RJ Gillen is in his ninth season with the 49ers and third as director of pro personnel after serving five years as a pro personnel scout. He previously served as an assistant in the 49ers scouting department from 2015-16.
In his role, Gillen manages the daily operations of the pro scouting department and their evaluations of players among the various professional leagues to help prepare the club for acquisitions through free agency, trades and the daily player transactional movement. Gillen also assists the coaching staff in preparation for the 49ers upcoming opponents through his advance scouting.
Prior to joining the 49ers, Gillen was a college football scout with the National Collegiate Scouting Association where he helped college coaches identify future collegiate athletes and also evaluated players for the high school all-star camps and games circuit. He has previous experience in the NBA front office with the San Antonio Spurs where he assisted the team in preparation for the NBA draft and free agency.
Gillen began his career working in sports at Shapiro Negotiations Institute in Baltimore, MD where he assisted in consulting and deal coaching for NBA, NFL, and MLB front offices.
A native of Memphis, TN, Gillen graduated from Marquette University School of Law with a focus on sports law in May of 2014. He is a member of the Texas Bar and Wisconsin Bar. Gillen earned his bachelor of science in sports administration and leadership from Louisiana State University where he was a member of the LSU football team from 2007-10 and won a BCS National Championship in 2007. He and his wife, Natalie, have one daughter, Grace.
