What are the responsibilities and job description for the WNT Sport Scientist position at U.S. Soccer Federation?
U.S. Soccer Overview
We are U.S. Soccer, and we are the future of sport in the United States. Our mission is to make soccer the preeminent sport in the United States. We embrace diversity, technology and global connections to drive the growth of our sport and serve our athletes and fans. We seek motivated, passionate, skilled people who can think, create and work on a team.
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The Federation’s core values are the individual attributes and characteristics that staff embody to uphold the organization’s principles and succeed. These values guide our employees: Integrity. Commitment. Teamwork. Respect.
Position Description
The WNT Sport Scientist is responsible to collect, store, centralize and analyze all performance-related data, ensuring actionable insights for staff. This person will collaborate with Technical, Analytics, Performance and Medical Staff to ensure world-class performance support for the Women’s National Team, ensuring a female-specific approach.
Emphasizing that the female lens is at the heart of everything we do, this role aligns with the WNT strategy while integrating an interdisciplinary approach. This person will support and uphold the U.S. Way that positively reflects the U.S. Soccer’s Strategic Pillars.
Primary Responsibilities
In Camp Roles and Responsibilities
- Contribute to the development and delivery of world-class performance support for the Women’s National Team, ensuring that the female lens is at the heart of everything we do.
- Collect, centralize and analyze all performance-related data (player schedules, game minutes, GPS, Skill Corner, Oura Ring and female health data in US Soccer systems) from US Soccer camps, ensuring actionable insights for staff.
- Manage GPS, Vald, Smartabase and other systems in camp.
- Lead on load monitoring (GPS, Heart rate, Kicking Actions, …) during training sessions and games, ensuring actionable insights, and report daily to the staff.
- Collaborate with Data Analytics department to develop our data reports to enhance the efficiency of workflows and support the delivery of insights to staff.
- Prepare and/or assist in the preparation, set up and maintaining of all performance and recovery related equipment as well as hydration and nutritional products for players on training and gamedays.
- Prepare all performance-related data and information to share with club's post camp.
- Attend and support all WNT camps, and if required, support WYNT camps that run simultaneously.
- Collaborate with the Sports Medicine, Technical and Performance Staff in designing, delivering and analyzing individualized strength, off-pitch conditioning, movement, recovery and menstrual cycle strategies in line with the individual periodization.
- Work closely with the Sports Medicine staff and Performance Staff to ensure all testing, screening, monitoring and injury prevention strategies are optimal delivered and recorded.
- Support the Sports Medicine, Technical and Performance Staff with designing RTT/RTP protocols, planning/implementing RTT/RTP protocols and delivery of rehab.
Out of Camp Roles and Responsibilities
- Contribute to the creation and evolution of player profiles and individual development plans based on club calls, and 360 meetings in and out of camp.
- Contribute to the design, monitoring and evaluation of individual programs for all WNT players while off camp.
- Collect, centralize and analyze all performance-related data (player schedules, game minutes, GPS, Oura Ring and female health data in US Soccer systems) from clubs, ensuring actionable insights for staff.
- Input information gathered from player meetings and club calls into P3.
- Collect and centralize training and game availability, game days, training days, rest days, travel days, gym session and any other performance-related data within the individual periodization framework.
- Build reports based off any performance related data to ensure actionable insights for staff can be created.
- Ensure that the condition of all sport science equipment is maintained to the highest standard.
- Support evaluation of player performance through performance testing, workload monitoring, and other team-specific metrics.
- Ensure GPS, Vald, Smartabase, FitrCoach, Oura Teams and other systems are set-up for camp.
- Support applied research projects to enhance training methodologies, injury prevention, and game performance in alignment with the WNT strategy.
- Undertake a progressive and ongoing personal and professional developmental process attending and participating in house CPD sessions and external sessions.
- Undertake regular performance appraisals to review your personal development plan and on and off camp progress with WNT Leadership.
- Execute additional departmental and team tasks as requested by the Head Coach, WNT, Program Director, WNT.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications
- Knowledge and/or experience in working with female athletes or with female teams
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in sport science or related discipline
- Relevant professional body accreditations or equivalent (e.g., NSCA CSCS, UKSCA, BASES)
- 3-5 years of practical performance experience within elite sport
- Experience handling and analyzing performance data and have a high level of competency in using data science software
- Able to pull data from third party APIs and in-house databases.
- Outstanding theoretical and applied knowledge of sports science through a female lens
- Significant experience working with GPS and other athlete monitoring systems
- Able and willing to travel at least 50% of the year
- Able and willing to work non-traditional hours including evenings and weekends
- Capable of working in fast-paced and demanding environments
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills – the ability to communicate effectively with people from a range of departments and fields
- Must be able to connect “micro” details to the “macro” vision and mission
- Excellent analytical, presentation and written communication skills combined with a professional demeanor and attention to detail
- Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook)
Desired Qualifications
- Passion for advancing female sport
- Passion for soccer
- Excellent organizational, data collection, planning, and leadership skills
- Master’s degree in sport science, kinesiology, physiology, or a related discipline
- Knowledge and experience in the elite sport setting of female health and performance
- Experience working in international sport
- Experience working in collaboration with coaches and other support staff
- First Aid and CPR certification
- Bilingual (English and Spanish)
- Excellent organizational, data collection, planning, and leadership skills
- Thorough institutional knowledge of U.S. Soccer’s mission, goals, technical plan, policies, practices, and procedures
U.S Soccer is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, military status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected under the law. This policy applies to all our employment practices within our organization.
We strongly encourage women, people of color, LGBTQIA, veterans, parents, and persons with disabilities to apply.
