Applied Biomechanist

The Pirates Why

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a storied franchise in Major League Baseball who are reinventing themselves on every level. Boldly and relentlessly pursuing excellence by:

• purposefully developing a player and people-centered culture;
• deeply connecting with our fans, partners, and colleagues;
• passionately creating lifetime memories for generations of families and friends; and
• meaningfully impacting our communities and the game of baseball.

At the Pirates, we believe in the power of a diverse workforce and strive to create an inclusive culture centered in Passion, Innovation, Respect, Accountability, Teamwork, Empathy, and Service.

Job Summary

Operate the biomechanics lab and support player analysis within Coaching and Player Development (CPD) and Player Analysis Departments. This role will ensure reliable data collection, process and organize movement and performance data, and provide analysis that helps staff understand and develop players. Hitting will be the primary focus, with opportunities to support pitching and other player analysis needs. The successful candidate will bring hands-on experience with lab technology, strong attention to detail, and the ability to turn data into useful information. Working with coaches, Research and Development (R&D), and performance staff, this analyst will support daily lab operations, player assessments, and applied research.

Responsibilities:

1. Operate and maintain the biomechanics lab, including markerless motion capture systems, force plates, and supporting video equipment for hitting and pitching assessments.
2. Prepare and run lab sessions, including equipment setup, calibration, synchronization, and troubleshooting; follow consistent protocols to collect high-quality data.
3. Coordinate assessments with coaches, players, and performance staff; maintain clear schedules, session records, and equipment readiness.
4. Process, organize, and quality-check lab data; identify collection or processing issues, document limitations, and maintain reliable datasets for analysis.
5. Support player analysis using lab data, in-game tracking data, and video, with hitting as the primary area of focus. Examine player tendencies and performance trends to help identify development opportunities.
6. Contribute to research projects using lab and in-game data to better understand player movement and performance, with a primary emphasis on hitting.
7. Prepare clear reports and visualizations for coaches, Player Analysis, and CPD leadership; communicate findings in practical language and account for data quality, sample size, and context.
8. Work with coaches, R&D, and performance staff to track player progress, answer development questions, and identify useful follow-up assessments or analysis.
9. Maintain documented workflows and reproducible code in organizational systems; help improve the efficiency of recurring lab and reporting processes and handle player information with discretion.
10. Support Spring Training, camps, offseason assessments, and broader Player Analysis projects as assigned, adapting to organizational priorities while maintaining a primary focus on hitting.

Qualifications

Required:

1. Bachelor's degree in biomechanics, kinesiology, engineering, sports science, a quantitative field, or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
2. Demonstrated experience operating a motion capture lab or comparable human performance testing environment, including equipment setup, data collection, and troubleshooting.
3. Working knowledge of biomechanics, measurement reliability, and data quality practices for movement assessments.
4. Working proficiency in Python or R for data processing, analysis, and visualization, with the ability to build repeatable workflows.
5. Understanding of basic statistical analysis, sample size, variability, and uncertainty when interpreting performance data.
6. Ability to explain technical findings clearly and work effectively with coaches, analysts, and other performance staff.
7. Strong organization, attention to detail, and follow-through; an interest in baseball and a willingness to learn and apply analytical skills to player development.
8. Availability to support the baseball schedule, including nights, weekends, holidays, and travel as required by the role.

Desired:

1. Experience with markerless motion capture, force plates, or biomechanical analysis software such as Visual3D.
2. Experience analyzing baseball performance data, particularly hitting, or a demonstrated interest in developing expertise in this area.
3. Familiarity with SQL, Git-based version control, automated reporting, or combining data from multiple sources.
4. Experience supporting athlete assessments or applied research in collaboration with coaches or sports performance staff.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) are integral to who we are as an organization. We believe that our workforce should reflect the vast diversity of the communities we serve and that diverse voices should be elevated and intentionally integrated into our work. Even if you feel as if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications, we still strongly encourage you to apply.