Director, Player Health and Mental Performance

Washington Nationals; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 225,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D

Short- and long-term disability

Flexible spending accounts

401(k) and pension

Complimentary Nationals tickets

Employee discounts

Free onsite fitness center

Job summary

Washington Nationals are seeking a Director of Player Health and Mental Performance to lead Medical and Mental Performance programs across the organization. Build a proactive, player-centered system to improve availability, long-term health, and mental skills for sustained performance.

Based in Washington, D.C., the role requires collaboration with Physical Development, Sports Science, and skills departments.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree and professional licensure or certification in a related healthcare field.
• Significant leadership experience in professional sports or high-performance environments; baseball experience preferred.
• Strong understanding of injury prevention, rehabilitation, testing, workload monitoring, and return-to-performance decisions.
• Experience building and implementing evidence-led systems across multiple teams, locations, or levels.
• Demonstrated ability to hire, educate, develop, and evaluate multidisciplinary staff.
• Understanding of applied mental performance principles and integration into athlete development.
• Ability to interpret data and translate complex information into clear, practical decisions.
• Strong communication, collaboration, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Mental performance certification or advanced training is a plus; bilingual English/Spanish is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead Major and Minor League Medical staffs and establish consistent organizational standards for care and injury management.
• Oversee rehab and return-to-performance decisions with clear clinical criteria.
• Manage player-health transitions across affiliates and teams.
• Use injury, testing, workload, and availability data to identify trends and improve practices.
• Develop and implement an organizational Mental Performance philosophy across levels.
• Integrate mental performance into player plans, training, and staff education.
• Ensure confidentiality and refer to licensed professionals when needed.
• Hire, develop, and evaluate Medical and Mental Performance staff; support professional growth.
• Align Medical, Mental Performance, and other departments around individualized healthy plans.
• Establish KPIs for health, availability, rehab, recurrence, and return-to-performance.

Skills

Advanced degree

Leadership experience

Injury prevention

Return-to-performance

Multidisciplinary staff

Mental performance

Data interpretation

Communication

Bilingual (EN/ES)

Education

Advanced degree with licensure/certification

Mental performance certification

Tools

Injury testing protocols

Statistical data interpretation

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.

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 a Director of Player Health and Mental Performance to lead the organization’s Medical and Mental Performance programs across the Major and Minor Leagues. This role will build a proactive, objective-informed, and player-centered system designed to improve player availability, support long-term health, and develop the mental skills required for sustained performance. The Director will establish organizational standards, develop staff, and ensure consistent processes around medical care, injury prevention, testing, rehabilitation, return to performance, and mental performance development. The Director will serve on the Player Development leadership team and work closely with Physical Development, Sports Science, and the skill departments. The ideal candidate is a collaborative leader who combines strong clinical expertise with sound decision-making, clear communication, and the ability to build systems that can be consistently executed across the organization. This position will be based in Washington D.C.

Primary Responsibilities

• Player Health
  • Lead the Major League and Minor League Medical staffs and establish consistent organizational standards for assessment, diagnosis, treatment, injury prevention, testing, rehabilitation, and emergency care.
  • Ensure rehabilitation and return-to-performance decisions are supported by clear clinical findings, objective criteria, and timely communication.
  • Oversee player-health transitions between affiliates, rehabilitation, the Major League team, and the offseason to ensure continuity of care and clear ownership.
  • Use injury, testing, workload, treatment, and availability information to identify trends, evaluate outcomes, and proactively improve organizational practices.
• Mental Performance
  • Develop and implement an organizational Mental Performance philosophy that supports player development, preparation, confidence, resilience, decision-making, and performance under pressure.
  • Integrate mental performance into player plans, daily training, rehabilitation, transitions, and staff education across every level.
  • Establish clear standards for player confidentiality, documentation, and referral to licensed mental health professionals when a player’s needs extend beyond mental performance coaching.
• Leadership and Integration
  • Hire, develop, evaluate, and support Medical and Mental Performance staff while creating clear expectations and opportunities for continued professional growth.
  • Align Medical, Mental Performance, Physical Development, Rehabilitation, and the skill departments around individualized plans for healthy and injured players.
  • Establish organizational KPIs for player health, availability, rehabilitation, recurrence, and return to performance, and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of departmental processes.
  • Evaluate research, technology, and industry practices to continually improve medical care, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and mental performance programming.
  • Communicate clearly with players, coaches, staff, and organizational leadership regarding player health, availability, departmental priorities, and areas requiring action.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree and appropriate professional licensure or certification in athletic training, physical therapy, medicine, or a related healthcare field.
• Significant leadership experience within professional sports, collegiate athletics, or another high-performance environment; professional baseball experience is preferred.
• Strong understanding of injury prevention, rehabilitation, objective testing, workload monitoring, and return-to-performance decision-making.
• Experience building and implementing evidence-led systems across multiple teams, locations, or levels.
• Demonstrated ability to hire, educate, develop, and evaluate multidisciplinary staff.
• Understanding of applied mental performance principles and experience integrating mental performance into athlete development.
• Ability to interpret data and research and translate complex information into clear, practical decisions.
• Strong communication, collaboration, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Mental Performance certification or advanced training is a plus.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus.

Compensation

The projected annual salary range for this position is $225,000 - $300,000 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

• 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.