A former Hibs and Sunderland manager has earned a promotion at Premier League side Newcastle United.

Jack Ross’ managerial stock rose at Alloa Athletic and St Mirren before heading down south to Sunderland. He then had a stint at Hibs between 2019-2021 and hasn’t managed a side since his short-lived 2022 tenure with Dundee United. Ross moved behind the scenes in 2023 after being appointed Newcastle United’s interim head of coach development.

That was followed up by a move into becoming head of strategic technical football partnerships and then head of football strategy last year. He was to report into Newcastle’s new sporting director, not yet appointed at the time but later confirmed as ex-Rangers chief Ross Wilson, but is now in a new position.

The former Hibs and Sunderland manager has been promoted to becoming Wilson’s number two as assistant sporting director. He announced the news on social media as Newcastle United continue to be impressed by his work.

A statement on his head of football strategy role last year 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.

“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.”

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."

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