Be at the heart of actionFly remote-controlled drones into enemy territory to gather vital information.

Apply Now

Data Scientist

The FA
London
3 days ago
Create job alert
Overview

As a Data Scientist at The FA, you'll be central to our data transformation, working across areas such as grassroots initiatives, elite performance, fan engagement, and operations. From day one, you'll lead the development and deployment of data science solutions. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to build scalable systems, maintain robust data pipelines, and integrate machine learning models into real-world applications that make a measurable impact.

Responsibilities
  • Apply machine learning and predictive modelling to optimise player development, grassroots participation, and tournament planning
  • Perform clustering and statistical analysis on historical performance data to identify tactical and developmental insights
  • Develop computer vision models (e.g. YOLO, TensorFlow, PyTorch) for match analysis, crowd monitoring, and event operations
  • Design and maintain robust data pipelines for structured and unstructured data using Microsoft Fabric and Azure Synapse
  • Build and deploy scalable machine learning models to solve real-world challenges
  • Create dashboards and data visualisations using Power BI, matplotlib, and Plotly
  • Translate complex analytical findings into clear, actionable recommendations for both technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Collaborate with product managers, data engineers, and solution architects to align analytics with business goals
  • Support MLOps and FinOps practices for live services and resource planning
  • Executes additional tasks as required to meet The FA's changing priorities
  • Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained
  • As part of The FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.
Qualifications
  • Python and R
  • Microsoft Fabric, Azure Synapse, SQL
  • Power BI, matplotlib, Plotly
  • Azure (RBAC, AAD, Blob Storage); experience with AWS or GCP is also valued
  • Strong foundation in statistics, modelling, and data wrangling
  • Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch
  • Soft Skills: Ability to translate business problems into analytical solutions
  • Soft Skills: Confident communicator capable of presenting insights to non-technical stakeholders
  • Soft Skills: Effective team player who works well in cross-functional environments
  • Soft Skills: Analytical thinker with a proactive and solutions-oriented mindset
Benefits & Additional Information
  • We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, with office spaces under Wembley Arch and access to the Elite Performance Centre at St. George's Park
  • Competitive salary and opportunities for development and growth
  • Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium and regular internal events
  • Free nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park
  • Free private medical cover
  • Contributory pension scheme
  • Additional 'Thank You' days, volunteering days, and 25 days annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract)
  • Hybrid working model with location-based flexibility
  • Further information about working at The FA is available on the FA Careers page

Currently, we are working within a hybrid model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. The contractual location of this role is listed on the FA Careers page. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity and is an equal opportunities employer. If you have any requirements regarding the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.


#J-18808-Ljbffr

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Data Scientist

Data Scientist

Data Scientist

Data Scientist

Data Scientist (Optimisation)

Data Scientist - Tax & Legal

Subscribe to Future Tech Insights for the latest jobs & insights, direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Data Science Recruitment Trends 2025 (UK): What Job Seekers Need To Know About Today’s Hiring Process

Summary: UK data science hiring has shifted from title‑led CV screens to capability‑driven assessments that emphasise rigorous problem framing, high‑quality analytics & modelling, experiment/causality, production awareness (MLOps), governance/ethics, and measurable product or commercial impact. This guide explains what’s changed, what to expect in interviews & how to prepare—especially for product/data scientists, applied ML scientists, decision scientists, econometricians, growth/marketing analysts, and ML‑adjacent data scientists supporting LLM/AI products. Who this is for: Product/decision/data scientists, applied ML scientists, econometrics & causal inference specialists, experimentation leads, analytics engineers crossing into DS, ML generalists with strong statistics, and data scientists collaborating with platform/MLOps teams in the UK.

Why Data Science Careers in the UK Are Becoming More Multidisciplinary

Data science once meant advanced statistics, machine learning models and coding in Python or R. In the UK today, it has become one of the most in-demand professions across sectors — from healthcare to finance, retail to government. But as the field matures, employers now expect more than technical modelling skills. Modern data science is multidisciplinary. It requires not just coding and algorithms, but also legal knowledge, ethical reasoning, psychological insight, linguistic clarity and human-centred design. Data scientists are expected to interpret, communicate and apply data responsibly, with awareness of law, human behaviour and accessibility. In this article, we’ll explore why data science careers in the UK are becoming more multidisciplinary, how these five disciplines intersect with data science, and what job-seekers & employers need to know to succeed in this transformed field.

Data Science Team Structures Explained: Who Does What in a Modern Data Science Department

Data science is one of the most in-demand, dynamic, and multidisciplinary areas in the UK tech and business landscape. Organisations from finance, retail, health, government, and beyond are using data to drive decisions, automate processes, personalise services, predict trends, detect fraud, and more. To do that well, companies don’t just need good data scientists; they need teams with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, workflows, collaboration, and governance. If you're aiming for a role in data science or recruiting for one, understanding the structure of a data science department—and who does what—can make all the difference. This article breaks down the key roles, how they interact across the lifecycle of a data science project, what skills and qualifications are typical in the UK, expected salary ranges, challenges, trends, and how to build or grow an effective team.