Newcastle have named Jack Ross as the club’s head of football strategy.
The Scot has moved into behind-the-scenes roles over the last three years after being sacked as manager by Dundee United in 2022 after just seven games in charge.
He had been working as Newcastle’s head of strategic technical football partnerships but will start his new position with immediate effect and, in time, report into a new, yet-to-be-appointed sporting director.
We have appointed Jack Ross as our Head of Football Strategy 🤝
Reporting into a new Sporting Director, Jack will take on an important leadership role that will help to develop a consistent sporting philosophy across the club.
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) July 14, 2025
Ross told the club’s official website: “I am delighted to move to the role of head of football strategy.
“This is an exciting opportunity to help the club build on the outstanding progress and successes it has achieved on and off the pitch in recent seasons.
“We have incredibly high calibre staff here across multiple pillars of the club, and I am looking forward to supporting them in this new position.”
What does a head of football strategy actually do?
According to Newcastle’s website, the role involves:
- Overseeing the club’s player loan and emerging talent strategy
- Lead on building strategic relationships with other clubs
- Introducing new football development and talent pathway opportunities in the UK and overseas
- Enabling talent depth and retention
- Supporting the development of Newcastle United’s global brand and IP
Stadium of Light struggles for Ross
Ross’ failure at Dundee United came after a mixed spell at Hibernian which saw the Edinburgh club finish third in the Scottish Premiership in 2021 – their highest finish in 16 years – before a run of seven defeats in nine games, and complaints about a dour style of play, led to his dismissal the following season.
Prior to that he worked at Newcastle’s arch-rivals Sunderland.
Brought in to guide the Wearsiders back to the Championship following back-to-back relegations, he fell short with Sunderland losing in the play-off final to Charlton.
Ross, who made his name in Scotland with Alloa and St Mirren, was sacked by Sunderland five months later.
