For hiring teams
You're building an AI function.
Tell us about the seat, the scope, what 'good' looks like in year one. We'll come back with a discreet read.
Roles we hire
Head of AI Recruitment for Sport.
Specialist executive hiring for the leaders building AI capability inside clubs, governing bodies and SportsTech businesses. Strategy, team build, production delivery - and the credibility to do all three.
The role
The Leader Who Turns AI From a Slide Into a System.
Head of AI is one of the newest and fastest-growing executive seats in sport. The remit varies: at some clubs it's a peer to Head of Football Operations; at SportsTech vendors it sits alongside the CTO; at governing bodies it leads a central capability team.
What's consistent is the outcome expectation: stand up a credible AI function, hire the right people, ship production systems, and translate technical work into commercial or sporting value.
Mishires at this level are visible and expensive. We've placed enough of these to know what 'good' looks like in this seat - and what doesn't, no matter how impressive the CV.
What we look for
Builder, Hirer, Communicator.
Head of AI candidates are assessed against the things this seat actually needs to deliver in year one.
Technical credibility
- Genuine technical depth in modern AI - not a managerial veneer
- Track record of shipping production AI systems
- Comfortable in code reviews, design discussions and incident retros
- Strategic thinking about make-vs-buy and infrastructure investment
Leadership & hiring
- Demonstrated ability to attract and retain top AI talent
- Strong opinions about team shape, hiring bar, performance culture
- Cross-functional leadership - performance staff, product, commercial
Sport context
- Direct sport-industry experience preferred; adjacent regulated industries considered
- Comfort with the political reality of running technical change inside a sporting organisation
The market
Small, Contested, High-Stakes.
Head of AI in sport is, today, a very small candidate market. The people who've done the job at scale can be counted in tens, not hundreds.
Most searches at this level run discreetly through trusted networks. That's how we work.
Next step
Hiring a Head of AI?
For candidates
You lead AI work in sport.
If you lead AI inside a sporting organisation - or are ready to - get in touch. Conversations are confidential.
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