Head of Academy Recruitment and Analysis

York City Football Club have an opportunity for a full-time Head of Academy Recruitment and Analysis.

The role is central to delivering our long-term objective of developing and recruiting talented young players capable of progressing through the club's pathway and contributing to sustained first-team success. The role will oversee the identification, assessment, and acquisition of high-potential young players who align with the club's football philosophy and long-term strategic objectives, while also leading the use of youth team video, data, and performance analysis to support player development, recruitment decisions, and academy succession planning.

Salary
£28,000 - £30,000 Yearly

Closing Date
27 Sep 2026

Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead the club's youth recruitment department and manage all youth scouting operations.
• Develop and implement the club's youth recruitment strategy in line with the wider football vision.
• Establish annual recruitment objectives and monitor departmental performance against agreed targets.
• Drive continuous improvement across scouting processes, reporting standards and talent identification methods.
• Contribute to long-term succession planning across academy age groups.
• Oversee the strategic integration of youth team analysis across academy age groups, ensuring analysis outputs support coaching, recruitment and player pathway decisions.

Talent Identification & Recruitment

• Oversee the identification and assessment of players across all academy age groups.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of emerging talent within priority recruitment markets.
• Lead recruitment meetings and make recommendations regarding prospective signings.
• Ensure all recruitment decisions are aligned with York City's player profile framework and playing philosophy.
• Monitor players of interest and maintain up-to-date recruitment databases and tracking systems.
• Use video, data and match analysis to support the evaluation of current academy players, trialists and external recruitment targets.

Network Development

• Manage and support the club's network of scouts and recruitment staff.
• Establish strong relationships with grassroots clubs, academies, schools and key football
  stakeholders.
• Expand the club's recruitment reach within agreed geographical territories.
• Represent York City FC at matches, tournaments and recruitment events.

Youth Team Analysis

• Lead the capture, review and interpretation of youth team match and training footage to inform player development and recruitment activity.
• Produce clear team, unit and individual player analysis reports, including video clips and key performance observations for coaches and academy staff.
• Support age-appropriate analysis meetings with players and staff, helping to translate analysis into actionable development feedback.
• Maintain organised video libraries, player clips and analysis records that contribute to individual development plans, succession planning and recruitment review processes.
• Work with coaching and analysis staff to develop consistent analysis standards across youth teams, ensuring feedback aligns with the club's playing philosophy and player profile framework.

Collaboration

• Work closely with the Academy Manager to ensure recruitment supports the academy's development objectives.
• Collaborate with the 1st team recruitment staff on strategic planning and future squad requirements.
• Liaise with coaching staff to ensure player profiles meet positional and tactical requirements.
• Work alongside analysts to integrate data and video into recruitment decision-making.
• Ensure youth team analysis is used to inform individual player development plans, transition decisions and longer-term academy progression reviews.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all recruitment activity complies with FA, EFL and FIFA regulations.
• Maintain high standards of safeguarding and player welfare.
• Ensure accurate and professional record-keeping across all recruitment activity.
• Uphold the values and reputation of York City Football Club at all times.

Key Areas of Accountability

• The effectiveness of the club's youth recruitment strategy.
• The quality and suitability of players recruited into the academy.
• The management and development of the scouting network.
• Recruitment coverage across priority territories.
• The accuracy and consistency of recruitment reporting.
• The quality, consistency and practical impact of youth team analysis across academy age groups.
• Building a sustainable pathway of talent capable of progressing through the academy and into

Person Specification

Essential

• Proven experience in football recruitment and talent identification.
• Strong understanding of academy football and player development pathways.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Ability to lead and manage scouting personnel.
• Strong knowledge of modern recruitment practices, including live scouting, video and data analysis
• Ability to interpret youth team video and performance data to support player development, feedback and recruitment decisions.

Desirable

• Experience within an EFL or professional academy environment.
• Existing recruitment network within youth football.
• Experience implementing recruitment systems and processes.
• Understanding of player trading and long-term squad planning.

Qualifications and Certifications

Essential

• FA Talent ID Level 2, or equivalent experience/qualification in football recruitment and talent identification.
• FA Safeguarding Children qualification.
• Enhanced DBS clearance, or willingness to complete prior to appointment.
• FA Emergency First Aid in Football, or equivalent first aid qualification.
• Evidence of continued professional development relevant to academy recruitment, talent identification, safeguarding or player development.
• Full UK driving licence and access to transport.

Desirable

• FA Talent ID Level 3 or above.
• UEFA C Licence, FA Level 2 Coaching qualification, or equivalent.
• Experience using recruitment platforms, video analysis tools or player databases.
• Training in data-led recruitment, performance analysis or player profiling.
• Experience using video analysis workflows to support youth team performance reviews, individual development plans and talent identification.
• Knowledge of EFL Youth Development rules, FA regulations and academy registration processes.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will work closely with the Academy Manager, Academy coaching staff, scouts, analysts, player care, safeguarding and education staff to ensure recruitment and youth team analysis activity is aligned with the Club’s football strategy, player development pathway and welfare responsibilities. They will also build and maintain effective relationships with players, parents/guardians, grassroots clubs, schools, local academies, football stakeholders and relevant governing bodies to support the identification, assessment, analysis and recruitment of talented young players.

Safeguarding, Equality and Compliance

The post holder will be expected to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people, uphold equality, diversity and inclusion, and operate in accordance with all relevant Club policies, EFL and FA regulations, and health and safety requirements. This includes maintaining appropriate professional boundaries, reporting concerns promptly, and contributing to a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for all players and staff.