversational IP.
• Help lead a phased innovation capability build at St George's Park's innovation centre, ensuring the physical design reflects the actual training and decision workflows.
• Hold clear accountability for data, AI and decision tools, bringing real hands‑on build and deployment experience but understanding where to commit resource internally and where to outsource.
• Work closely with coaches and practitioners to frame problems, shape environments that encourage experimentation, and ensure AI augments human judgement rather than replacing it.
• Create a Gen AI framework that combines technical guardrails with a focus on capturing, structuring and surfacing tactical coaching and performance knowledge through LLM‑based tools.

• Lead the development of deep, actionable insight in answer to critical performance questions to support national coaches in team selection, tactical planning, and performance review.
• Deliver clear, accessible and intuitive insights that help drive considered outcomes across coaching and performance staff.
• Develop tools, case studies and frameworks that coaches can use across all levels of the game and all teams.

• Collaborate with the Coach Development team to embed insightful questions, data fluency and innovation thinking into education programmes.
• Support the creation of forward‑looking learning modules, incorporating real‑world insight and AI applications into coaching theory and practice.

• Liaise with Technology and Data teams to ensure strong data governance and infrastructure to support all new innovation and technology solutions, including AI.
• Instigate, validate and oversee strategic partnerships with technology companies, academic institutions, AI researchers and elite sporting bodies to augment internal insight, capability and…