Brian McDermott, a former manager of Leeds and Reading, has been named the director of football at Hibernian.
The former sporting director Graeme Mathie left in September 2021, rendering the position at Easter Road club effectively vacant. The club made the announcement that they hoped to fill it in January.
After owner Ron Gordon passed away in February, the search for a new leader was somewhat delayed. However, Hibs announced on Thursday morning that 62-year-old McDermott, who has recently worked as a scout for Reading and Arsenal since his last managerial position with the Royals ended in 2016, will assume the position immediately.
Along with manager Lee Johnson, McDermott will play a key role in hiring new players and oversee football operations like scouting, analysis, sports science, and medicine. On the growth of young players, he will also collaborate closely with Steve Kean, director of the academy.
McDermott told the Hibernian FC website, "I am thrilled to join such a terrific, community-oriented club as Hibernian FC. I have attended numerous Hibs games as a scout in the past and have always been blown away by the incredible energy at Easter Road. I am particularly thrilled about the challenge after meeting the chairman, the board of directors, executives, Lee Johnson, and all of the employees and learning more about the goals and culture of the football team.
Following a "long and extensive process," chief executive Ben Kensell is confident that Hibs have selected the right candidate.
Kensell stated, "We are aware that this appointment has taken some time, which is partly owing to the tragic passing of our late chairman Ronald J Gordon, but we also wanted to make sure that we had the correct measures in place and a comprehensive process, to make sure we have got the right person through the door.
"Brian joins us with significant expertise in the field and has worked in a wide variety of sporting club roles, which makes him ideal for this position.
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