Under the direction of the General Manager (GM) and Technical Director (TD), the Director of Scouting will be responsible for player identification. They will co-ordinate a team of scouts to build a club-owned database of in-depth player information and assessment, from early identification to advanced scouting evaluations, reporting, ranking and projection of potential player acquisitions for all professional levels of the club. The Director of Scouting is responsible for quality assurance of the work created by the Scouting Department, and, alongside the TD, they will also oversee the development of the clubs scouting processes, targeting, scheduling and logistics. Finally, they will be responsible for the individual development of the clubs scouting staff.
GENERIC DUTIES
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Identify target markets along with the GM, TD and Head Coach, at both professional and collegiate or youth levels
- Contribute to the identification and hiring of regional scouting staff
- Provide education on club scouting processes and technical guidance on scouting tools and software to all scouts
- Co-ordinate and oversee international scouting operations
- Oversee domestic scouting operations including growing the clubs knowledge of MLS, USL, MLSNP and NCAA players
- Oversee, guide, and communicate effectively with scouting staff to ensure scouting objectives, profiles and timelines are clear
- Create connections with representatives (agents, families etc) of recruitment targets, as appropriate, to ensure rules and procedures are followed and player experience is maximized
- Communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the club
- Organize scouting meetings to ensure all targets and important scouting matters are discussed with the clubs technical staff
- Ensure consistent, accurate presentation of all scout reports, as well as facilitate the process for information flow to the clubs technical staff
- Ensure the GM, TD and Head Coach have everything they need to make informed, educated decisions related to player recruitment.
SPECIFIC DUTIES
- Serve as a resource to the clubs technical staff on all matters pertaining to player scouting, recruitment, and monitoring of potential players of interest
- Assist the GM, TD and coaching staff with the development of a methodology and guidelines for scouts to use in identifying players
- Create, direct, and implement education and development programs to prepare scouts to identify players suitable to the Timbers’ style and philosophy
- Develop scouting templates and processes designed to support recruitment tailored to the Timbers’ playing style and philosophy
- Assign staff scouts to relevant regions and levels and assist in player targeting and cross checking of identified players
- Maintain an online club database of player information, ensuring depth and quality of information on a broad range of players, including a robust system of player shortlists used to highlight players of particular interest
- Ensure that the Scouting Department is flexible to the evolving needs of the clubs professional teams, and has a robust database of player information that can be referenced by all senior staff, as part of effective succession planning and adapting to changing circumstances
- Provide targets/options based on club specific recruitment profiles for GM, TD and Head Coach to review, encompassing all relevant information from the players on-field assessments, likely costs and character references.
- Work with the Video Analyst for advanced scouting and summary report creating purposes
- Work with the technical staff and scouting staff to enhance the Timbers relationship with domestic and international clubs, colleges, academies and governing bodies.
- Oversee all NCAA scouting and help manage the clubs college scouting network, including;
- Production of NCAA depth charts, composed of college players ranked by position including identifying non-seniors, academy affiliated players and international players, distributed to the GM, TD and coaching staff when necessary
- Help leading the MLS Superdraft process including meetings prior to draft to discuss targets, strategy, and objectives
- Assist Academy scouting and recruitment by contributing to player identification and tracking methodology
- Work with the Academy and MLSNP staffs in supporting recruitment of players to the clubs development environment
- Perform annual evaluations of all scouts
- Represent Timbers’ in a professional manner on all club related travel and scouting trips
- This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and the Director of Scouting will also perform other reasonably related business duties when required, as assigned by their immediate supervisor and other management.
REQUIRED SKILLS
- Five years experience as a scout or equivalent in a professional club or international organization (national association or representation agency, for example)
- Knowledge of MLS and American Soccer landscape
- Demonstrated administrative and organizational abilities to manage multiple individuals, programs and priorities, including short-term (event) and long-term planning
- Demonstrated ability to communicate thoughts and ideas to staff and colleages effectively, in a way that is clear and respectful, both orally and in writing
- Ability to manage and communicate with a network of agents and contacts within various levels of soccer, both domestic and abroad
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) helpful (not required)
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
