Analytics and Business Intelligence Manager

Working at the RFU means being part of the ‘bigger picture’ at England Rugby: to be rooted in our purpose, which is to enrich lives, introduce more people to rugby union and develop the sport for future generations. If our purpose resonates with you, and you recognise the value that sport can bring to people’s lives, we’d love to work with you. An opportunity has arisen for a Analytics and Business Intelligence (BI) Manager to join our Strategy and Operations team.

Job Title : Analytics and Business Intelligence Manager Department : Strategy and Transformation Reports to : Senior Strategic Insights Manager Salary Banding : c. £55,000 Job Level : Guide Location : This role is contractually based at Allianz Stadium, offering some flexibility to work from home Travel Requirements: Occasional travel may be required Employment Type : Permanent Working Hours : Full Time role, covering 35 hrs per week

Application Information:

• Please submit an anonymised CV (i.e. please exclude personal details). You do not need to submit a cover letter.
• The closing date for applications 5th November 2026 at 15:00PM
• Successful candidates will need to be available on W/C 16th November for a first round interview
• Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

The Role:

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for grassroots and elite rugby in England. Its purpose is to Enrich Lives and Grow the Sport for Future Generations. The Strategy & Operations Team sits at the heart of the RFU, driving business-critical projects to improve outcomes at all levels of the game. This is an exciting time to join the RFU as we work to deliver our new strategy, Plan 2030: More than a game.

The RFU aims to put data-driven decisions at its centre. As our Analytics and Business Intelligence Manager, you’ll help build a deeper understanding of our players, volunteers and fans through you will combine expert analysis, thoughtful visualisation and compelling storytelling. You’ll lead data and insights projects from start to finish, working closely with colleagues across the RFU and with external partners, including volunteers, commercial partners and agencies, to produce work of the highest standard.

Your work will enable the business to make informed decisions about key strategic priorities, support the development of effective ROI tracking, and help create sustained and transformational change for rugby union in England.

Responsibilities:

Day-to-day responsibilities will include:

Dashboard Development:

• Design, build and own a suite of intuitive Tableau dashboards and self-serve tools that answer real business questions, not just report numbers.
• Continuously evaluate and improve existing dashboards, using feedback and usage data to make sure they meet the needs of the business.
• Build data literacy across the business so colleagues can confidently explore dashboards for themselves.

Analysis, Insight & Storytelling:

• Start with the business question, working with stakeholders to understand the decision, opportunity or problem that the analysis needs to address.
• Analyse complex datasets on players, volunteers, fans and the wider game to identify trends, patterns and correlations.
• Translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations that support the RFU’s strategic priorities.
• Use visualisation, structure and language to make insight clear, memorable and accessible.
• Support senior leaders to make data-driven decisions that align with business goals.
• Turn complex findings into clear stories that explain what is happening, why it matters and what action should follow.
• Tailor stories and recommendations to different audiences, including executive one-pagers, board papers, presentations and dashboards.
• Bring together multiple sources (research, insights and analytics) to build a rounded, evidence-based narrative.

Lead and manage projects, with support from other Data, Insights and Analytics personnel where required. Specifically:

• Collaborate with and manage the expectations of stakeholders, including executives, technical teams and non-technical colleagues, helping to define and shape requirements where appropriate.
• Act as a trusted partner to the business, challenging and shaping requirements at the outset so that work focuses on the questions that matter most.
• Present data insights and recommendations to senior management and other stakeholders in a clear, concise way.
• Support the wider data community, ensuring collaboration across departments.

Data Governance & Compliance:

• Ensure the accuracy, consistency and reliability of data across systems.
• Understanding of data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA) and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.
• Establish and embed data governance frameworks and policies to manage data assets effectively.

Continuous Learning & Adaptability:

• Stay up to date with the latest trends and best practice in data analytics, visualisation and database technologies.
• Adopt new tools, technologies and methodologies as they emerge in the data space.

Shape and drive the development of the RFU’s data and insights function:

• Owning the long term workplan for data projects, managing expectations of stakeholders and helping to organise resource.
• Managing data suppliers to extract the maximum value from their platform, data or consultancy support.
• Collaborating closely with other RFU departments to ensure that data is sourced, stored & used according to best practice.
• Shaping a data-driven culture through the RFU’s data community.

Be a proactive and valued member of the wider Strategy and Transformation team, specifically:

• Examining RFU data for opportunities and risks to business performance.
• Building awareness of wider business needs - challenging existing methods or suggesting new ways to tackle issues.
• Always providing insight and not just information - adding something to correspondence, providing context around work not just the numbers, drawing on multiple sources (research, insights and analytics).
• Enabling the business to prioritise between different opportunities and challenges by using consistent reporting frameworks and measures, providing evidence of where interventions are working/not working.

Other:

• Committed to embodying the ethos of our culture by using our three core values – Put The Team First, Shape The Future, Respect Each Other – to guide your day-to-day decisions, actions and interactions.
• Committed to actively contributing and building an inclusive culture in your role and day to day behaviours.

Qualifications, Skills & Experience:

The skills and attributes outlined in this description are not exhaustive and we welcome candidates who can bring different relevant experiences to the role.

Essential:

• SQL Proficiency: Ability to write complex queries, optimise performance, and work with various relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle).
• Proven dashboard development expertise in Tableau (or a similar BI tool), with examples of turning data into clear, compelling stories.
• Statistical Analysis: Understanding of statistical methods and their application to business problems.
• Practical experience of managing, processing, analysing, and reporting on both business and consumer data.
• Practical experience of translating data into relevant information and meaningful insight and communicating the findings to a "non-analytical" audience.
• Ability to demonstrate examples of how analysis, visualisation and storytelling have been used to influence a decision, change an approach or improve an outcome.
• Experience of developing close working relationships across multi-function teams, influencing, and managing upwards to drive results.
• An experienced project manager, who can run projects independently from start to finish.
• Brilliant collaborator, able to get the most out of diverse internal & external stakeholders to deliver excellent work.
• Outstanding communicator, who excels in presentations as well as in the day to day.
• Impactful data storyteller, who brings insight to life through well-designed dashboards and reports for audiences with less experience of data & insights.
• Ability to anticipate opportunities & challenges and suggesting a path through them.

Desirable:

• Python or R for analysis and automation.
• Tableau certification (e.g. Tableau Desktop Specialist or Certified Data Analyst).
• Understanding of UX and visual design principles as applied to dashboards and reports.
• Experience presenting insight to boards or executive teams.
• Educated to degree standard in a related field would be preferred.
• IT literate and skilled in the use of Microsoft Office Applications with demonstrable experience of managing other systems/databases.
• Interest in learning to work with big databases within a data intensive organisation or environment.
• Some understanding of the local sporting landscape and sport development.
• Experience with research platforms such as Alchemer or Recollective.
• Experience in Smartsheet, automating forms and reporting.

Additional Information:

• All role holders must maintain an appropriate standard of confidentiality. Any disclosures of confidential information (including personal information kept on computer or other media) made unlawfully outside the proper course of duty will be treated as a serious disciplinary offence.
• We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential. If there is anything we could do to support you through your application or to provide the best environment for your interviews, including assistance or adjustment, please reach out to recruitment@rfu.com.
• During your application, we will ask questions about your identity. This information is considered highly confidential and will not be seen by hiring managers. You can find out more about why we ask these questions here .