Continuing the NFL's efforts to strengthen the pipeline of diverse candidates across all levels of the league, the NFL will host its Front Office & General Manager Accelerator Program from December 11-13 at the league meeting in Dallas, Texas.
The San Francisco 49ers are excited to announce that Josh Williams, National Scout, and Tariq Ahmad, Director of College Scouting, have been invited to participate in the Front Office & General Manager Accelerator.
This Accelerator is the fourth time the league has put on the event since it was launched in 2022 and follows the Coach Accelerator that was held in May 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
In a refresh to the selection process, Clubs were asked to nominate individuals internal and external to their organizations, which were then vetted by an NFL selection committee.
Forty-two highly qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds, across player personnel, football operations and assistant general manager disciplines were selected for the opportunity to build relationships with club owners and executives ahead of the hiring cycle.
In addition to networking, candidates will participate in a range of personal and professional development programming, including practice interviews led by former general managers and leadership sessions from outside experts. For the first time, personal development workshops, have been included to focus on candidates overall wellness and mental preparedness when applying for roles.
Williams is in his 13th season with the 49ers and second as a national scout. He spent the previous five years (2017-21) as an area scout and the 2016 season as the team's National Football Scouting representative. He spent three seasons (2013-15) as a pro personnel scout and two seasons (2011-12) as an assistant in the 49ers scouting department. Williams joined the 49ers after working in the financial industry in New York City as a business analyst of investment products at TD Ameritrade. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Columbia University in 2010.
Ahmad is in his third season as director of college scouting after serving the 2020 season as the team's assistant director of college scouting. He previously spent five seasons (2015-19) as an area scout after one season (2014) as an assistant in the 49ers scouting department. Ahmad joined the 49ers following four seasons as director of football recruiting operations at Rutgers University and seven seasons overall as a member of the Scarlet Knights program. During his time at Rutgers, Ahmad received his master's degree in education administration. He previously served as an offensive graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Ithaca College, working with the running backs on game strategies and techniques.
