Livingston coach Brian Rice to step into new role as head of football operations

Livingston have announced that first-team coach Brian Rice will step into a new role as head of football operations.

The 61-year-old former Hamilton and Alloa boss joined David Martindale’s backroom staff in November 2023.

In the words of the manager, Rice has now “swapped the dugout for the boardroom on a match day essentially” and will focus on player recruitment.

“As part of the structural review at the end of our successful 2024-25 season, we identified that we were a bit fragile in terms of player recruitment and player ID, both paramount to the on-field success of the club,” Martindale told the Lions’ website.

“Chipper (Rice) will work a transfer window in front of the current window, and will be looking at how and where we can strengthen the squad on an ongoing basis.

“It’s an ever demanding role in the modern game and is an area where we have been very delicate and under-funded over the years so I must offer a massive thanks to the board for finding a way to make this happen.

“For the club to progress and remain as competitive as possible in the coming seasons, it was paramount that we created this role and brought someone in to support the first-team coaching staff and provide a valuable line of communication between the board and the first-team management.

“Chipper’s remit will mainly be based around player recruitment and player trading while he will be in the building to support myself and coaching staff as and when his schedule allows.”