SAN JOSE — The Earthquakes bolstered their front office staff Monday by naming former defender Chris Leitch as the team’s technical director, a new position to help build the roster from the ground up.

In essence, Leitch, 36, becomes an assistant general manager after leading the Quakes Youth Development Academy since 2012.

The promotion signals a strategic move for the Quakes to use their minor league system as a way to compete against the big-spending Major League Soccer teams such as the Los Angeles Galaxy.

“It really shows our stakeholders what an important role our academy will play as we go forward,” president Dave Kaval said. Leitch “really transformed that part of our organization as a method to compete.”

Leitch helped turn the Quakes’ youth program into one of the best in the West. The Earthquakes’ under-18 team finished third in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs this year.

Also, the Premier Development League affiliate in Burlingame was best among 18 teams in the Western Conference in its inaugural season.

MLS’s 20 teams don’t have uniform staffing structures. Many teams’ general managers double in the role of technical director, a position dedicated for scouting and developing talent.

The Earthquakes now join a number of teams that have at least three people dedicated to building rosters. Since re-entering MLS in 2008, San Jose has relied on general manager John Doyle and his head coach to scout and sign players.

Leitch will help Doyle with scouting, player acquisition and salary cap and roster management.

“In addition to building a strong first team, we are also committed to continuing to strengthen the connection between our first team and the academy,” Leitch said in a statement.

Leitch, a former University of North Carolina defender, will continue to head the youth program that Kaval calls the centerpiece of the team’s strategy to try to stay competitive in an increasingly spendy league.

While the Galaxy and some other teams are signing big-named players, San Jose will continue to mine Northern California for talent such as midfielders Tommy Thompson and Marc Pelosi.

Kaval said the team in danger of missing the MLS Cup playoffs for the third consecutive year also will look to sign elite international talent such as newcomer Anibal Godoy, a Panamanian midfielder who could make his debut Friday night against the Colorado Rapids.

“With all those weapons in our arsenal we feel we can be an extremely competitive team,” Kaval added.

Leitch had a 10-year MLS career. He helped lead the New York Red Bulls to their first MLS Cup final appearance in 2008, then joined the Earthquakes in 2009. The fullback appeared in 58 games and helped San Jose reach the conference final in 2010.

Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.