Data Engineer

Job Description Summary

We are seeking an individual with excellent attention to detail to join our team as a Data Engineer. In this role, the successful candidate will lead the design, development and maintenance of a best-in-class data infrastructure, delivering scalable data pipelines and ensuring high-quality data is available for analysis and decision-making across the Club.

The successful candidate will provide key stakeholders with clean, reliable, accessible and actionable data, contributing to the development of SKC’s data ecosystem.

Sporting Kansas City is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and equity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all associates. All associates are expected to positively collaborate with individuals of diverse backgrounds. We encourage all talented individuals looking for a challenge to apply.

Job Description

People 

• Work closely with coaches, analysts, scouts, performance coaches and other key stakeholders to understand data needs and translate them into scalable solutions.

• Develop strong relationships with the wider Data and Analytics team, promoting best practices in data management, governance and accessibility.

• Ensure collaboration and communication with wider Club as needed, working with internal and external partners to ensure efficient data integration, adoption and deployment.

Process

•  Lead the design, development and maintenance of scalable ETL/ELT pipelines to support the creation of tools, platforms and reports aimed at facilitating decision-making.

• Ensure reliable and consistent data collection, validation, monitoring, testing, transformation and delivery processes.

• Lead the implementation of high-quality standards for comprehensive data storage, version control, schema documentation and governance.

• Collaborate with our IT team to ensure data protection and compliance policies are upheld and central to our practices.

• Continuously evaluate and develop existing workflows, infrastructure and practices to maximize reliability.

• Evaluate other emerging technologies and solutions to ensure SKC stays current with engineering best practice and trends.

Product

• Lead the development and maintenance of SKC’s centralized data platform.

• Develop and manage soccer-specific databases and APIs, enabling efficient data access.

•  Integrate data from multiple soccer data providers and Club systems to create a single source of truth.

•  In collaboration with the rest of the Data and Analytics team, support the development and deployment of reporting tools, internal applications, web tools and dashboards.

• Continuously challenge existing data, systems and practices to ensure development and drive innovation.

•  Ensure data architecture optimization to support future scalability and reliability as our team and provision grows.

• Work very closely with the First Team Data Scientist to productionize models and implement ML projects seamlessly.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science or related STEM subject.

• Significant experience working in a Data Engineering or similar role.

•  Proven experience designing, developing and maintaining data pipelines, data models and database schemas.

• Robust experience using both SQL and Python for data cleaning, engineering, transformation and automation workflows.

•  Experience working with modern cloud-based data infrastructure (i.e., Azure, AWS or GCP).

• Experience implementing best-in-practice data orchestration, version control, governance and other data best practices.

• Creative and curious problem solver with a positive attitude to new challenges.

• Proactive and eager to learn, able to pick up new skills and work as part of a team.

• Excellent attention to detail and evidence of working on developing strong analytical skills.

• Evidence of excellent communication skills, able to translate technical concepts into practical solutions.

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience working within an elite soccer club or high-performance sporting environment.

• Experience working with soccer event, tracking and physical performance datasets.

• Strong understanding of technical and tactical aspects of soccer.

• Evidence of experience working in the MLS.

• Experience using data visualization tools such as Tableau or other equivalent software.

• Experience supporting ML deployment and MLOps workflows.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in office, stadium, and outdoor environments with the ability to travel as required.

• Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.

• Ability to work non-traditional hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Additional Responsibilities

• Represent Sporting Kansas City professionally at all times.

• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Comply with Club policies and procedures.

• Perform other duties as assigned.