Head of High Performance

U.S. Soccer Overview

The U.S. Soccer Federation exists in service to soccer. Our aim is to ignite a national passion for the game. Because we believe that soccer is more than a sport; it is a force for good.

We understand the importance and the power of teamwork, on and off the pitch. That’s why we work closely with our Federation partners and members, to inspire, support and guide every level of the game: from the grassroots to the National Teams. We want to bring soccer into every home and every community, right across America. Because we believe that soccer can transform lives like no other sport. Soccer can represent the best of US.

U.S. Soccer is in a period of significant growth, with ambitions plans for US soccer in the near and far future. We are therefore, looking for dynamic servant-leaders to join us on this journey: in service to soccer. Applicants must be able to demonstrate visionary leadership, analytical decision-making, professional flexibility and an empathic management style that builds bold teams and delivers globally significant results.

Position Description

The Director of High Performance is responsible for fostering a multidisciplinary high-performance environment that enhances player care, competitive readiness, and sustainable success for all National Teams. This role provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and collaborative guidance across key performance disciplines, ensuring alignment with U.S. Soccer’s overall Sporting strategy. This person will lead an interdisciplinary leadership team consisting of Sport Science, Medical, Performance Analysis, Data Analytics, Nutrition, and Research & Innovation with the sole aim of supporting these leaders to achieve our overall goals. This role additionally will support the growth of specialized coach education and development within the performance disciplines as we realize our goal of being in service to soccer in America. Finally, this role will support U.S. Soccer’s Center for Health, Innovation and Performance “CHIP” in building programs, creating awareness and education in service to Soccer.

This position requires a visionary leader who can create a high-performance culture, develop cross-departmental integration, and maintain a forward-thinking approach to optimizing performance and ensuring long-term sustainability.

Primary Responsibilities

• Evolve the overall High Performance strategy, policies, and procedures, aligned to U.S. Soccer’s Sporting vision and strategy
• Drive a collaborative approach to High Performance through the creation and alignment of department strategies supporting the overall High Performance strategy and objectives
• Oversee and align collaboration across Sports Science, Medical, Data Analytics, Sporting Analytics, Nutrition, and Research & Innovation disciplines
• Oversee the alignment and delivery of consistent and compliant processes and working practices across all High Performance departments at the Youth and Extended National Team levels and provide outstanding support service to Senior National Team
• Create a streamlined, interdisciplinary decision-support framework that integrates key performance insights from sports science, medical, analytics, and research. This system will work in conjunction with National Team technical staff to enhance data-driven decision-making, optimizing training, recovery, and performance strategies across all levels of U.S. Soccer.
• Support and mentor all High Performance leaders with robust and aligned personal development plans that reflect their individual strengths and areas for development as well as the organizational targets
• Build trust and accountability with High Performance department leads
• Ensure that research and innovation is at the forefront of establishing high performance environments
• Be an active member of the Sporting Leadership team, supporting and challenging this team responsible for the strategic direction of Sporting
• Lead the ongoing design, implementation, and integration of high performance facilities and methodologies at the U.S. Soccer Arthur Blank National Training Center
• Design customized High Performance courses and modules for Coach Education, Coach Development, Player Development and Referee Programs

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master’s Degree in Sport and Exercise Science, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy or related field
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in high performance sport
• Significant work in sports at the professional club or Federation level (multiple teams from within one organization)
• Previous role in managing complex sporting programs
• Track record of performance enhancement resulting in improved/successful outcomes
• Excellent analytical and communication skills
• Balance of theoretical and applied experiences
• Able and willing to travel up to 25% of the year
• Able and willing to work non-traditional hours including evenings and weekends as needed
• Experience contributing to applied sports performance research and development initiatives
• The ability to work independently and in a team/collaborative work environment is required along with strong organizational, interpersonal, analytical and planning skills

Desired Qualifications

• Proven history of providing world-class feedback, reporting, and analysis across various projects
• Vast knowledge of medical equipment, technology, analytics, and performance aspects within sports
• Experience working in collaboration with sport science, sport medicine, and other support staff
• Previous experience working with multi-stakeholder projects, data and research
• Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Science, Sport and Exercise Psychology, Strength and Conditioning, Athletic Training, Physical Therapy or a related field
• Strong verbal, written, in-person presentation, and communication skills
• Excellent organizational, data collection, planning, and leadership skills
• Bilingual (English and Spanish)