USA Lacrosse Seeks Lacrosse Officials Development Manager near Sparks Glencoe, MD

The Manager, Men's Officials Development manages the daily operations of USA Lacrosse's (USAL) men's officials' education program, including, but not limited to, developing and assigning training content and observing the trainer certification programs and clinics. This role is critical in the recruitment, training and education, and retention of officials for the men's game across all levels of the game with a primary focus on officiating at the youth and high school levels. The Manager, Men's Officials Development will work closely with Manager, Women's Officials Development and collaborates cross-departmentally to advance the mission of USAL to fuel the growth and development of the sport of lacrosse with diversity, equity, and inclusion in mind to advance the knowledge and value of our officials.

A Typical Day Looks Like...

Officials Training, Education, & Program Development

• Ensures implementation of short- and long-term educational initiatives and goals, strategies, and priorities for the development and leadership of men's officials.
• Collaborates cross-departmentally to create solutions to help recruit and retain qualified and diverse officials and further the mission and goals of USAL in officials' development and consistency within the game.
• Manages the officials training and certification process for men's officials in collaboration with the Manager, Women's Officials Development. This includes, but is not limited to, creating plans for training programs, content development, providing annual updates, and evaluating effectiveness of certification tests and tools for continuous improvement and evolution of training offered.
• Manages the men's officials training group and co-leads the Officials Development Subcommittee with the Manager, Women's Officials Development.
• Partnering with our analytics team, establishes analytics, metrics, and reporting standards to track progress on current strategies and develops action plans for future development. This includes evaluating programs and their impact and making recommendations for improvement based on data and metrics.
• Works closely with Men's and Women's Game Directors and associated rules committees to ensure training resources and rules exams and courses are developed, updated, and provided to officials in a timely manner.
• Identifies technology needs to advance departmental goals, projects, and programs within the Officials Development Program. In partnership with the IT department, this may include evaluating tools/applications, conducting focus groups for evaluation, program implementation, and measurement and enforcement of adoption of new technologies implemented to ensure scalability and adoption.
• Identifies new strategic partnership opportunities and cultivates existing relationships with outside organizations to build relationships with key sport officiating stakeholders. This will include cross-departmental collaboration to manage and negotiate partnerships and agreements with external organizations.
• In collaboration with Manager, Women's Officials Development and the regional development team, oversees officials' development grants/financial support programs for local officials' organizations (LOOs).

Departmental Strategy, Project Management and Engagement

• Leads efforts to collaborate cross-departmentally to create and improve member value for officials by identifying and developing training and educational resources for use on a national level. This includes partnering with internal USAL resources and collaborating with officials' organizations and volunteers to understand their needs and pain points.
• Identifies content development needs and initiates programs to further USAL goals for officials' development by managing strategies, creating project plans, content development, and resource procurement to ensure completion and delivery.
• Collaborates with the Manager, Women's Officials Development and the regional development team to develop training and retention strategies to build capacity for men's LOOs to ensure consistent and quality experiences for officials on a national level.
• Leads initiatives to recruit men's lacrosse officials to participate in our programs by partnering with the marketing team to promote and provide branded communication about program available.
• Maintains regional and state training and development representatives for USAL through the Officials National Structure (ONS). This includes, but is not limited to, measuring performance of individual trainers and their impact to deliver impactful and effectively communicated local training programs.
• Regularly communicates with and collaborates with Regional Managers to ensure they are aware of officials' development programs and initiatives and provides the necessary background and resources so they can work with their local representatives effectively. This includes stepping in to troubleshoot and problem solve as needed.
• Works with the membership department to ensure continuity between the member value proposition and training and certification services available to USAL members.
• Serves as a USAL liaison for external officiating associations (i.e., National Association of Sport Officials (NASO) and National Governing Body (NGB)). This includes working with affiliated lacrosse officiating bodies (i.e., National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association (NILOA)) to maintain positive working relationships and fosters collaborative support between USAL and officiating organizations.
• Collaborates with the Manager, Women's Officials Development to develop a men's officiating education track, helps identify and secures speakers for LaxCon, and promotes officials' attendance at USAL events.
• In partnership with the Manager, Women's Officials Development, oversees a recognition program for officials for their service and accomplishments in the field of officiating.
• Actively promotes zero tolerance policies for harassment of officials through USAL platforms, programming, messaging, and marketing assets.

Administrative

• Partners with the Manager, Women's Officials Development to develop and oversee the officials' development budget and associated business plans in alignment with established fiscal policies and procedures.
• Provides and prepares regular reports on the Men's Officials Development program initiatives and impact.
• Partners with the membership and marketing and communications departments to develop annual communication calendars and marketing plans to increase reach and awareness.
• Manages and responds to officials' related correspondence with customers and members, ensuring timely and thorough responses to resolve and/or escalate any inquiries/issues.

Is This You...

• High school diploma or GED equivalent. Bachelor's degree in sports management or associated area of study or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 3 to 5 years of experience in program development and training/educational initiatives. Experience managing volunteers a plus.
• Knowledge with the sport of men's lacrosse required. Previous officiating and/or coaching experience and an appreciation for the role officiating plays in the men's game strongly desired.
• Previous working experience in a non-profit, association, or other member-based organization a plus.
• Proven experience working in a consultative role requiring collaboration and agreement among external parties with differing opinions and priorities a plus.
• Experience building and maintaining relationships and establishing trust to advance programs and organizational initiatives.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal team members and departments, as well as external parties, to complete projects and meet established deadlines and goals. This includes the ability to problem solve and think "outside the box" to bring together differing perspectives to alignment.
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft 365 products, specifically Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. Knowledge of SalesForce a plus and the ability to learn new software programs.
• Ability to think proactively and strategically with the ability to deal with shifting priorities based on business needs.
• Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task and meet required deadlines, and exceptional attention to detail and follow up/through skills.
• Effective communication skills, including written, verbal, and interpersonal. This includes the ability and confidence to speak publicly.
• Ability to exercise discretion and handle confidential information.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team in a hybrid remote/in office, fast-paced, results oriented work environment.
• Energetic "go-getter" with the ability to present a professional and assertive persona to negotiate, build relationships, and establish credibility and trust.
• Ability to be flexible with established work schedule to accommodate travel needs that may require work at night and/or on weekends based on business needs.
• Willingness to learn about the sport of lacrosse and appreciate the need to develop and fuel the growth of the sport with diversity, inclusion, and equity in mind.
• Ability to align with USA Lacrosse's Mission, Vision, and Values and Strategic Plan to support our initiatives and organizational goals.

Core Values & Competencies

• We Influence - Written and Verbal Communication
• We Serve - Customer Focused
• We Create & Innovate - Creativity
• We Collaborate - Peer Relationships
• We are Humble & Honest - Integrity and Trust
• We Embrace Individuality - Diversity
• We Have Fun - Work Hard and Play Hard

Expected Hours of Work

This position is generally expected to work Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm and occasionally requires longer hours or weekend work as related to events and other business needs. This is a hybrid position and works from the headquarters office in Sparks, MD three (3) days a week with the flexibility to work from home two (2) days a week.

Travel Requirements

Travel is primarily local during the business day, although some out-of-area and overnight travel may be expected.

EEO Statement

USA Lacrosse is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other status/characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law. USA Lacrosse believes diversity and inclusion among our team is critical to our success as an organization, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.