Man Utd begin hiring as they bid to become ‘dominant’ in data science
Dominic Jordan was appointed as United's first Director of Data Science in October
Written by Simon Austin — November 4, 2022
MANCHESTER UNITED have started the process of recruiting data scientists, machine learning scientists, analysts and engineers as they look to become “dominant” in data science.
Last October, United hired Dominic Jordan as their first Director of Data Science, with the remit of "driving forward the club’s use of data to help players and staff deliver success on the pitch."
Jordan did not actually start the role until March this year because he had to serve a long period of notice with his previous employer, the retailer N Brown Group, for whom he was Director of Data Science and Analytics.
Prior to his arrival at the United, the club did not have any dedicated data scientists on the football side of their business. Football Director John Murtough had been leading a working group attempting to plot the club’s future data science strategy, but this was stalled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
United are managing the recruitment drive themselves, which has included posting job adverts on their official website, and have also engaged specialist firms, including Data Idols, to proactively identify candidates.
Potential candidates have already been approached and told that, if successful, they would “directly impact all areas of club and team performance” for United.
Earlier this year, Jordan was included in Data IQ’s list of the 100 most influential people in data. He said: “At the time of writing I am about to start my job at Manchester United, where I expect data to be transformational, as the club is very much looking to be dominant in this space.”
