Head Of Football Intelligence at Carlton Football Club
Job Description
Carlton Football Club are recruiting an inaugural Head of Football Intelligence, a senior leadership position sitting at the intersection of football strategy, data, analytics and artificial intelligence.
The role will lead Carlton’s football intelligence capability across the AFL, AFLW, VFL and Academy programmes, connecting performance analysis with the club’s wider investment in data and technology.
Reporting to the GM of Football, the Head of Football Intelligence will set the strategic direction for football analytics and ensure data and AI are embedded effectively within sporting decision-making.
The successful candidate will lead the club’s Performance Analyst team and work across List Management, Sports Science, High Performance and Football Operations.
A major part of the position will also be connecting the Football Department with Carlton’s Data, Technology and AI team, including maximising the use of the club’s Blue Lake infrastructure, Snowflake and Claude Enterprise.
- Lead the modernisation of football analytics across AFL, AFLW, VFL and Carlton Academy.
- Develop and operationalise the Football Department’s data strategy.
- Drive a transition towards traits-based analysis, strategic benchmarking and forward-looking intelligence.
- Lead the development and redesign of football analytics workflows, including post-game reporting and opposition profiling.
- Explore stronger integration between GPS, performance and football data.
- Deliver strategic insights to football leadership, including gameplan and game-style benchmarking, competition trends and programme reviews.
- Champion the adoption of AI and modern analytics tools across the football programme.
- Identify opportunities where emerging technology can improve processes and provide competitive advantage.
- Connect the Football Department with the club’s Data, Technology and AI team.
- Support the adoption and development of Blue Lake and the club’s wider data-centralisation programme.
- Lead data integration projects and ensure effective information flows between applications.
- Establish strong data governance, data quality and responsible AI practices.
- Lead and develop the Performance Analyst group across all Carlton football programmes.
- Work with List Management, Sports Science, High Performance and Football Operations to embed analytics within decision-making.
A particularly significant element for the Performance Analysis community is the responsibility for leading Carlton’s Performance Analyst group across AFL, AFLW, VFL and Academy programmes.
The Head of Football Intelligence will set direction, develop staff capability and establish accountability while modernising the way analysis contributes to football decision-making.
The role therefore connects:
Performance Analysis → Data Science → AI → Sports Science → Recruitment/List Management → Football Strategy
Applicants should demonstrate:
- Tertiary qualification in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science or a related discipline.
- Postgraduate qualification is desirable.
- Senior leadership experience within data, analytics or performance intelligence.
- Experience managing and developing high-performing teams.
- Strong understanding of data and cloud architecture.
- Demonstrated project-management experience across complex, multi-stakeholder technology projects.
- Strategic thinking and the ability to challenge and improve established processes.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.
Previous experience within elite or high-performance sport is desirable rather than essential, with Carlton open to exceptional candidates from outside football.
Candidates should have a strong technical foundation across:
Python | SQL | RESTful APIs | AWS / Azure / Google Cloud | Snowflake / Lakehouse Architecture | Tableau / Power BI
Knowledge of Confluence and Jira is also desirable.
Applicants should understand cloud security, data governance and data-quality standards.
This is a newly created senior position reflecting Carlton’s significant investment in data and AI within elite sport.
Rather than operating analytics as a standalone function, the role is designed to bring together:
Football Strategy + Performance Analysis + Data + Technology + AI
For experienced leaders across performance intelligence, sports analytics or data science, it offers the opportunity to shape the architecture, workflows, people and strategy of an emerging football intelligence function.
Carlton offer a hybrid and flexible working environment alongside:
- Learning and professional development opportunities.
- Club membership benefits.
- Café and retail discounts.
- Access to a high-performance sporting environment.
- Opportunity to work at the forefront of the club’s developing data and AI strategy.
Applicants will require a valid Victorian Working with Children Check, National Police Check and current driving licence.
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