High School Sports Data Specialist

USA TODAY Co.

2d • Remote

About The Position

USA TODAY Co., Inc. is seeking a sports data specialist to expand high school sports coverage across the company’s 230+ local properties.
The candidate will identify clean data streams and help lead manual data mining. The goal is to deliver a robust inventory of stats, schedules, scores, rosters, rankings and more across all high school sports, including clubs and academies, that can be easily accessed and utilized by readers, in addition to sports journalists across the organization.
The ideal candidate will show proficiency in structured query language and coding language software such as Python. Establishing methods to ingest high school data at scale is a must. The goal of USA TODAY Co. is to become the nation’s No. 1 provider of sports news and information.
This role will work closely with third-party data partners and editors and writers across the USA TODAY Network, including the network's Sports A.I. team, which specializes in data automation. The ability to bring solutions and clarity to complex situations is a must.
This role is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, except for Alaska and Hawaii.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or master's degree in communications, journalism, marketing or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency in structured query language applications and best practices.
• Understanding of various news and information content management systems.
• Proven ability to create reliable data ingestion pipelines that serve accurate information.
• A history of collaboration, innovation and goal achievement.
• Excellent communication and time management skills.
• Approachability, personal charisma and a commitment to staff.
• Strong understanding of the rapidly evolving sports media landscape and ability to adapt data strategies to address continually shifting market and consumer needs. This includes non-linear mapping in high schools (i.e. lacrosse ramping up in the Northeast while baseball/softball are in full swing in Florida).
• Candidates should have facility with AI and automation and experience in using it to enhance their journalism.
• Strong competitive instincts and intellectual curiosity.

Responsibilities

• Identify, build and sustain scalable data pipelines and infrastructure related to high school sports.
• Contribute to the creation of efficient data ingestion and delivery pathways from multiple sources.
• Stay atop of technological advancements in data collection and delivery.
• Utilize coding language software such as Python and other SQL tools to create pathways to data automation and storification.
• Manually mine for data when automated solutions don’t exist while building toward automated solutions.
• Collaborate with Sports A.I. and third-party partners to deliver on ambitious but achievable company goals.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level