Handicapper

Spotlight Sports Group is a global media and technology company specialising in content and data within sports betting, horse racing and fantasy sports. With over 400 employees, the group operates multiple award-winning brands, including Racing Post, the world’s largest horse racing affiliate, Pickswise, myracing and Free Super Tips. We partner with leading operators across the betting industry to produce and build multilingual, best-in-class digital products and content to engage and educate customers. ICS-digital, an international marketing agency including ICS-translate, also operates under the group.

Job purpose: 

As a key member of the Content department, you will be responsible for allotting and maintaining handicap ratings according to the methodology of Racing Post Ratings, which for more than 30 years have been the most popular private handicap ratings on British, Irish and International racing.

In this role, you will use a firm grasp of handicapping practices to take charge of a large group of horses, which may be determined by code, age, race distance, race class or location. You will assess races under your auspices both beforehand, to guide our customers towards the best-handicapped horses, and afterwards so as to maintain a handicap in-keeping with the standards of the Racing Post handicap and the official scale against which the team works.

Accountabilities:

• Assign Racing Post Ratings to races according to established methodology
• Provide daily Racing Post Ratings selections and naps for upcoming races
• Provide pre- and post-race content relating to handicap ratings and methodology to help customers understand and interpret our ratings
• Contribute to the continued development of Racing Post Ratings as handicapping methodology evolves
• Adhere to media and copyright laws
• Ensure work is submitted in time for expected deadlines
• Any other duties as and when required 

Key relationships:

• Fellow RPR handicappers
• B2B & Betting editor
• RP Analysis team
• News editor
• Head of content
• Content development team

Skills and attributes:

Essential

• Mathematical mindset
• A firm and demonstrable grasp of the basic principles of handicapping race horses and race-reading
• In-depth knowledge of British horseracing
• The ability to communicate handicapping ideas and justifications in an effective and engaging manner, in written form and also in audio/visual work
• The ability to work at pace to tight deadlines with extremely high levels of accuracy
• Highly organised and adept in prioritising tasks
• Studious attention to detail
• Flexibility in working patterns

Desirable

• Previous handicapping experience
• In-depth knowledge of other racing jurisdictions, particularly Ireland and/or France
• A working knowledge of statistics

Benefits

We offer a range of well-being initiatives, including private medical insurance, excellent parental leave, a working globally policy, mental health support, assistance programs, and social gatherings. We also provide a pension scheme and various other benefit schemes. Plus, we all get our birthdays off work and enjoy 25 days of holiday per year.

We’ve also got you covered with life assurance and exclusive perks like the Star card and our Step Further Awards (our employee recognition program) to recognise your dedication. For those working via the hybrid model (in the office and at home) we’ve made commuting easier with our Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme.

You can also take advantage of complimentary access to our Racing Post Members Club, complete with an Ultimate Membership. We believe in making a positive impact beyond the workplace, and you'll have the chance to volunteer two days per year with our charity partner, Autism in Racing.