Head of Talent Management and Insight

To lead the strategic delivery of Talent Insight and Management across Welsh rugby, establishing and embedding a clear and uniquely Welsh DNA for how players are unearthed, understood, connected and developed across the men’s and women’s performance systems.

The role is accountable for defining and delivering an integrated Player Intelligence System and national player pipeline, bringing together expert judgement, scouting, data science, AI and human factors to build a holistic and longitudinal understanding of player performance, potential and progression.

Through modern player trajectory modelling, agentic workflows and evidence-led decision-making, the role will continually improve Welsh rugby’s ability to identify, retain, develop and accelerate future international players, providing coaches and executive leaders with the intelligence to make better player and talent decisions.

Salary:
Competitive

Closing Date: 29th October 2026

• Significant senior experience within elite sport, talent, performance intelligence, data science, player development or another relevant high-performance environment.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing strategy across complex, multidisciplinary performance systems.
• Deep understanding of talent identification, talent development and player progression, including the complexity, uncertainty and non-linear nature of predicting future performance.
• Strong understanding of modern data science, predictive modelling and longitudinal player analysis, with the ability to translate technical approaches into meaningful performance questions and decisions.
• Strong understanding of artificial intelligence, automation and agentic systems, with the ability to identify where these technologies can transform scouting, intelligence and performance workflows.
• Excellent understanding of scouting, player assessment and expert judgement, and the ability to integrate qualitative and quantitative evidence rather than privileging either in isolation.
• Demonstrable ability to turn complex information into clear, decision-ready insight for coaches, performance leaders and senior executives.
• Strong understanding of evidence-led decision-making, including uncertainty, bias, validation, calibration and the limitations of predictive information.
• Experience of designing or improving player intelligence, talent management, data or performance systems that connect information across multiple environments

• 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.
• Develop a strategy and operational plan for a national and international talent…