Defensive Coordinator

Washington Nationals; United States; On-site; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) and pension

Complimentary tickets

Employee discounts

Onsite fitness center

Job summary

The Washington Nationals are seeking two Defensive Coordinators: one for High-A through Triple-A and one for the Dominican Republic Academy through Low-A. They will lead infield and outfield development across affiliates and establish standards while developing affiliate coaches.

This role collaborates with Major League staff, Medical, Physical Development, and others to ensure development translates to game performance, with the lower level based in West Palm Beach, FL.

Responsibilities

• Lead infield/outfield development across affiliates and set defensive standards.
• Develop affiliate coaches and ensure they implement standards.
• Oversee evaluations, identify priorities, and turn into development plans.
• Develop coaches to create training that translates to game performance.
• Monitor plans and solve issues when progress stalls.
• Establish cross-team communication channels with leaders.
• Maintain alignment through development, rehab, promotions, and MiLB-to-MLB transitions.

Skills

Infield/outfield development

Player evaluation

Coaching development

Communication

Organizational skills

Spanish language (pref)

Video analysis

Data-driven decisions

Technology integration

Tools

Video analysis

Data analytics

Technology integration

Job description

Our Vision

To become baseball’s highest performing organization — defined by our relentless pursuit of excellence, strengthened by our connection, and fueled by our positive energy.

• Joy. We want to be around people that like to have fun. We remain optimistic through the ups and downs, we enjoy the process, and we share in something bigger than ourselves.
• Humility. We don’t have all the answers. We lead with curiosity, listen generously, and seek growth from every experience — especially the tough ones. We have gotten over ourselves.
• Integrity. We do the right thing, even when it’s hard. We act with honesty, accountability, and respect for our teammates and ourselves. We treat the custodian like the king.
• Competitiveness. We embrace challenges and thrive in high-stakes environments. We prepare relentlessly. We are energized by the idea of keeping score.

Our Vision

To become baseball’s highest performing organization — defined by our relentless pursuit of excellence, strengthened by our connection, and fueled by our positive energy.

Our Core Values

• Joy. We want to be around people that like to have fun. We remain optimistic through the ups and downs, we enjoy the process, and we share in something bigger than ourselves.
• Humility. We don’t have all the answers. We lead with curiosity, listen generously, and seek growth from every experience — especially the tough ones. We have gotten over ourselves.
• Integrity. We do the right thing, even when it’s hard. We act with honesty, accountability, and respect for our teammates and ourselves. We treat the custodian like the king.
• Competitiveness. We embrace challenges and thrive in high-stakes environments. We prepare relentlessly. We are energized by the idea of keeping score.

Position Summary

The Washington Nationals are seeking two Defensive Coordinators: one responsible for High-A through Triple-A and one responsible for the Dominican Republic Academy through Low-A. Each coordinator will lead infield and outfield development across their assigned levels while establishing consistent organizational standards and developing the affiliate coaches responsible for daily execution. This role will evaluate players and develop assigned affiliate coaches in our evaluation process, building and implementing individual plans, tracking progress, communicating across departments, and ensuring development transfers to game performance. The Defensive Coordinators will collaborate closely with affiliate and Major League staffs, Medical, Physical Development, and other departments to maintain alignment throughout each player’s development, rehabilitation, and transition between levels. The lower level position will be based at our complex in West Palm Beach, FL.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead infield and outfield development across assigned affiliates and establish consistent organizational defensive standards and processes.
• Own the development of affiliate coaches and their execution of those standards and processes in daily player development.
• Oversee the player-evaluation process with affiliate coaches, identify individual development priorities, and turn those priorities into clear development plans.
• Develop affiliate coaches in creating world-class training environments that address each player’s needs and transfer to game performance.
• Monitor individual player plans and organizational standards, and actively problem-solve with affiliate coaches when execution falls short or development is not transferring to competition.
• Establish communication processes that promote collaboration between affiliate staffs, Major League staff, Medical, Physical Development, and other departments while keeping leadership informed.
• Maintain alignment throughout each player’s development, rehabilitation, promotion, and transition between levels, including the transition from MiLB to MLB.

Competencies

• Strong understanding of infield and outfield development, evaluation, positioning, and game situations.
• Ability to identify performance constraints, set development priorities, and build training that improves game performance.
• Ability to develop coaches through observation, feedback, collaboration, and accountability.
• Ability to integrate observation, video, data, technology, and physical information into clear decisions and development plans.
• Clear, direct communicator who builds strong relationships, promotes collaboration, and handles disagreement professionally.
• Organized and reliable when managing multiple players, affiliates, priorities, and development plans.
• Spanish proficiency is preferred but not required.

Compensation

The projected annual salary range for this position is $100,000- $135,000 per year. Actual pay is based on several factors, including but not limited to the applicant’s: qualifications, skills, expertise, education/training, certifications, and other organization requirements. Starting salaries for new employees are frequently not at the top of the applicable salary range.

Benefits

The Nationals offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package that presently includes:

• Medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• 401(k) and pension plan
• Access to complimentary tickets to Nationals home games
• Employee discounts
• Free onsite fitness center

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Nationals are dedicated to offering equal employment and advancement opportunities to all individuals regardless of their race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.