Executive Director, NWSL Foundation

TOGETHXR; Northern, New York (KY, NY); Hybrid; USD 195,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Unlimited PTO

Hybrid work model

Health coverage

401k with match

Comprehensive benefits & perks

Job summary

The NWSL Foundation seeks an Executive Director to lead research agenda setting, ecosystem convening, and credible health research for women athletes. This role partners with researchers, clinicians, funders, and institutional partners to advance athlete health, performance, and longevity while preserving scientific independence.

The Executive Director will engage league leadership, clubs, players, and donors, directing governance and operations to drive impact and credible, non-profit research

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in research administration, philanthropy/foundation leadership, sports medicine/health systems, or academic‑institutional partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to convene and influence senior academic, clinical, and practitioner stakeholders.
• Strong judgment and credibility in navigating complex, politically sensitive environments.
• Proven fundraiser who can inspire confidence and investment in long-term impact.
• Comfortable operating at the intersection of research, elite sport, governance, and philanthropy.
• Passion for women’s sports and advancing athlete health through systemic change.

Responsibilities

• Own and steward the Foundation’s multi-year research agenda, grounded in elite women athlete needs and informed by the global research landscape.
• Design and lead flagship convenings, including an annual research symposium with researchers, clinicians, practitioners, and funders.
• Establish and oversee research governance structures, including advisory committees and peer review standards.
• Ensure research outputs are usable in practice and translate validated findings into guidance and frameworks.
• Prioritize athlete welfare and consent in research involving NWSL players, coordinating with League leadership and Players Association.

Skills

Fundraising

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic leadership

Governance

Public speaking

Job description

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is one of the fastest-growing professional sports leagues in the U.S., powered by 16 clubs and a deep roster of the world’s best players, and built on record-shattering fan, media and commercial growth. Now in its 14th season, the league’s momentum continues to accelerate, with viewership and attendance numbers growing rapidly, social media fandom on the rise, team valuations massively increasing and new top sponsors investing in the NWSL brand. This unprecedented growth in audience, media reach, and franchise value reflects the NWSL’s expanding fan base and increasing dominance in the sports-media landscape and popular culture.

The future of the NWSL is now — and we’re looking for world-class talent like you to help us continue the momentum.

The Role

About the NWSL Foundation

The NWSL Foundation exists to advance the health and longevity of women athletes by supporting women’s health research and convening and coordinating the women’s athletic health research ecosystem. The Foundation helps guide the research agenda to ensure critical questions are identified, research efforts are aligned across institutions, and findings are translated into practical insights and resources for the benefit of the public and women and girls who participate in athletics.

The Foundation’s role is not to replicate academic research or function primarily as a grantmaker. Instead, it serves as a field-shaping platform—aligning researchers, practitioners, and funders; reducing redundancy; elevating rigor; ensuring practical application, and enabling research that meaningfully advances women athletes’ health, performance, and longevity.

Anchored by an initial endowment, the Foundation will operate with scientific independence, disciplined governance, and a clear focus on actionability.

Role Overview

The Executive Director is the founding leader and public face of the NWSL Foundation. This role is accountable for setting and stewarding the research agenda, convening the ecosystem, and ensuring the Foundation earns credibility as a trusted leader in women's athletic health research.

The Executive Director is not expected to be a career researcher or a traditional frontline fundraiser. Instead, this role requires a leader who has worked closely with researchers, clinicians, funders, and institutional partners—and who understands what it takes to develop credible research agendas, synthesize complex information, and mobilize resources in service of impact.

The Executive Director must be equally comfortable engaging senior researchers and clinicians, league and club leadership, players, and donors. This role requires judgment, credibility, and the ability to direct complex, multi-stakeholder conversations—not simply administer programs.

The Executive Director reports to the NWSL Foundation Board and partners closely with League leadership, including Sporting and High Performance, while preserving scientific independence.

