Position Title: Manager, MLS Academy Operations

Location: National Soccer Development Centre (UBC)

Terms: Full-time, Permanent

Reports to: Director, MLS Academy Operations

Vancouver Whitecaps FC is looking for a new team member to join our MLS Academy Operations department in the position of Manager, MLS Academy Operations.

Overall responsibility will be the provision of effective, timely operational and administrative leadership of the daily operations for the MLS Academy, while supporting and upholding the overall club culture and objectives.

Specific Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

  • Management of all MLS Academy general administrative tasks as required, related to player and staff registration, on- and off-boarding, team calendar management including regular scheduling meetings, booking training and match fields for the programs, response to program inquiries, ticket distribution, seasonal accreditation for players/staff, Club and MLS requirements, etc.
  • Collaborate with club staff and leadership team to ensure that all team operations and activities are organized, communicated and executed efficiently: player development, equipment needs, travel and transportation, recruitment and trial events, etc.
  • First point of contact and communication for non-technical inquiries between the MLS Academy, school(s), players, parents, leagues, tournaments and other partners.
  • Player support and care, including on- and off-boarding, transfers between teams and leagues, special circumstance response as needed, ensuring that all league and Club policies and procedures are followed by staff, players and parents, documentation and tracking of school and program disciplinary and other concerns.
  • Player Education & Welfare - working closely with the leadership team and consult with appropriate school staff members to ensure that all educational and player welfare needs are met.
  • Champion the implementation of Safe Sport policies and procedures, and the Club’s Code of Conduct, procedures & policies
  • Travel coordination - working within club travel booking standards and policies outlined in the Soccer Development Team Travel Handbook, organization and booking of all team and staff travel as needed:

○ Lead planning process to ensure professional delivery of all aspects of team travel: league games, tournaments, playoffs and training & selection camps

○ Source and book team flights, ground transportation, rental vehicles, hotels, meals, travel insurance, and all other arrangements.

○ Work with the MLS Academy’s Coordinator to ensure detailed travel itineraries for each trip and communication to staff, players, and parents all relevant travel information prior to departure.

○ Travel with teams for some away matches as required to facilitate trip logistics, hotels, airport transfers, meal planning, etc. per the department’s Team Travel Handbook

  • Represent the Club at MLS Academy meetings and other events/conferences as required
  • Collaborate with colleagues and club leadership to build and grow a strong team culture within the MLS Academy.
  • Daily bookkeeping administration and reconciliation for team-related financial tasks within appropriate deadlines, such as travel per diems, Billet Program player relocation expenses, credit card reconciliation, purchasing requests and invoice approvals, travel expense reports, etc.
  • Support leadership team in annual budget development for annual operations & team travel, and tracking variances to adjust as needed throughout the year.
  • Match day operations – provide administrative and operational support to designated team staff to ensure that all match day standards (club and league) are delivered, including communications internally and to players as well as competitive teams as needed.
  • Administrative Management of department’s Professional Development plan and budget: required certifications, renewals, travel budgets, conferences and applicable courses, organize group PD events as required
  • Collaborate with Program Coordinator and other internal partners to plan and execute annual events such as the annual awards event, host family appreciation, and other projects such as alumni and community initiatives.
  • Work with the Billet Program Coordinator to arrange all elements associated with player arrival and departure and the beginning and end of each season, including travel, communication, program agreements and contracts, match tickets, onboarding checklist, placement considerations, player and host family surveys, etc.
  • Work closely with the club facilities manager and team staff to ensure adequate supplies, and that the training facility and amenities are to the required standards.

Qualifications/Experience:

In addition to bringing a commitment to Vancouver Whitecaps FC vision and values, the successful candidate will have degrees of demonstrated skills and experience as follows:

  • 3+ years in a similar role, in an extremely fast-paced, dynamic environment
  • Post-secondary degree in Business Administration or Sport Management is preferred
  • Proven organizational skills, with highly accurate attention to detail
  • Strong initiative, with demonstrated problem-solving and sound decision-making skills
  • Outstanding communication and people skills, with the ability to interface effectively with all business
    functions throughout the Club
  • Exceptional verbal/written communication and presentation skills
  • Effective listener, with the ability to build strong internal and external relationships at all levels
  • Demonstrated experience in generating written reports
  • High degree of personal integrity, with the ability to practice a high level of confidentiality and discretion
  • Ability to be highly effective working independently as well as collaboratively within a strong team environment
  • Ability to manage and appropriately prioritize a large workload effectively and efficiently
  • Flexibility to adapt to frequently changing, fast-paced work environment while managing shifting
    deadlines, and changing initiatives

The Club

Vancouver Whitecaps FC is the longest running professional soccer club in Canada and the United States. Since its inaugural season in 1974, the club has united generations of loyal fans in British Columbia and beyond. With academies in eight out of ten provinces, a network of partner clubs, and hundreds of camps and clinics every year, Whitecaps FC provide a foundation for Canada’s soccer future.

In addition to its two professional men’s teams, the Club is proud to be one of the first two founding teams for a new professional women’s league in Canada, which will be launched in the year 2025. We are also strongly committed to providing opportunities to Canadian athletes, both male and female, with the largest soccer development structure in Canada. This includes academy programs in eight of ten provinces across the country.

In addition to building a winning team on and off the pitch, the Club places great importance in giving back to our community, harnessing the power of sport to create a stronger, more equitable & inclusive society through three key community goals: helping meet critical needs, using soccer to build life skills and creating soccer participation opportunities in Indigenous communities.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC believes that diversity and inclusion is critical to our success, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. This includes but is not limited to people of colour, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. Should you require any accommodation throughout the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to contact our People & Culture department.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC provides a competitive compensation and benefits package. If you are interested in applying, please apply for the role using the link: Manager, MLS Academy Operations

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for further consideration will be contacted. No recruiters or agencies, please.