USA Lacrosse, a non-profit organization, is the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, leading the U.S. National Teams Program and establishing universal standards. With nearly 400,000 members, we provide national leadership, structure, and resources to fuel and unify the sport's growth and enrich the experience of its players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders.

USA Lacrosse believes a diverse staff best positions our organization to fulfill its mission. We strive to attract and maintain a team of talented and dedicated professionals who reflect the diverse nature of our membership and the national lacrosse community. We are committed to a staff culture that ensures everyone feels welcomed, valued, and included.

CORE VALUES & COMPETENCIES

•We Influence - Written and Verbal Communication •We Serve - Customer Focused •We Create & Innovate - Creativity •We Collaborate - Peer Relationships •We are Humble & Honest - Integrity and Trust •We Embrace Individuality - Diversity •We Have Fun – Work Hard and Play Hard

If this aligns with who you are and what you are looking for in an organization, keep reading.

POSITION SUMMARY

USA Lacrosse is looking for someone to join our team as the Director, Sport Growth, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. This exciting role provides strategic vision and leadership over all sport growth related initiatives for USA Lacrosse by developing, leading, executing, and overseeing programs and initiatives throughout the country to increase awareness and expand reach. You will get to work directly with our VP, Sport Growth & Development, as well as internal and external stakeholders, to identify target communities and demographics to design a comprehensive plan to increase the accessibility of lacrosse throughout the country with diversity, equity, and inclusion as an important element of all offerings and initiatives.

The Director, Sport Growth, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion will serve as USA Lacrosse's subject matter expert by maintaining the pulse on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) best practices, current events, and areas of focus while ensuring USA Lacrosse, as the governing body for lacrosse, is looking at DEI from multiple angles to ensure inclusivity and opportunity exist throughout the country across all communities.

If you have previous hands-on experience building and executing a strategy around diversity, equity, and inclusion programs designed to expand reach and opportunity to under resourced and underrepresented communities on a national level, this could be an amazing opportunity for you. If you want to work with a talented, passionate, and dedicated team of professionals who believe in the mission of fueling the growth of lacrosse and getting sticks in kid’s hands to make a positive impact on their lives, keep reading!

A TYPICAL DAY LOOKS LIKE…

•Provides strategic vision and leadership for all sport growth programs and initiatives by identifying and engaging with internal and external stakeholders to develop strategic alliances to help advance USA Lacrosse’s DEI strategies aimed at sport growth and opportunity.

•Partners with the VP, Sport Growth & Development and internal departments (Regional Development, National Teams, Sport Growth, etc.), to lead the development, execution, and advancement of all sport growth initiatives to increase awareness and make lacrosse accessible throughout the country. This includes assessing and identifying target communities and demographics to expand reach and ensure alignment with USA Lacrosse’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives.

•Through use of USA Lacrosse’s sport growth initiatives, partners with the Regional Development and Membership teams to devise a strategy to leverage existing programs and create new programs that will help increase revenue, membership, and participation in lacrosse throughout the country.

•Develops and executes programs aimed at sport growth (i.e., Pick Up & Play, Sankofa Clinics, etc.). This includes selecting sites and overseeing operational logistics in conjunction with the Regional Development and Sport Growth teams, including equipment procurement.

•Partners with the Director, Human Resources to support DEI initiatives aimed at attracting, retaining, and promoting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and organizational culture, where employees feel psychologically safe and included. This includes working together on employee training and DEI awareness communication and programs.

•Serves as the point of contact and liaison for all Urban Lacrosse Association (ULA) organizations, Sankofa Clinics and clinicians, Pick Up & Play, and all other programs aimed at sport growth. This includes managing all ULA programs, including the grant and annual contract process to ensure the vision of the ULA aligns with USA Lacrosse's vision across the organization for a positive and beneficial relationship.

•Continually evaluates and analyzes the results of programs offered by USA Lacrosse by collecting feedback via surveys and focus groups with participants and program leaders to understand what was good about the program and what was missed so program enhancements can be made to meet the needs of our customers. This includes partnering with the data analytics team to determine what data should be collected and measured (i.e., player age, demographic, geographic location, etc.) so we can determine program impact and measure return on investment (ROI).

•Provides analysis on value add of programs delivered in our target communities to determine if the program(s) offered converted participants to members and whether there was continued player participation to assess overall impact and success and reporting to the leadership team and Board(s).

•Serves as the DEI subject matter expert (SME), keeping a continual pulse on industry best practices, current events, trends, initiatives, and programs, with a particular focus on similar member-serving organizations and national governing bodies (NGBs). This includes conducting research and making recommendations for new ideas to continuously improve USA Lacrosse’s DEI initiative and programs.

