Performance Scientist

Job Advert Reference: AFCB0041

Title: Performance Scientist

Reports to: Head of Performance and Medical

Location: Various Club Locations (Stadium, Training facilities, away game sites)

Contract: Permanent, Full Time (Mon-Sun)

About AFC Bournemouth

Entering an exciting new chapter in our long and storied history, we are proud to retain a focus on family and community. Delivering that engagement with our loyal supporters is a passionate and integrated backroom staff, working closely together to provide a positive and lasting experience for all at Vitality Stadium.

Since our takeover by chairman Bill Foley, in a partnership including Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan, the club has seen significant investment committed towards sustaining Premier League status, highlighted by the construction of a state-of-the-art training facility and the arrival of promising young talent from top clubs around Europe. These developments also bring a great opportunity to further improve our women’s team and youth setup overall.

Key off-field appointments have recently been made in business operations, ticketing, and partnerships to continue our efforts in improving the experience for our supporters.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Head of Performance and Medicine, the First Team Performance Scientist will be a vital member performance and medical team who provides best practice performance services to First Team players at AFC Bournemouth. Our Performance Scientist will be a conduit between performance and data management – to support our performance strategies.

Main Duties

• Collect, organise, clean, analyse, interpret, and socialise performance related data to maximise player performance and well-being.

• Implement data quality control practices at all phases in a data management cycle.

• Support athletic improvement solutions with data supported player monitoring, profiling, evaluation, and development strategies.

• Deliver solutions to collect and analyse physical load data while actioning data informed readiness, recovery, and enhancement strategies.

• Deliver match and training workload analysis and reports.

• Utilise sports science related technologies to identify and correct underlying biomechanical or structural deficiencies that may predispose a player to injury, re-injury, or under performance.

• Support return to train and return to play protocols with data enhanced practices in conjunction with medical and performance experts.

• Manage player data securely and ensure all relevant rehabilitation programming and profiling documentation is integrated within the electronic medical records for injured players.

• Liaise with Academy performance and medicine staff to create safe, efficient, and effective transitions for players between First Team and the Academy.

• Provide match day support of home and away games; to include but not limited to pitch-based conditioning and activation sessions and recovery strategies.

• Support pre and post training gym based conditioning sessions as required.

• Take ownership in your professional growth by continuously improving your technical and social behavioural skillset.

• Undertake Continued Professional Development organized and approved by the Club.

• Contribute to departmental professional development in service sessions and share domain specific knowledge with departmental teammates.

• Maintain an organized, safe, and operable performance environment.

• Promote an environment that fosters player trust in performance related service delivery.

• Embody a “one department” spirit with actions and behaviours that promote collaboration and trust between the medical and performance specialist.

• Ensure the club’s mental health & wellbeing objectives are embedded in your department's actions, procedures, and dealings and to have a good knowledge of the processes to support staff's mental health & wellbeing.

• Ensure commitment to the club’s safeguarding vision and to actively promote the policies within your department, embedding safeguarding into procedures. Obligation to promote and monitor the club’s health and safety policy and procedures within your department.

• Ensure the club’s equality aims, action plan and policies are in evidence in all departmental actions, procedures, and dealings.
• As a member of staff to ensure in all matters, you follow and actively promote the club’s mental health policies and practices to ensure an open, non-judgmental and inclusive environment for everyone engaged with the club.

As a member of staff to ensure that you to adhere to the club’s safeguarding policies and procedures and are committed to our safeguarding values, creating a safe and positive environment for all those who interact with the club.

• Obligation to adhere to the club’s health and safety policy and procedures.
• As a member of staff to ensure in all matters you follow and actively promote the club’s equality policies and practices to ensure a welcoming, safe and inclusive environment for everyone engaged with the club.

The duties and responsibilities described are not a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; or the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

Key knowledge

• MSc Sports Science, Data Science, Statistics, or a related degree, or equivalent experience with a relevant bachelor's degree considered.
• Strength and Conditioning accreditation.
• Experience with gym and pitch-based performance service delivery in elite sports.
• 2-3 years of experience administering Athlete Management Systems.
• 1-2 year of experience with data visualization software (Power BI, Tableau)
• Experience operating optical, lidar, and GPS tracking solutions.
• Proficient ability to automate and integrate multiple technologies and data management practices to support and document performance-based services.
• Experience working within a multidisciplinary team and a track record of building trust.
• Availability to travel.
• Fluency in English, both oral and written.

Person specification

The Club’s values are at the core of its staff behaviour and how they approach everything they do, therefore we are looking for someone is honest, inclusive, kind, hardworking and loyal.

Staff Benefits

In return for your hard work and commitment to us, you will receive a competitive reward package which will include, but is not limited to:

• Free onsite parking.
• Season ticket and allocation of complimentary/purchased tickets.
• Subsidised lunches and complimentary healthy snacks throughout the day.
• Discounts at the club Superstore.
• Contribution towards eye tests and glasses.
• Discounts and benefits from partners and local businesses.
• Club pension & Life Assurance Scheme.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) by Health Assured.
• Paid parental leave (bank of five days per year).
• Club events or other social events throughout the year run by our club social team.
• Paid volunteer opportunities (2 days per year).
• Paid day’s leave on your birthday.

How to Apply

Please send your application form to jobs@afcb.co.uk.

AFC Bournemouth is an equal opportunities employer and ensures staff and volunteers are able to achieve their full potential.

We take pride in our approach to diversity and inclusion and embrace the opportunity to build a workforce that reflects the diversity of our society. We take our responsibility seriously, to consider qualified candidates on the basis of merit regardless of sex, gender identity, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

We actively encourage applications from women, individuals with disabilities, and individuals from ethnically diverse communities.

For further information on accessibility within the stadium please click here.

AFC Bournemouth is committed to protecting all children, young persons, and adults at risk in its care or attending its premises and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment.

For all positions where a DBS check is required, an offer of employment will be subject to receipt of satisfactory disclosure at the appropriate level.

Any and all potential agreements, relationships or commitments that could be considered a conflict of interest should be disclosed upon application to this vacancy by emailing jobs@afcb.co.uk. You will also be asked whether you have any conflicts to disclose upon receipt of your application.

Satisfactory references will be required for all positions, your eligibility to work with the club will be subject to receiving appropriate referencing.

We strive to create a positive and safe environment and ensure all who interact with the club feel safe, protected, and heard.

AFC Bournemouth can exercise their right to perform external searches and to confirm information provided by candidates. It does not retain any data during this process.