Senior Director, High Performance

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is one of the fastest-growing professional sports leagues in the U.S., powered by 16 clubs and a deep roster of the world’s best players, and built on record-shattering fan, media, and commercial growth. Now in its 14th season, the league’s momentum continues to accelerate, with viewership and attendance numbers growing rapidly, social media fandom on the rise, team valuations massively increasing, and new top sponsors investing in the NWSL brand.

About the Role

The Senior Director, High Performance, is a key leadership role within the NWSL’s Sporting Department. This role is responsible for overseeing the NWSL’s medical and high performance functions, ensuring the highest standards are met at both the league and club level, as it relates to player health, wellbeing, and performance.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership
  • Responsibility and leadership of the medical and high performance team at the NWSL.
  • Integration of performance and medical standards into league decisions.
  • Contribute to the successful delivery of the NWSL regular season and tentpole events, ensuring safety and wellbeing of participants.
  • Contribute to league-wide research initiatives focusing on player health, wellbeing, and performance, alongside the NWSL Foundation Director and the VP, Sporting.
  • Contribute to NWSL schedule processes and discussions, bringing a considered and informed perspective.
• Medical Operations
  • Oversight of all systems and structures related to workers compensation and insurance, working closely with the Director, Sports Medicine, and the NWSL legal team.
  • Lead the delivery of the NWSL Medical Manual.
  • Contribute expertise to other league-wide manuals as it relates to player performance.
• High Performance and Sports Science
  • Drive the NWSL’s high performance strategy, supporting clubs and the broader ecosystem to enhance systems and structures that improve performance.
  • Lead a data-driven approach to high performance and sports science on behalf of and within the NWSL.
  • Develop and lead the delivery of a High Performance/Sport Science Guidance Manual.
  • Assist in building and progressing relevant data and technology systems for an evidence-based approach to athlete performance and wellness.
  • Assist in the build and progression of wearable technology, performance technology, scouting and recruitment technology, and player performance and wellness tracking methodologies.
• Stakeholder Management
  • Manage and oversee relationships between the NWSL league office and NWSL club medical and performance staff, ensuring competencies and compliance obligations are met.
  • Instigate and maintain connections to the broader high performance and medical sports stakeholder environment, both domestically and internationally.
  • Initiate and foster relationships with leading practitioners and institutions in soccer and broader sports performance.
  • Build and manage relationships with performance and medical leads at other women’s soccer and women’s sports leagues to ensure connection to industry innovations and best practices.

Qualifications

• Core Qualifications
  • Advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., PhD, DPT, ATC, or equivalent advanced clinical or sports science qualification).
  • 8+ years of progressive experience in sports medicine, high performance, or athlete health leadership.
  • Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary teams in elite or professional sports environments.
  • Strong understanding of injury prevention, return-to-play frameworks, and performance integration.
  • Proven ability to develop policy, manage risk, and ensure compliance.
  • Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills.
  • Willingness to travel (up to 20%) and work non-traditional hours, including evenings and weekends.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in women’s soccer.
  • Experience within professional leagues, national teams, or high-performance institutes.
  • Experience implementing sport science technologies and performance data systems.
  • Prior budget ownership and vendor negotiation experience.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation: $165,000 - $195,000 (contingent upon candidate qualifications and functional business needs).
• Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), sick days, and an end-of-year office closure.
• Hybrid work model: Three days in-office and two remote days per week.
• Robust health coverage: Medical, dental, vision, and mental health benefits for employees and dependents.
• 401k with employer match and safe harbor contributions.
• Additional perks: Commuter benefits, short/long-term disability, life insurance, and voluntary pet insurance.