Sr. AVP - Account Manager - Sports Analytics & AI Strategy

• Business Unit: Consulting New Business Sales – Sports, Media & Entertainment
  Location: NYC - Hybrid 3x per week onsite at EXL offices and client sites   
  Reports To: VP, Entertainment Consulting
• Base Salary up to $200k depending upon experience. 
• Total compensation includes annual bonus targets and sales commission. 
• For more information on benefits and what we offer please visit us at https://www.exlservice.com/us-careers-and-benefits

About the Role

EXL is seeking an elite football professional to join our Sports & Entertainment division. In this high-impact, project-based role, you will act as a strategic advisor and technical lead, bridging the gap between advanced data science and on-field football operations. You will be instrumental in executing our 2026 strategic plan, which focuses on providing the clubs AI-driven decision support.  

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to work at the intersection of advanced analytics and professional football.
• Exposure to global clients and high-impact analytics projects.
• Collaborative, innovation-driven work culture.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Continuous learning and career growth opportunities within EXL’s analytics ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

AI Strategy & Generative AI Innovation

• Framework Development: Define and lead the AI strategy across both football and business functions, identifying high-value opportunities for Machine Learning (ML), Computer Vision, NLP, and Generative AI
• Prototyping & Execution: Develop and deploy lightweight prototypes, specifically focused on automated personnel reporting and AI-powered prospect research agents.  
• Governance: Establish AI governance policies, ensuring ethical use, model transparency, and data privacy compliance.

 

Football Analytics & Modeling

• Predictive Frameworks: Oversee the development of predictive models, simulation tools, and optimization frameworks tailored to draft analysis, roster construction, and in-game strategy.  
• Data Integration: Synthesize tracking, biometric, and scouting data into actionable insights for the General Manager and coaching staff.  
• Model Refinement: Build and scale player trait models through transformers and advanced ML operations (MLOps)

 

Business & Stakeholder Engagement

• Translate analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders such as coaches, analysts, management, or clients.
• Partner with internal EXL teams and external clients to define analytical requirements and success metrics.
• Support the development of analytics-driven products, dashboards, and reporting solutions.

 

Data & BI Engineering Optimization

• Automation: Create standardized, pre-made data transformations to automate repeatable "Excel-based" requests for the front office.  
• Infrastructure Support: Support the migration to Databricks and the launch of the MLOps platform to unlock advanced AI tools.  
• Strategic Reporting: Deliver detailed coaching performance and prospect reports with minimal bias and high execution velocity.  

• Master’s or PhD in Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Sports Analytics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in data science, with demonstrated experience in sports or football analytics preferred.
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or R; experience with SQL.
• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Solid foundation in statistics, probability, and experimental design.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain complex analyses to non-technical audiences.
• Direct experience working with football event data, tracking data, or performance analysis tools.
• Experience in visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, matplotlib, seaborn).
• Familiarity with MLOps, model deployment, and version control (e.g., Git).
• Understanding of football tactics, player roles, and performance metrics.

 

EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. We partner with clients using a data and AI-led approach to reinvent business models, drive better business outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, analytics, AI, and deep industry knowledge to t