Head of Data, Analytics and Innovation

About the Collingwood Football Club

Collingwood Football Club (CFC) was founded in 1892.

Local residents, community and business leaders and politicians all hoped that having their own football club could help bring a measure of pride to a downtrodden suburb.

In 2025, CFC is one of the great icons of Australian sport. Our history spans 130 years, 16 premierships and more finals appearances than any other club. Most importantly, Collingwood has grown from being a football club to a sports club with a commitment to our community.

Collingwood is not made by a President, a Captain, a Coach or a CEO. It's not just any one player, employee, supporter or fan, Collingwood is made by many.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Executive General Manager People, Legal and Data, Analytics & Technology, the
Head of Data, Analytics and Innovation
will work in a team environment to drive data-driven decision making and performance analysis across the organisation and to drive innovation, including A.I, for the Club.

The ideal candidate for this role will lead with curiosity, be able to stay on top of emerging technologies and ways of working, and have a strong background in data science and analytics, as well as a deep understanding of the sports industry and the ability to build and drive strategic innovations.

Key responsibilities include:

Leadership, Team Management and L&D:

• Build and lead a high-performing team of data engineers, analysts, scientists, data solutions, and innovation professionals, interns and students.
• Lead a developing business unit that is building and delivering the Club's data strategy and roadmap so that the Club is a leader in this space.
• Build an innovation hub to foster emerging talent and to foster product development and enhancements.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning within the department.
• Set clear goals, provide mentorship, and evaluate team performance on an ongoing basis.
• Provide professional development opportunities to ensure that our staff are upskilled wherever required.
• Build education modules and deliver them with the team across the Club in the following disciplines:
• Data Innovation and Insights
• AI (including leading the initial Super User Groups)
• Data Management and Governance
• Data Analytics – the basics.

Data Strategy and Management:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive organisation wide data strategy that aligns data, analytics and innovation initiatives with the Clubs broader strategic objectives.
• Collaborate with football performance analysts to ensure cross collaboration and data strategy alignment.
• Lead the Club strategy relating to the data that we collect so that the quality of data enables the data team to effectively do their jobs.
• Lead with key stakeholders where relevant, data analysis and insights across the Club compiling data from various sources, including player performance, fan engagement, and club operations.
• Work closely with various departments, including finance, membership, marketing, content, commercial, community coaching, high performance and recruiting to understand their data and innovation needs and provide solutions.
• Manage data governance, ensuring data integrity, storage, retention, privacy, and compliance with relevant regulations. Develop and manage all policies in this area.
• Oversee the maintenance and enhancement of the club's data infrastructure.
• Implement effective data visualisation tools and reporting mechanisms to communicate insights and key performance indicators to stakeholders.
• Communicate data-driven insights and recommendations to key stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
• Ensure that data is presented in an easily digestible manner for decision-makers across the organisation.
• Identify opportunities for growth and improvement and make data-driven recommendations.
• Build the Club's AI strategy as it relates to the Data and Analytics elements of the business and be an AI advisor to EGM's by providing recommendations and road maps for how AI is used in their areas.

Budget Management:

• Develop and manage the department's budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources.
• Identify cost-effective solutions while maintaining high-quality standards (system audit's). This must be done in conjunction with the Head of Technology.

Innovation, Research & TechLab:

• Stay at the forefront of data strategy, analytics, AI and innovation in the sports industry by continuously researching and applying innovative methods to improve club performance and operations.
• Explore opportunities for partnerships and collaborations with industry leaders in data and innovation.
• Establish and lead a club-wide academic program (internships, honours, PhD opportunities) in partnership with universities.
• Develop an external collaboration hub with industry experts, technology partners, and international clubs for knowledge exchange and innovation.
• Launch and manage startup project funding and hackathons to explore new technologies and solutions.
• Take ownership of the club's digital platforms (e.g., app development, digital member engagement, internal dashboards).

About you

To be successful as the 
Head of Data, Analytics and Innovation,
 you will have:

• A postgraduate qualification or equivalent experience in data science, analytics, innovation, or a related field.
• Extensive experience leading multidisciplinary data and innovation teams, with a strong focus on strategy, capability uplift, and performance.
• Proven ability to develop and implement organisation-wide data and AI strategies, aligned with business objectives.
• Strong foundation in data governance, infrastructure, and visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau), with the ability to communicate insights to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Demonstrated success in driving innovation initiatives, including academic partnerships and digital product development.
• Experience managing budgets and resources, identifying cost-effective solutions in collaboration with technology teams.
• A collaborative and forward-thinking mindset, with a passion for building a culture of learning, innovation, and impact.

Football Club's are fast-paced environments but you will engrain yourself into the Collingwood culture, remain agile, adaptable, and consistently champion our Company values of 
DO BETTER, SIDE BY SIDE, A NEST FOR ALL and FLY HIGHER.

What we offer

As a valued staff member of our Sporting Club you will be a part of a fun, inclusive and flexible work environment:

• Access to state of art High Performance Gym Facility
• Access to Professional Development and Learning Development Courses
• Access to tickets to all AFL and AFLW matches
• Access to exclusive partner offers, the likes of Nike, Emirates, AIA Vitality, La Trobe, CUB Economy, Business Class with Emirates, Sonos and TaylorMade
• Opportunities to support with Collingwood community outreach and volunteer programs (Magpie Nest Cafe)
• Behind the scenes access to Match-Day, including the ability to support in on-ground activations

To Apply

If you are interested in this position, please send through your CV and cover letter that addresses why you are interested in working with the Collingwood Football Club, how your skills/experience would qualify for the position, and how you would contribute to the culture of the organisation. Please send this application to  Applications close
COB Friday 31 October 2025
 (however, we may close this earlier if we receive a large volume of applications).

Please keep reading…

Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply when they check every box.

So if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point above, please still get in touch. We'd love to have a chat and see if you could be a great fit.

We believe in being a Nest For All – we champion respect, diversity and inclusion to make our Club a safe and welcoming place for all. The Collingwood Football Club is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and diverse candidates. We provide a welcoming, safe and flexible approach to work and provide an environment that benefits from and enables the best from everyone.

As an organization we are committed to protecting children and young people from harm. It is essential that anyone involved with the Collingwood Football Club understands their responsibility in relation to child safety. Our organization requires all applicants to obtain a 'Working with Children Check' prior to appointment.

To learn more about working at Collingwood Football Club and our values, please visit