Senior Operational Lead – Live Sports Data Production (m/f/d) at Sportradar Group AG

Company Description

We’re the world’s leading sports technology company, at the intersection between sports, media, and betting. More than 1,700 sports federations, media outlets, betting operators, and consumer platforms across 120 countries rely on our know-how and technology to boost their business.

Job Description

Power the World's Most Critical Sports Data Operations

The Challenge We're Solving

In the sports betting industry, milliseconds matter. A sportsbook's entire business depends on data that's accurate, lightning-fast, secure, and comprehensive. For over a decade, we've been the gold standard: 12,600 scouts collecting more live data than anyone in the industry, across 35 data applications covering 900,000+ events in 32 sports annually. This is Sportradar's Live Data Service—the beating heart of live sports data that our clients rely on.

Ready to power the future of live sports data? If you're someone who sees operational excellence as a competitive advantage, who thrives on building systems that perform under pressure, and who wants to make an impact in the sports industry—we want to hear from you.

The Role

We're looking for a Senior Operational Lead to serve as the operational backbone of our Live Production unit—the team responsible for delivering this mission-critical data to clients worldwide. Reporting directly to the SVP of Live Production, you'll ensure operational excellence across every touchpoint: from scout recruitment and training to data validation and entry, to client delivery.

Why This Role Matters

You'll be operating at the center of an industry where precision and speed directly impact our customers and millions of users worldwide. When you optimize a process, improve scout training, or shave milliseconds off delivery time, it has immediate, tangible business impact. This is a high-visibility role within a market-leading organization. You'll work alongside passionate sports and data professionals, leverage AI-powered collection systems that set industry standards and help shape the operational foundation of the world's most comprehensive live sports data service.

THE CHALLENGE

• Operational Excellence: You understand that in live sports data, "close enough" doesn't exist. Every detail must be accurate, every delivery lightning-fast, every process bulletproof. You know why this matters and how to make it happen.
• Integrity & Quality: You're the guardian of our KPIs and quality standards. You build systems that prevent errors, not just catch them—because our clients' businesses depend on the data we provide.
• Strategic Execution: You’ll free up leadership to focus on the big picture by owning the day-to-day operational rhythm, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks while keeping the unit running like clockwork.

What You'll Own

Operational Command Center

• Drive weekly operational syncs, KPI reviews, and action tracking across the entire business unit.
• Support quarterly planning cycles, OKR reviews, workflow health checks, and retrospective sessions.
• Identify bottlenecks before they become problems and establish clear escalation pathways.
• Pull together executive-level operational insights, synthesizing performance trends, risks, and opportunities for senior leadership.

Quality & Process Excellence

• Oversee scout onboarding and training programs ensuring consistency and continuous improvement.
• Manage new rights-deal workflows end-to-end, ensuring cross-functional alignment, timely execution, and clear documentation.
• Establish and maintain governance frameworks, reporting standards, and operational documentation.
• Drive improvements in operational reporting, dashboards, and insights generation.
• Pull together high-level operational insights for the Unit lead and top management, synthesizing performance trends, risks, and opportunities.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the central coordination point for the leadership team and key stakeholders.
• Break down silos between scouts, validation teams, data entry, freelancers, and admin units.
• Maintain structured communication channels across units and leadership team.
• Help break down silos and strengthen cross-functional ways of working.
• Manage operational escalations with clarity and speed, ensuring timely resolution and transparent updates.
• Strengthen the leadership team's operating model, helping them function as a unified, high-performing unit.

Strategic Partnership

• Act as an Operational partner to the SVP, designing and implementing operational improvements and scaling frameworks.
• Absorb coordination and operational load to free up leadership time for strategic initiatives, partnerships, and long-term planning.
• Proactively surface issues requiring leadership attention before they impact clients.

ABOUT YOU

What You Bring

• Successful background in operations, program management, or operational leadership—with demonstrated success in fast-paced, high-stakes environments.

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