Director of Data Science & Performance Innovation - MLS

In order to be considered for this role, after clicking "Apply Now" above and being redirected, you must fully complete the application process on the follow-up screen.

**About Us:**Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC, Real Monarchs, and the RSL Academy are united by a shared mission of winning together through development. We are committed to building world-class teams by investing in people—developing players, staff, and leaders through collaboration, innovation, and a high-performance culture. If you’re passionate about sport, science, and leadership, we invite you to grow your career with Utah Soccer.

**Summary:**The Director of Data Science & Performance Innovation leads a fully integrated high-performance data and sports science function across MLS, NWSL, MLS NEXT Pro, and Academy pathways. This role oversees all sports science operations, performance analytics, applied biomechanics, and data infrastructure, ensuring alignment of methodology, technology systems, and reporting standards across the organization.This position plays a critical role in supporting player availability, long-term development, and evidence-based decision-making by unifying performance data, monitoring practices, and return-to-play frameworks across men’s, women’s, and youth programs.The ideal candidate is a strategic leader with deep applied experience who can translate complex performance data into actionable insights while building scalable systems and developing high-performing staff.
Responsibilities Include:· Lead and implement a club-wide data science and performance innovation strategy across Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC, Real Monarchs, and the RSL Academy, ensuring vertical alignment across MLS, NWSL, Next Pro, and Academy pathways.· Establish standardized methodologies for physical monitoring, testing protocols, biomechanics assessments, data collection, and reporting across all teams.· Oversee all sports science operations, including GPS/optical tracking, heart-rate monitoring, force plates, neuromuscular diagnostics, and speed-power testing, ensuring high-quality data and actionable insights.· Provide applied biomechanics leadership, supporting movement analysis, asymmetry profiling, deceleration mechanics, and sport-specific performance optimization across men’s, women’s, and youth athletes.· Design and maintain a centralized performance data infrastructure, overseeing data ingestion, cleaning, storage, and integration to ensure data integrity and accessibility.· Direct performance analytics and reporting, including dashboard development, benchmarking, workload modeling, longitudinal tracking, and applied machine learning initiatives.· Collaborate closely with medical and reconditioning teams to implement unified return-to-train and return-to-play (RTP) frameworks informed by biomechanical, readiness, and exposure data.· Translate complex data and scientific insights into clear, actionable decision support for coaches, medical staff, sporting leadership, and executives.· Lead, mentor, and develop sports science and performance analytics staff, including performance reviews, professional development planning, and seasonal staffing alignment.· Facilitate cross-department collaboration, ensuring alignment between sports science, strength & conditioning, medical, coaching, and technical leadership.· Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies and research, driving continuous improvement and innovation across all performance environments.· Promote knowledge sharing and best practices across teams, ensuring insights from MLS, NWSL, Next Pro, and Academy environments elevate the entire organization.· Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications:· Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, Sports Science, Data Science, Biomechanics, or a related field.· CPSS certification required.· Minimum of 5 years of applied experience in elite football or comparable high-performance environments.· Advanced proficiency in R, Python, SQL, and data visualization platforms (Power BI, Tableau, Looker, or similar).· Extensive experience with GPS/optical tracking, heart-rate monitoring, force plates, neuromuscular diagnostics, and speed profiling.· Strong applied biomechanics expertise.· Demonstrated experience leading and managing multi-team or multi-disciplinary performance staff.· Exceptional communication skills with the ability to present complex information clearly to diverse audiences.· Proven experience managing, mentoring, and developing high-performance staff, including setting expectations, providing feedback, and supporting professional growth.· Ability to lead within complex, multi-team environments while maintaining alignment, trust, and accountability.
Preferred Qualifications:· Master’s degree or PhD strongly preferred.· Experience leading integrated high-performance systems across men’s, women’s, and youth pathways.· Familiarity with machine learning concepts and applied modeling in elite sport.· Background in strength & conditioning, physiotherapy, biomechanics, or data engineering.· Experience designing large-scale performance data ecosystems and reporting infrastructures.
**Physical Demands & Environment:**The job requires regularly lifting/pushing up to 10 pounds and occasionally lifting/pushing more than 25 pounds or exerting heavy force, in a wide disparity or environmental conditions. The job involves standing, stooping, bending, lifting, pushing, typing, etc.

The Club provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.

Note: The need may arise to revise, supplement, or rescind portions of this job description, and the Club reserves the right to do so at any time. Employees shall be required to meet the qualifications and perform the duties of any revised job description.