Job Type

Full-time

Description

Position Description

To achieve our generational ambitions of U.S. Soccer Success and U.S. Soccer Everywhere, the United States must have the best club and national team pathway in the world for girls and women. The SVP, Director of Women's and Girls' Soccer represents a new role that will oversee the implementation of our comprehensive Women and Girls Strategy. This strategy sets both our strategic and technical foundation. It is a senior executive role that will be part of USSF's Executive Leadership Team and report directly to our Chief Operating Officer. This leader will partner closely with the Head Coach and technical leaders of the U.S. Women's National Team, ensuring that their insight and expertise is built into the pathway and that a female lens is applied to all dimensions of American soccer - from recreational soccer in communities through to our National Team program.

In this role, this person will engage leaders throughout the American female soccer ecosystem - including professional leagues and clubs, college programs, and youth leagues and clubs - to align incentives and create environments that foster elite player development. The scope of this role will require significant leadership agility, from shaping the multi-year pathway strategy and mapping the financial implications, to working on strategies to best deploy capital to support the women's game, to working with youth organizations on their soccer plans, to conducting player development discussions with pro teams. This mandate demands a sophisticated leader capable of influencing a broad and varied set of stakeholders. They will partner with constituents inside and outside of the federation, including both deeply technical soccer experts and committed business-oriented investors and sponsors, to execute the strategy.

The person should have a deep understanding of the American soccer ecosystem, and the ability to build trusted relationships at all levels. The ideal candidate also would bring an understanding of the global soccer landscape, and where the U.S. could learn from or differentiate from to gain competitive advantages.

The role will be based in Atlanta at U.S. Soccer's Arthur M. Blank National Training Center.

Primary Responsibilities

In summary, the SVP & Director of Women's and Girls' Soccer will:

Lead:

• The implementation of U.S. Soccer's Women & Girls Strategy in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders in the soccer ecosystem
• The processes to enhance an integrated system that consistently creates world-class players. This includes systems to measure, monitor, and advance talent identification and player development in collaboration with leaders throughout the U.S. amateur and professional leagues (including the Chief Soccer Officers, Owners, Academy Directors, and Team Presidents).
• The activities to drive greater investment and visibility for the women's and girls' game in the ecosystem, including driving greater participation, fan engagement, innovation, and partnerships
• The public communication of our women's and girls' soccer performance and progress throughout the American soccer ecosystem, including through the media and at major events
• An environment and culture for the people within the broader team to grow and thrive

Oversee and Develop:

• A team of highly capable, accomplished technical leaders who drive the daily execution of our Women's and Girls' Strategy within National Team environments and processes. This team includes our Technical Lead (Women and Girls Head of Development Teams) - who leads WNT and YNT alignment, methodology, player Individual Development Plans (IDP) with clubs/colleges, YNT coach development, and YNT games program - and experts in other technical areas such as Talent Identification, Goalkeeping, and Coaching. The group must work together to position our Youth National Team program for success. The Director of Soccer supports, empowers, and develops these leaders in a collaborative, high-performance team environment.

Partner with:

• The CEO, COO and other senior executives to advance the Federation's overall strategy In Service to Soccer
• The WNT Strategy team to ensure the WNT Strategy is built into the youth pathway and we are preparing as many players for success in the senior team environment as possible
• The SVP & Director of Men's and Boys' Soccer to ensure alignment and coverage between the programs, establishing a shared set of ideas, best practices, and infrastructure while also leaving space for the uniqueness of each environment and pathway

Requirements

Desired Qualifications

• Significant executive leadership experience within soccer or sports
• Experience leading a large multi-functional team, including management of budgets and personnel
• Experience developing and implementing strategy across complex organizations and stakeholder environments
• Experience working with external stakeholders (e.g. investors, owners, donors, sponsors, business partners) to align resources in support of strategic plans and initiatives
• Experience as a lead spokesperson in high-profile settings
• Experience working with elite female soccer players
• Experience working within the professional and pre-professional parts of the American soccer landscape
• Knowledge of the global soccer landscape, including player development and pathways
• Experience with utilizing technology and data to drive soccer and organizational decisions

U.S. Soccer offers a comprehensive compensation package, casual work environment, an inclusive culture, and an atmosphere for professional development.