What You Will Own & Drive

1. Research Agenda Leadership & Field Stewardship

• Own and steward the Foundation’s multi-year research agenda, grounded in elite women athlete needs and informed by the global research landscape.
• Identify gaps, redundancies, and under-resourced areas across women’s athletic health research.
• Guide prioritization of research questions to ensure relevance, rigor, and actionability.
• Serve as an authoritative voice in shaping norms, priorities, and standards across the field—drawing credibility from prior leadership experience at the intersection of research, sport, and institutions.

2. Convening & Ecosystem Coordination

• Design and lead flagship convenings, including an annual research symposium that brings together leading researchers, clinicians, practitioners, and funders.
• Facilitate alignment and collaboration across academic institutions that are currently operating in parallel.
• Create structured forums for debate, synthesis, and agenda validation.
• Position the Foundation as a coordinator and catalyst—not a competitor to academic institutions.

3. Research Governance, Rigor & Independence

• Establish and oversee research governance structures, including Research Advisory Committees and peer review standards.
• Ensure funded, endorsed, or elevated research meets high standards of scientific rigor and ethical integrity.
• Protect scientific independence while maintaining relevance to elite sport environments.
• Define clear criteria for when and how research may involve NWSL athletes.

4. Actionability & Translation

• Ensure research questions and outputs are designed to be usable in practice, not solely academic.
• Partner with High Performance and Medical leadership to pressure-test relevance and applicability.
• Support responsible translation of validated research into guidance, frameworks, or insights—without compromising independence or competitive integrity.

5. Athlete-Involved Research Oversight

• Establish disciplined protocols for research involving NWSL players, prioritizing player welfare, consent, and trust.
• Evaluate when athlete participation meaningfully advances the research agenda.
• Coordinate closely with League leadership, clubs, and the Players Association as appropriate.

6. Fundraising & External Partnerships

• Lead fundraising to sustain and scale the Foundation’s agenda-setting work, including major gifts, aligned corporate partnerships, and research-restricted funding.
• Inspire donors around impact, credibility, and long-term field leadership—not transactional grantmaking.
• Develop integrated league moments (e.g., marquee convenings, designated matchweeks) that support fundraising without diluting mission.
• Represent the Foundation to philanthropic, academic, and institutional partners.

7. Governance, Board & Operations

• Build and manage a high-functioning Foundation Board and committee structure (Audit, Research, Development).
• Partner with the Board on strategy, fiduciary oversight, and long-term vision.
• Establish a lean, high-impact operating model and team.
• Oversee budget, endowment stewardship, compliance, and reporting.

What You Will Bring

Core Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in research administration, philanthropy/foundation leadership, sports medicine/health systems, or academic-institutional partnerships.
• Demonstrated ability to convene and influence senior academic, clinical, and practitioner stakeholders.
• Strong judgment and credibility in navigating complex, politically sensitive environments.
• Proven fundraiser who can inspire confidence and investment in long-term impact.
• Comfortable operating at the intersection of research, elite sport, governance, and philanthropy.
• Passion for women's sports and advancing athlete health through systemic change.

Our Investment in You

In addition to working in an incredible, inclusive, and committed-to-diversity culture, we offer:

• Competitive Compensation: $195,000 - $250,000 (Salary is contingent upon candidate qualifications and functional business needs).
• Time & Flexibility: Unlimited Paid Time Off (PTO), sick days, and an end-of-year office closure.
• Hybrid Work Model: Three days in-office and two remote days per week.
• Robust Health Coverage: Medical, Dental, Vision, and Mental Health benefits for employees and dependents.
• Financial Future: 401k with employer match and safe harbor contributions.
• Comprehensive Benefits & Perks: Commuter Benefits, Short/Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Gym On-Site, Voluntary Pet Insurance, and more!

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The NWSL is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

We celebrate diversity and are deeply committed to creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all employees. All employment decisions—including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, compensation, and termination—are made without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, pregnancy or childbirth, personal appearance, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, political affiliation, source of income, place of residence, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military veteran status, unfavorable discharge from military service, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process due to a disability, you may contact us at [e-mail].