Vacancy: Newcastle Falcons sports scientist

Monday 22 August 2022 Written by: Adam


**Salary and benefits:** DOE – Competitive.

**Hours required:** Fixed term until June 30, 2023 – 2.5 days per week on training days (includes evenings and weekends).

**Reporting to:** Head of athletic performance.

**Based at:** Kingston Park Stadium, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 8AF.

We are Newcastle Falcons, one of the Gallagher Premiership rugby teams. We are setting our sights on a new, exciting future and are looking for a sports scientist who is well-organised, versatile and motivated to join our team.

**The role:**

An exciting new role has been identified to work with Newcastle Falcons’ first team, supporting the performance department as a sports scientist. The role is a pro-rata fixed term contract running until June 30, 2023. It will require you to work within the club for two and a half days per week.

You will assist on the day-to-day provision of sport science support for the first team squad and assist in the collection and analysis of various performance data including GPS, collision monitoring and player readiness. You will be expected to produce reports for the medical and performance teams following training and games whilst also assisting with the collection of other types of data for welfare and performance needs as appropriate.

Your role will include ensuring data is captured, processed and disseminated to relevant staff members in addition to contributing to data collection for studies being led by World Rugby, England Rugby and Premiership Rugby. Subsequently, you will continue to deliver and develop the data integration and reports within the club.

The successful individual will be expected to work with club practitioners to develop and manage data in addition to formatting and developing appropriate reports. You will be expected to work collaboratively with the head of medical and head of performance to ensure that performance and monitoring data being collected is providing valuable information and is reported in a timely and comprehensible manner.

**Key responsibilities:**

Responsible for aligning and integrating collision monitoring, video, GPS and performance monitoring data sets for all gym, field-based training sessions and matches during the season.

Responsible for reporting and visualising integrated datasets for each training session / match to provide insight to a variety of stakeholders.

Responsible for updating and maintaining a structured database for all relevant data sources.

As this is a new role, the everyday duties may adapt as the role evolves through the process, but this will be agreed collaboratively.

**Key relationships:**

Medical and performance staff.

Coaches.

Players.

Contacts from World Rugby, England Rugby, and Premiership Rugby.

**Qualifications:**

Undergraduate degree in sports science, performance analysis, data analysis or related discipline. MSc in sports science, performance analysis or related discipline (or working towards).

**Essential requirements:**

Minimum of one years’ experience working as a sports scientist or performance/data analyst in a professional sports environment.

Demonstrable experience of manipulating and analysing large data sets.

Highly competent using Excel.

High attention to detail.

Able to work in a timely manner and meet strict deadlines.

Able to maintain the highest regard for confidentiality with sensitive information.

Ability to work independently.

Experience of using R and/or Python for advanced statistical analysis.

Full clean driving licence

**Desirable requirements:**

Experience of using business intelligence tools such as Tableau and/or Power BI.

Experience in using data visualisation software.

Experience of working within rugby or a high-performance environment.

Experience of analysing GPS data.

**People dimensions:**

Comfortable in a team environment and motivated to work independently.

**Safeguarding:**

Newcastle Falcons, Thunder and Foundation take safeguarding very seriously, and are committed to ensuring that all children and adults at risk are safeguarded at all times when engaging in club activities or services. The club has numerous safeguarding policies and best practice guidelines to support this and expects all employees to adopt such policies and practices at all times. The club adheres to strict guidelines, policies and procedures when recruiting staff who work with children and/or adults at risk and is committed to ensuring staff receive appropriate safeguarding training suitable to their role/s. Successful applicants are expected to share the club’s approach to safeguarding at all times.

**Equal opportunities:**

The post holder’s duties must be carried out in compliance with the club’s equal opportunities policy, with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and subsequent health and safety legislation.

Newcastle Falcons, Thunder and Foundation are an equal opportunities employer. All applicants for employment will be given equal opportunities irrespective of sex, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin.

These duties and responsibilities should be regarded as neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other reasonably determined duties and responsibilities within Newcastle Falcons, commensurate with the post without changing the character of the post.

This post requires an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS). This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (1974). Information on all convictions including spent convictions must be declared, in line with the new Government Filtering System.

Employment is subject to satisfactory professional references, the provision of proof of eligibility to work in the UK as well as a successfully cleared enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check and clearance of RFU safer recruitment procedure.

**How to apply:**

Please apply with a CV and cover letter to kevin.mcshane@newcastle-falcons.co.uk .

Applications close at midnight on September 2, 2022.