Next Woman Up: Gayatri Nambiar, Football Solutions Developer for the Washington Commanders

Women are rising up the ranks throughout professional football, earning positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we introduce:

Gayatri Nambiar, Washington Commanders

Position: Football Solutions Developer

How did you get your start in a career in football?

Mine is an unusual story. I came to the United States from India in 2016 to pursue my master’s degree in applied information technology at George Mason University. Then I worked in the commerce domain as a software developer for a little bit before the Washington Commanders approached me for this role. I was thrilled but uncertain because I didn’t know how my skills would translate to football. I took it as a challenge, and that’s what motivated me to take the opportunity to find my place in football.

Had you been familiar with or watched American football prior to moving to the U.S.?

No, not before I moved. My love of football developed after joining the Commanders. What initially started as learning the game to excel in my role quickly evolved into an appreciation for the complexities and intricacies of the game. There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes and across the different departments that make up a team. I think that excitement is something that drives me every day.

Wow, what an exciting journey you’ve had. What does your role entail?

As a football solutions developer, my role is to architect, build and create internal software solutions and databases for all of our departments, such as scouting, coaching, football administration and data analytics, among others. I work with all of these departments closely to understand their workflows and requirements and provide them a technical, tangible solution that they can use. So, I help them simplify their tasks. For example, I create custom apps to streamline tasks, such as player evaluation, contract management, draft planning -- those kinds of things. Our team also manages the database side of things, including player performance metrics, all-star game results and other data.

It's important in my role to create a solution for each department that aligns with the company’s goal and that is suitable across the organization. These solutions also have to account for future changes. With the new ownership group came a lot of new ideas, so our apps needed to adapt to those changes. We also work closely with our data analytics team. That team has incredible models to drive insights, and we work with them to integrate their models into our system to provide user-friendly tools and visualization to the coaches and staff, who then can make data-driven decisions. These apps make it easier to digest.

My role also changes with the football calendar. We take care of immediate requests as well as long-term projects, so we have already started working on some apps the organization will need during free agency. It’s very busy but rewarding and exciting.

That is super interesting. And what would you say is the most challenging part of your position?

The most challenging things are the fast-paced demands of the football calendar and balancing that with the technical complexities of providing a solution that’s flexible and adaptable. Football operations is rapidly changing with player transitions, so software needs to adapt to that. Then translating football-specific insights into solutions can be difficult because it requires a deep understanding of the sport. When I think about the impact my role has on our team on and off the field, it gives me a lot of fulfillment.

And do you have any advice for women looking to get into a career similar to yours?

I want to pay it forward to people who are new into football like me. I want to help them grow and guide them, so I think it’s important to seek mentorship. Push past the imposter syndrome, be open to new perspectives and adapting to new environments and challenges. These are things that I have had to do as an outsider in this industry.

You’re now in your fourth season with the Commanders. What would you say you are most proud of?

I think it’s connecting technology and football operations with the work I do. Having to quickly learn the intricacies of the game and develop software solutions is a big accomplishment. Being part of the NFL and contributing to a sport that so many people love is special, and I’m proud of the work I do.