Managing Director

Women's Health, Sports & Performance Institute; Massachusetts; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

WHSP Institute is seeking a Managing Director to lead day-to-day operations, manage budgets, and coordinate research and outreach programs. You will partner with the Executive Director, oversee contracts, governance, and external relationships, and ensure the organization runs smoothly on-site in Brighton, MA.

The role requires deep nonprofit leadership experience, strong financial and HR skills, and the ability to navigate a science- or clinical-first environment while advancing women’s health,

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of organizational leadership experience
• Experience leading operations in healthcare, research, or clinical-first environments
• Strong financial literacy and budget management
• Experience managing HR, compliance, and vendor contracts
• Ability to build relationships with funders, partners, and boards
• Excellent written and verbal communication

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations including finance, HR, compliance, technology, and facilities
• Own annual budget development and financial reporting
• Manage payroll, benefits, hiring, onboarding, and employee relations
• Oversee contracts, partnerships, and vendor agreements
• Coordinate governance materials with the Board of Directors
• Partner with Executive Director and program leaders to align research and outreach
• Drive organizational infrastructure and shared-services strategies

Job description

Location: Brighton, MA - Full-time, on-site

Travel: Event-specific, approximately 5-10%

About the WHSP Institute

The Women's Health, Sports & Performance Institute is dedicated to improving the health, performance, and long-term well-being of female athletes. We believe that optimal health and optimal performance go hand in hand. Our mission is to inspire, empower, educate, and convene researchers, clinicians, and the broader sports community to advance our understanding of female athlete health and performance.

As a growing, mission-driven organization, WHSP turns research-backed insights into practical knowledge that athletes, coaches, athletic trainers, clinicians, parents, and sports organizations can use to improve health and performance. The Institute houses a state-of-the-art physiology laboratory, a high-performance gym with 3D biomechanical analysis capabilities, a research-grade metabolic kitchen, and dedicated research space, and partners with leading universities, sports organizations, and governing bodies to deliver peer-reviewed science, clinician education, and field-shaping best practices.

The Role

The Managing Director is WHSP Institute's day-to-day organizational leader: the first line of decision-making authority for operations, people, finance, and team coordination. This person will serve as the Executive Director's primary organizational partner and manage the Institute's research and outreach program leaders. This is a full-time, on-site role based in Brighton, MA.

What You'll Do

Lead the Institute day-to-day

• Oversee all internal organizational functions: operations, finance, human resources, compliance, technology, and facilities
• Own annual budget development and financial management, including accounting, monthly reporting, and fiscal planning
• Lead people operations, including payroll, benefits administration, hiring compliance, onboarding, and employee relations
• Maintain the Institute's legal and contracts function, managing external counsel relationships and serving as the internal owner of partnership agreements, employment agreements, research agreements, and vendor contracts
• Act as primary liaison to the Board of Directors for governance materials, documentation, and follow-up
• Manage facilities, technology, and insurance relationships

Serve as the Executive Director's organizational partner

• Manage, facilitate, and protect the Executive Director's decision pipeline
• Prepare briefing materials, talking points, and background documents for conferences, Board meetings, institutional meetings, and media appearances
• Field and route media, speaking, and event requests on behalf of the Executive Director
• Represent WHSP independently and alongside the Executive Director at senior institutional meetings, donor conversations, and partner engagements

Lead and support the Institute's program teams

• Serve as direct manager to the Institute's research and outreach program leaders and lead cross-team coordination
• Facilitate collaboration between the research and outreach functions, ensuring that scientific outputs inform educational programming and that both teams are resourced to succeed
• Own the Institute's annual calendar and organizational milestone tracking

Build and formalize organizational infrastructure

• Lead the Institute's transition to a fully self-standing employer, including employment policies, benefits, and compliance infrastructure
• Establish and manage shared-services agreements with partner organizations
• Manage insurance, legal, and compliance transitions as the organization grows

Required Qualifications and Characteristics

• 8–12+ years of organizational leadership experience, including directly managing staff, owning organizational budgets, and running operations across functions
• Demonstrated experience leading operations in a mission-driven, healthcare, research, scientific, sports, or related organizational context; comfort with the dynamics of a science- or clinical-first environment
• Strong financial literacy: you can build and manage a budget, read financial statements, and make resource decisions with confidence
• Solid experience managing human resources and compliance for a small-to-midsize organization, including benefits administration, employment law, and people operations
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage institutional relationships with funders, partner organizations, university contacts, governing bodies, or equivalent entities
• Exceptional written and verbal communication: comfortable representing an organization externally at the senior level
• Highly organized and process-minded without being bureaucratic: you create structure that enables people, not structure that slows them down
• Genuine connection to the mission of advancing female athlete health and performance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Boston's research, academic medicine, or sports science ecosystem
• Experience managing a nonprofit organization with Board governance responsibilities
• Familiarity with employment law, nonprofit HR, and outsourced HR or employer-of-record models
• Experience with clinical or research compliance environments (e.g., data governance, research ethics, health information privacy)
• Strong network in women's health, women's sports, and related domains
• Experience supporting a founder or high-profile clinical or scientific leader

What We Offer

Opportunity to make a meaningful impact in women's sports and health

Direct partnership with senior leadership in a growing organization

Opportunity for personal and professional growth as the organization expands

Interaction with athletes, coaches, and thought leaders across women's sports

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter describing your fit for the role and outlining your interest in working at the intersection of women's health, sports, and performance to [e-mail]. Please reference WHSP Managing Director in the subject line of your email. Please include your earliest available and feasible start date on-site in Brighton, MA, as well as contact information for 3 references.

WHSP Institute is an equal opportunity employer. WHSP Institute provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment regardless of race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, or military service.