Head Athletic Trainer & Director of Player Health

Indy Ignite Pro Volleyball; Fishers (IN); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Indy Ignite is seeking a Head Athletic Trainer to lead its sports medicine program, coordinating care across physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors and performance staff for our athletes. You will provide hands-on clinical care, develop care pathways, oversee pre-participation physicals, and ensure adherence to standards while traveling with the team.

The role requires a CAATE-accredited degree, current BOC certification, Indiana licensure, and a willingness to work evenings, weekends

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree from a CAATE-accredited athletic training program.
• Current BOC certification in good standing.
• Current Indiana athletic training licensure, or the ability to obtain it prior to start.
• Current CPR/AED certification and appropriate emergency care credentials.
• Minimum four years of athletic training experience, including experience in professional sport, national team, or a comparable elite high‑performance environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing athlete injuries from initial evaluation through rehabilitation and return to play.
• Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary medical and performance environment.
• Willingness to work a professional sport schedule, including evenings, weekends and team travel.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement and own Indy Ignite's sports medicine system. Policies, protocols, documentation standards, care pathways and best practice.
• Establish organizational standards for injury prevention, evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, emergency care and return to play.
• Identify and resolve gaps, delays, duplication and communication breakdowns in athlete care, and hold providers to agreed standards.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the day‑to‑day health and medical needs of Indy Ignite athletes.
• Provide comprehensive athletic training services: injury and illness prevention, evaluation, immediate care, treatment, rehabilitation and ongoing management.
• Build trusting relationships in which athletes speak honestly about injury, pain, recovery, fatigue and readiness.
• Provide medical coverage for practices, matches, training sessions and team travel.
• Oversee pre‑participation physical examinations, medical intake and baseline screening for all athletes.
• Develop, implement and oversee the club's rehabilitation, return‑to‑play and return‑to‑performance frameworks.
• Apply advanced movement assessment and biomechanical reasoning to identify the underlying drivers of injury, not only the presenting symptoms.
• Build individualized rehabilitation and return‑to‑play plans in collaboration with physicians, physical therapists and performance staff, with clear objective benchmarks.
• Guide athletes through the full pathway from injury and rehabilitation through reconditioning, modified training, full training and return to competition.
• Continually evaluate and improve rehabilitation and return‑to‑play processes against outcomes and current evidence.
• Act as the central coordinator of Indy Ignite's integrated athlete healthcare network.
• Work closely with team physicians, mental health providers, physical therapists, chiropractors, specialists, performance staff, coaches and management.
• Ensure every athlete has a coordinated, individualized plan of care with clear communication on diagnosis, treatment, restrictions, rehabilitation and progression.
• Coordinate physician evaluations, diagnostic imaging, specialist referrals and follow‑up care.
• Maintain and protect the referral pathway to mental health support, including its confidentiality boundaries.

Skills

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Clinical decision making

Patient care coordination

Team leadership

Professional sport experience

Education

CAATE-accredited Athletic Training program

BOC certification

Indiana athletic training licensure

CPR/AED certification

Job description

Indy Ignite is continuing to invest in and strengthen its approach to athlete health and performance. The organization works with a network of trusted healthcare partners who provide valuable expertise and services across sports medicine, physical therapy, physician care, and athlete well-being.

The Head Athletic Trainer will play a central role in bringing these services together and supporting a coordinated, high-quality approach to athlete care. This person will provide hands‑on clinical care while helping to develop and oversee the systems, protocols, communication, and continuity of care that support athletes from injury prevention through rehabilitation and return to performance.

Reporting, Authority & Decision Rights

• Reports to the General Manager / President.
• Directly supervises the Assistant Athletic Trainer and any athletic training interns or students.
• Works in close partnership with the Head Coach and Strength and Conditioning coach.
• Holds a functional leadership relationship with all external providers delivering services to Indy Ignite athletes, including physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists and athletic training support staff. Sets the standards these providers work to and coordinates their contribution to each athlete's plan of care.
• Team physicians retain authority for medical diagnosis and clearance. Within that clearance, the Head AT holds day‑to‑day authority over athlete participation status.

Key Responsibilities

Sports Medicine Leadership & System Building

• Design, implement and own Indy Ignite's sports medicine system. Policies, protocols, documentation standards, care pathways and best practice.
• Establish organizational standards for injury prevention, evaluation, treatment, rehabilitation, emergency care and return to play.
• Identify and resolve gaps, delays, duplication and communication breakdowns in athlete care, and hold providers to agreed standards.

