Coordinator, Programs - Soccer Forward Foundation

Sportanddev; United States; On-site; USD 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Sportanddev is looking for a candidate for the Soccer Forward initiative, responsible for developing relationships with community partners to improve lives through soccer. The role involves communication, collaboration, and support for initiatives centered around soccer as a force for good.

The ideal candidate will have strong writing skills and an understanding of the soccer ecosystem in the USA. This is a dynamic position where responsibilities may evolve with new programs.

Qualifications

• Empathetic and responsive to a wide range of partner types and contexts.
• Able to spot opportunities for collaboration and link various programs.
• Strong writing skills for drafting content for publication.

Responsibilities

• Cultivate and manage relationships with community organizations.
• Manage a community partner database for effective communication.
• Research new tools and resources to support community partners.

Skills

Relationship development capability

Empathetic and responsive

Strong writing skills

General knowledge of soccer

Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite

Job description

Soccer Forward, U.S. Soccer’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup legacy initiative, is dedicated to improving lives and strengthening communities through the most accessible sport in America. The post holder will be responsible for developing relationships with community partners.

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 is 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 U.S.

U.S. Soccer is in a period of significant growth, with ambitious plans for U.S. 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.

Soccer Forward Overview

Soccer Forward, U.S. Soccer’s 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup legacy initiative, is dedicated to improving lives and strengthening communities through the most accessible sport in America. Soccer Forward will be partner focused and driven and staff will engage with key stakeholders in the world of soccer, such as FIFA, Concacaf, NWSL, and MLS, as well as with U.S. Soccer member organizations.

The Soccer Forward team will create innovative and thoughtful strategies on how Soccer Forward can contribute to U.S. Soccer’s sponsors, media partners and donors.

The team will organize, engage, manage and develop relationships with key community and charitable partners, particularly at a national and global level.

Position Description

Soccer Forward’s mission is to grow the game and to use it as a force for good. We know we’re not doing that alone; central to our strategy and values is to showcase, incubate and scale existing best practice, to facilitate collaboration with and between the soccer ecosystem, and to role-model a collective mindset in everything we do. To enable this approach, it’s essential that we nurture and manage relationships with the soccer community with positive intent, creativity, and effective coordination.

The post holder will be responsible for developing relationships with community partners, spotting opportunities for collaboration with and between community partners, supporting crowd sourcing of best practice, and helping to ensure Soccer Forward’s relationships with community partners are well coordinated, productive, and equitable for everyone involved. The role will span our Soccer Everywhere for Everyone initiative, and the Kang Women’s Institute (KWI).

Primary Responsibilities

• Help to cultivate and manage relationships with community organizations across the soccer ecosystem, working to understand their interests, needs, what they can offer to the wider movement, and opportunities to collaborate.
• Manage a community partner database to support the Soccer Forward team to coordinate conversations and collaborations with community partners, helping ensure joined up working and effective communication.
• Research new tools and resources from across the soccer ecosystem that can be showcased on the Soccer Forward Resource Hub and our range of Toolkits. Support communication with potential contributors to develop an equitable sense of partnership and to secure contributions.
• Write content for the Resource Hub and Toolkits that helps users engage with the resources and apply them in their context.
• Support coordination between KWI and SEFE programming to help ensure we maximise the value of our output, and our relationships with the wider community.
• Help drive engagement with the Resource Hub and Toolkits, alongside colleagues in the MarComms and Product Teams, developing strategies to ensure resources are being used.
• Help establish feedback loops with the soccer ecosystem to support us to continually develop our programs to meet needs, and to support storytelling and monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Support colleagues across the broader Soccer Forward team to constantly be alert to potential collaboration with community partners, helping to champion our belief in collective working.
• General writing and administrative support for the KWI and wider SF team, as required.
• NB: Soccer Forward is a dynamic organization working at a fast pace. Candidates should be open to the responsibilities listed here evolving as new programs and opportunities emerge.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Relationship development capability, supported by excellent written and verbal communication
• Empathetic and responsive to a wide range of partner types and contexts
• Able to spot opportunities for collaboration and to join the dots between different programs and partners
• Strong writing skills, able to draft content for publication
• Confident creating and managing partner database
• Collaborative, responsive and entrepreneurial within a team setting
• General knowledge of soccer
• Capable of working in fast-paced and demanding environments
• Must be able to connect “micro” details to the “macro” vision and mission
• Proficient experience with Microsoft Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook)

Desired Qualifications

• Understanding of the soccer ecosystem in the USA
• Experience of soccer for good or broader sport for development work and organizations.
• Development of resource hub and toolkit-type projects which seek to share best practice and build capacity