•Drives a culture and mindset of diversity, equity, inclusion, and opportunity throughout the organization by sharing strategic expertise, resources, and tools to support and empower departments and team members to identify and develop new opportunities to grow USA Lacrosse’s DEIO goals, objectives, and initiatives.

•Oversees members of the sport growth team, ensuring performance management, professional development, and accountability of all team members in support of the mission, goals, and initiatives of USA Lacrosse.

•Serves as the spokesperson, champion, and SME for USA Lacrosse on issues related to DEIO within sport and the game of lacrosse, working closely with the leadership team, marketing and communication team, and the President & CEO to ensure appropriate and consistent messaging in alignment with USA Lacrosse’s Mission, Vision, and Values.

•Working with the VP, Sports Growth & Development, provides input and recommendations for the annual business plan for sport growth and helps plan and forecast for the annual sport growth budget. This includes managing the budget throughout the year and identifying areas for cost savings and alerting the VP, Sport Growth & Development if there are areas of concern.

IS THIS YOU…

•    5 to 7 years of experience in program development and training/educational, or DEI related initiatives.  Experience managing volunteers a plus.    
•    Proven experience providing strategic direction, development, and implementation of DEIO and/or growth-related programs/initiatives is required for success in this position.  
•    Experience expanding DEIO programs and initiatives on a national level to be all encompassing, including past traditional diversity initiatives aimed solely at the black and brown community (i.e., to Latino, Asian, and Native American).  
•    Previous working experience in a non-profit, association, or other member-based organization a plus.
•    Proven experience working in a consultative/collaborative role requiring partnership and agreement among internal and external parties with differing opinions and priorities.  Previous experience working with ALA and PALA nations and connecting opportunities for partnership a plus.     
•    Experience building and maintaining relationships and establishing trust to advance programs and organizational initiatives.  
•    Willingness to be “boots on the ground,” working alongside internal and external constituents to grow the game of lacrosse by going into communities to increase awareness, expand reach, and put “sticks in hands” to increase participation.  This includes the ability to travel throughout the country and go where needed to expand USAL’s DEIO programs and initiatives.  
•    Ability to work collaboratively with internal team members and departments, as well as external parties, to complete projects and meet established deadlines and goals.  This includes the ability to problem solve and think "outside the box" to bring together differing perspectives to alignment. 
•    Intermediate to advanced knowledge of Microsoft 365 products, specifically Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.  Knowledge of SalesForce a plus and the ability to learn new software programs.  
•    Ability to think proactively and strategically with the capacity to deal with shifting priorities based on business needs. 
•    Strong organizational skills, ability to multi-task and meet required deadlines, and exceptional attention to detail and follow up/through skills.   
•    Effective communication skills, including written, verbal, and interpersonal. This includes the ability and confidence to speak publicly.  Bilingual a plus.  
•    Ability to exercise discretion and handle confidential information. 
•    Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a team with a “hands on” mentality.  This includes the ability to be self-managed to work in a hybrid (in-office/work from home) environment. ??? 
•    Ability to manage a team to ensure performance standards are met/exceeded, there is a culture of accountability, and employees have access to professional development to allow them to grow.  
•    Energetic "go-getter" with the ability to present a professional and assertive persona to negotiate, build relationships, and establish credibility and trust.   
•    Ability to be flexible with established work schedule to accommodate travel needs that may require work at night and/or on weekends based on business needs.
•    Willingness to learn about the sport of lacrosse and appreciate the need to develop and fuel the growth of the sport with diversity, inclusion, and equity in mind.   
•    Ability to align with USA Lacrosse’s Mission, Vision, and Values and Strategic Plan to support our initiatives and organizational goals.   

EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

This position is generally expected to work Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm and occasionally requires longer hours or weekend work as related to events and other business needs.  This is a hybrid position and works from the headquarters office in Sparks, MD three (3) days a week with the flexibility to work from home two (2) days a week.  

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Travel may be necessary up to 15% of the time (local, regional).  Travel would involve the following mode(s) of travel: car, train, or air.  Some out of area and overnight travel may be expected.    

EEO STATEMENT

USA Lacrosse is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, or any other status/characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.  USA Lacrosse believes diversity and inclusion among our team is critical to our success as an organization, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool.   

About USA Lacrosse

USA Lacrosse, a non-profit organization, is the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, leading the U.S. National Teams Program and establishing universal standards. With nearly 400,000 members, we provide national leadership, structure, and resources to fuel and unify the sport's growth and enrich the experience of its players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders. USA Lacrosse believes a diverse staff best positions our organization to fulfill its mission. We strive to attract and maintain a team of talented and dedicated professionals who reflect the diverse nature of our membership and the national lacrosse community. We are committed to a staff culture that ensures everyone feels welcomed, valued, and included.

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