Athlete Health & Clinical Care

• Serve as the primary point of contact for the day‑to‑day health and medical needs of Indy Ignite athletes.
• Provide comprehensive athletic training services: injury and illness prevention, evaluation, immediate care, treatment, rehabilitation and ongoing management.
• Build trusting relationships in which athletes speak honestly about injury, pain, recovery, fatigue and readiness.
• Provide medical coverage for practices, matches, training sessions and team travel.
• Oversee pre‑participation physical examinations, medical intake and baseline screening for all athletes.

Movement, Rehabilitation & Return to Performance

• Develop, implement and oversee the club's rehabilitation, return‑to‑play and return‑to‑performance frameworks.
• Apply advanced movement assessment and biomechanical reasoning to identify the underlying drivers of injury, not only the presenting symptoms. Use strong clinical reasoning to complex or unresolved cases, considering movement patterns, injury mechanisms, load and adaptation to identify appropriate strategies for treatment.
• Build individualized rehabilitation and return‑to‑play plans in collaboration with physicians, physical therapists and performance staff, with clear objective benchmarks.
• Guide athletes through the full pathway from injury and rehabilitation through reconditioning, modified training, full training and return to competition.
• Continually evaluate and improve rehabilitation and return‑to‑play processes against outcomes and current evidence.
• Act as the central coordinator of Indy Ignite's integrated athlete healthcare network.
• Work closely with team physicians, mental health providers, physical therapists, chiropractors, specialists, performance staff, coaches and management.
• Ensure every athlete has a coordinated, individualized plan of care with clear communication on diagnosis, treatment, restrictions, rehabilitation and progression.
• Coordinate physician evaluations, diagnostic imaging, specialist referrals and follow‑up care.
• Maintain and protect the referral pathway to mental health support, including its confidentiality boundaries.

Player Availability, Roster Support & Offseason Care

• Work in daily partnership with the Head Coach and Strength and Conditioning coach on athlete readiness, training design, and the practical shape of modified participation.
• Establish clear communication protocols on athlete status and participation.
• Oversee athlete health, rehabilitation and continuity of care through the offseason, including athletes competing overseas or elsewhere.
• Develop and coordinate offseason plans for athletes returning from injury or surgery, and ensure a coordinated transition from season through offseason into preseason.

Data, Protocols, Compliance & Duty of Care

• Oversee compliance with all MLV medical protocols, clearance requirements and reporting standards, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Day‑to‑day administration of league medical documentation is delivered by the Assistant Athletic Trainer under this role's supervision.
• Maintain accurate, timely and confidential medical documentation.
• Establish and maintain Emergency Action Plans and appropriate medical preparedness for all practices, matches, training sessions and travel.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, professional standards, league requirements, athlete privacy requirements and organizational policy.
• Evaluate and introduce appropriate objective testing and monitoring technology to support rehabilitation and return‑to‑performance decisions.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's or master's degree from a CAATE-accredited Athletic Training program.
• Current Board of Certification (BOC) certification in good standing.
• Current Indiana athletic training licensure, or the ability to obtain it prior to start.
• Current CPR/AED certification and appropriate emergency care credentials.
• Minimum four years of athletic training experience, including experience in professional sport, national team, or a comparable elite high‑performance environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing athlete injuries from initial evaluation through rehabilitation and return to play.
• Experience working effectively within a multidisciplinary medical and performance environment.
• Willingness to work a professional sport schedule, including evenings, weekends, holidays and team travel.

Preferred

• Substantial experience providing care to female athletes in professional, national team or elite collegiate environments, including a working understanding of the physiological and biomechanical considerations specific to female athletes.
• Experience in women's professional sport.
• Experience in volleyball or another overhead, jump‑dominant sport, with familiarity with the shoulder, knee, ankle and lumbar spine presentations common to it.
• Previous experience as a Head Athletic Trainer, Assistant Head Athletic Trainer or senior sports medicine professional.
• Advanced manual therapy, dry needling, or movement assessment certifications.
• Experience coordinating care across physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers and other providers.

Movement & Clinical Reasoning

• Advanced movement assessment and biomechanical analysis skills, with a demonstrated ability to identify the underlying drivers of an injury rather than treating symptoms in isolation.
• Strong hands‑on and manual therapy skill set.
• Ability to reason through complex, non‑obvious or unresolved presentations and to articulate that reasoning clearly to athletes, coaches and physicians.
• A demonstrated commitment to continuing clinical education and to keeping practice current.

Schedule & Travel

This is a full‑time, 12‑month, year‑round position. Training camp opens in November and the competitive season runs from early January through the MLV Championship in May. The role requires travel with the team to all away matches and includes evening, weekend and holiday work during the season. Offseason months carry a reduced but active workload focused on rehabilitation oversight, planning, system development and continuity of care.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.