Former Scottish football manager lands 'important leadership' role with EPL giants

Ross, 49, has been appointed as the Magpies’ head of football strategy and will report into a new sporting director, with the St James’ Park club embarking on changes to its football structure.

Ross has not been in football management since being sacked by Dundee United at the end of August 2022. He was hired by Newcastle as interim head of coaching development in March 2023 and was then moved to head of strategic technical football partnerships.

Ross started his managerial career at Alloa Athletic in 2015 and moved to St Mirren a year later. He was appointed manager of Sunderland in 2018, but lost his job before being taken on by Hibs in 2019. He guided them to third place in the 2020/21 season but was axed in the winter of 2021, before moving on to Dundee United.

A statement on the Newcastle website read: “Newcastle United have appointed Jack Ross as the club's 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.

“He will work within the Football Directorate alongside senior leadership across all sites, supporting communication, collaboration and the implementation of best practice across men's, women's and Academy football.

‘Support to key staff’

“Having previously overseen almost 300 professional matches as a manager, Jack initially joined Newcastle United's Academy’s as Head of Coach Development in March 2023 before moving to the position of Head of Strategic Technical Football Partnerships. He has continued to provide mentorship and strategic support to key staff.

“In addition to overseeing the club’s player loan and emerging talent strategy, Jack will also lead on building strategic relationships with other clubs, introducing new football development and talent pathway opportunities in the UK and overseas.

“The establishment of this model is aimed at enabling talent depth and retention, as well as supporting the development of Newcastle United's global brand and IP.”

On his new role at Newcastle, Ross added: "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."