VAR Replay Operator

Location: Athens, with additional opportunities to travel and work at UEFA & FIFA events.

Contract: Freelance

Salary: €150 daily rate

Start Date: End of July/August

What The Job Is All About:

As a VAR Replay Operator, you will be working at the Greek Super League Replay Centre in Athens, playing a key part in the delivery of our VAR & SAO(Semi-Automatic Offside) technologies. As you gain experience in the role, you may be expected to be involved in more tournaments throughout Europe and further afield, such as the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and FIFA World Cups.

The role will encompass the set-up and operation of our Video Assistant Referee technology at matches. You will work directly with match officials, responding to their requests for replays and quickly delivering them the best possible camera angles to have a crucial impact in real-time.

You will need to be prepared to work on weekends and midweek evenings, as we work whenever football happens.

Whilst we provide a number of services in top-flight football, you will initially focus on our VAR & SAOT service. You will gain exposure to various other services (involving audio and video) as you grow in the role and become a more experienced member of the team. 

We will equip you with the technical training, support and full exposure to our systems to perform your day-to-day tasks, but also encourage development and progression to help make an impact on what we do.

Key Responsibilities:

• Pre-match planning and administration in the days leading up to your games

• Setting up Hawk-Eye technology in the Replay Centre

• Conducting pre-match checks of the systems in accordance with standard procedures

• Liaising with all members of staff, match officials and team members on-site

• Operating the systems during the match

• Monitoring hardware and software performances, being able to troubleshoot and report encountered issues

• Completing post-match reports for client delivery and improving future operations

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise:

Essential:

• A strong technical grounding, with an interest in technology

• Bright and enterprising with excellent problem-solving skills and an inquisitive mindset

• Proactive attitude and ability to work on your initiative

• Time management skills and the ability to work in a high-pressure, live broadcast environment

• Ability to liaise with clients and customers in a professional and approachable manner

• Strong attentive listening skills, particularly under extreme pressure

• Flexible and adaptable to a schedule that is dedicated to the fixture list and can change at short notice 

• Acceptance that the nature of our business means that work will be carried out over weekends/bank holidays

• An understanding of Football and the laws of the game

Preferred: 

• A degree in a science, technology, mathematics or engineering course or relevant equivalent experience

At Hawk-Eye Innovations, we appreciate and value the importance of potential and growth. If you believe that you excel in certain areas and possess the passion and desire to develop further, we encourage you to apply

Team Culture:

We pride ourselves on our team culture. We believe in fostering a supportive environment where every team member can contribute their best work. Our core values include:

• Innovation: We constantly seek new ways to improve and innovate in the sports entertainment industry.

• Teamwork: We celebrate our successes and learn from our experiences as a team.

• Passion: Our love for sports drives everything we do.

What Difficulties Might I Face?

Up to this point, I’m sure there have been many things that you find intriguing about the role, however, there can be difficult times:

Working Hours: Due to the nature of the sports industry, there will be work on weekend evenings, and we are expected to fulfil our roles until the last minute. 

High-Pressure Situations: Working in a live broadcast environment on a production that is distributed to millions worldwide will bring high levels of pressure. 

All of these factors offer different challenges daily as an operator. We will do all that we can to train you and support you to the best possible level, but these challenges must be considered before submitting your application. 

Application & Hiring Process:

• Application: If you're interested in this position, please submit your CV and complete the application form and hit submit.

• Task Submissions: Successful candidates from the application stage will receive an invite to access our one-way video interview platform in English (Hireflix)

• Review Period: Once you have completed the tasks, our team will take a period of time to review all tasks and provide application updates. 

• Interview: This next stage will be a virtual interview with our hiring managers. 

• Offers & Feedback: The team will take time to review all feedback and conduct our final reviews.