Head of Recruitment / Chief Scout

Job purpose: Working collaboratively with the Sporting Director, Head Coach and colleagues in the Recruitment Department, deliver a comprehensive scouting and recruitment strategy that aligns with MK Dons' objectives. This includes contributing to areas such as talent identification, player assessment, data analysis and recruitment operations to strengthen the First Team and support the club's continued growth. Role Competencies: Planning Timescales:

• Working collaboratively with colleagues in the Recruitment Department; develop, implement, and manage a recruitment strategy aligned with MK Dons' sporting objectives, focusing on both immediate and future needs.
• Coordinate with the relevant departments to create a streamlined recruitment plan, ensuring alignment with the club's playing philosophy and position specific player profiles.
• Contribute to the maintenance and keep up to date the database of prospective players and oversee comprehensive records for scouting purposes.
Decision Making:
• Lead and oversee the recommendation of player's, utilising a blend of data, scouting reports, and market knowledge to recommend acquisitions.
• Regularly evaluate recruitment processes and make impactful day-to-day and strategic decisions to improve efficiency and achieve department goals.
Impact and Influence:
• Build and maintain strong relationships within the football industry to enhance recruitment opportunities and player knowledge.
• Act as a key contributor in recruitment discussions with colleagues in the Recruitment Department, providing insight and relevant subjective information to support decision-making and squad development.
• To assist with any other reasonable duties as directed by management staff., Serve as the primary point of contact for scouting and recruitment-related communications, coordinating with agents, club representatives, and internal stakeholders.
• Contribute to the presentation of reports on target players to directors, management and coaching staff, including visual data analysis and player insights.
• To attend and actively contribute to any departmental, management, club or other meetings that are arranged where relevant to your role.
Budget Management:
• To strategically forecast and appropriately manage the Scouting element of the Recruitment budget to ensure all financial actions are within the agreed budget parameters.
Lead and Develop:
• Provide leadership to the scouting team, fostering a culture of excellence and encouraging professional development.
• Conduct weekly meetings with scouts to review games, set recruitment objectives, and discuss observations, ensuring alignment with MK Dons' strategic goals.
Operating Parameters:
• Regularly attend matches and utilise video analysis to evaluate talent within the UK, maintaining up-to-date scouting reports in line with club requirements.
• Ensure all recruitment processes and data management comply with GDPR and club policies.
  
  Ability to demonstrate strong skills and experience of assessing players at live games and via video to assess player suitability for MK Dons.
• Ability to work in high-pressure environments and manage multiple recruitment tasks, timelines, and objectives simultaneously.
• Familiarity with EFL regulations and transfer market knowledge, using these insights to provide player recommendations.
• A strong 'can do' attitude with the ability to adapt to different, changing, and challenging situations.
• Possess the drive and enthusiasm to set high standards and lead by example while achieving agreed objectives.
• The ability to work independently under your own initiative and as part of an extensive high-performance team.
• Honest and trustworthy with a high level of confidentiality and exceptional personal integrity., FA Talent ID or equivalent scouting qualification.
• Proven experience in professional football recruitment or scouting, with an understanding of the process of signing a player and an awareness of player pathways.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, comfortable working within multi-disciplinary teams.
• FA Learning: Safeguarding Children Certificate.
Desirable
• A strong network within the football industry, across clubs and agents, ideally with experience in the EFL.
• Familiarity with industry recruitment platforms and player databases.
• Full driving license.
Safeguarding - We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and young people (CYP) and at-risk Adults (ARA) Our expectation is that you will fully accept your responsibility for the safety and welfare of all CYP and ARA by being fully conversant with all our safeguarding policies and reporting anything that does not appear to be correct. The post maybe subject to an enhanced DBS check and yearly self-declarations. Equality and Diversity - must be able to demonstrate that equality, diversity and inclusion will be maintained and developed across all programmes and areas of the business.