Heart of Midlothian Football Club is delighted to confirm the appointment of Graeme Jones to the role of Sporting Director.
Highly regarded within the game as the Scottish FA’s Performance Director, Graeme will step down from his position at Hampden to take up his new post with the Jambos.
As Sporting Director, Graeme will oversee all aspects of the club’s football department, leading on performance, recruitment, academy and supporting both men’s and women’s team footballing matters.
Already a near 20-year veteran of the game, Graeme’s footballing journey began back in 2005 when he spent three years as a sports scientist with Raith Rovers. He then took on dual roles as a sports scientist and fitness coach at the Hampden Sports Health & Injury Clinic and UEFA respectively.
In 2015, Graeme was appointed the Scottish FA’s Head of Football Science and Medicine, in what was the first role of its kind, created to establish a best practice across science and medicine over the whole association.
Two years later, he became the Scottish FA’s Head of High Performance. Focusing on developing and managing high-performance culture, environment and staff across all national and youth teams. With a particular target of reaching major tournaments, Graeme helped achieve that goal when the Women’s team qualified for the 2019 World Cup, and the Men’s A team made both the EURO 2020 and 2024 finals.
Last November, Graeme was promoted to Performance Director, the most senior performance position in the Scottish FA. He led on all aspects of preparation, operations, performance support and leadership during Scotland’s EURO 2024 campaign, with an ongoing remit to deliver strategical leadership and performance strategy to ensure continual qualification for major tournaments for all national teams.
Vastly experienced and hugely popular within the Scotland camp, Graeme will bring his skillsets to Tynecastle Park to spearhead the Jambos’ footballing operation.
Speaking to the Official Hearts Website, Chief Executive Officer Andrew McKinlay said: “I’m extremely pleased that Graeme has agreed to join us as our new Sporting Director.
“The role is a pivotal one within the football club and, as such, it was crucial that our recruitment process was thorough, not rushed, and focused on finding the right individual.
“In Graeme, I believe we have that individual. He has huge experience in the game across many different functions, and his reputation within the Scottish FA is peerless.
“We’re getting a top operator, someone with the determination and the ability to drive standards as high as they can possibly be and I’m certain the club will reap the benefits of having Graeme as its Sporting Director.”
