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Executive Director
United States Olympic Committee
Colorado Springs, CO, United States
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USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Executive Director
Reports to: President, Executive Committee, Board of Directors
Supervises: 8 Member Headquarters Staff:
Director, Communications Director & Editor of The Water Skier
Director, Member Services
Director, Partnerships and Marketing
Director, Member Development and Outreach
Director, Accounting and Finance
Graphic Designer/Photographer
Member Services Specialists (2)
Executive summary:
The vision of USA-Water Ski & Wake Sports is to be the preeminent authority for all recreational and competitive towed water sports in the United States and to provide sustained competitive worldwide excellence.
The organization has an operating budget and reserves of approximately $1.7 million and currently serves 15,000 members. The majority of members are competitive skiers or riders.
USA Water Ski & Wake Sports Headquarters, located in Polk City, FL is recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation as the national governing body of nine sports disciplines under the umbrella of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, which include 3-event (slalom, jump and tricks), show skiing, collegiate skiing, wakeboarding, barefooting, ski racing, hydrofoiling, kneeboarding and disabled skiing.
According to the Sports Fitness Industry Association (SFIA 2017) there are over 9 million participants who water ski, wakeboard or participate in similarly competitively or recreationally towed water sports. Besides the usual health benefits tied to water skiing, the activity engages the whole family in a shared outdoor fun, recreational and competitive activity. It is a true family sport, one of its biggest selling points.
There is an 18-member board of directors over the entire umbrella organization of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports and each of the nine disciplines has its own board of directors. There is also a USOC-mandated 20% elite athlete membership on the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports board and all USA-WS committees.
Consistently, the Americans field some of the strongest teams and individual athletes in international water ski competitions, winning most age groups and elite World Championships; not only in the 3-event discipline but also in show skiing, wakeboarding, barefoot, racing, disabled and collegiate, not to mention the prestigious Pan American Games and a potential for inclusion in the 2024 Olympic Games.
Our membership is comprised of athletes, officials, coaches and individuals, all who enjoy water sports. Their backgrounds come from all professions and age groups. Our strength comes from the involvement of family and friends. In professional water skiing, there are more Americans both male and female currently ranked in the top 5 in the three event disciplines of slalom, jump and tricks than any other. Additionally, there are a growing number of colleges and universities that offer water skiing scholarships or expanding their club sports programs to include water skiing and wake sports.
The knowledgeable and well-liked current executive director is retiring after eight years of service. In his service, he provided both organizational and financial stability and paved the groundwork for exciting new initiatives. The Headquarters Staff he has molded is a small and dedicated group of individuals with significant organizational history. With recent organizational updates and initiatives, the organization is properly positioned for growth.
Additional relevant information regarding USA Water Ski & Wake Sports, including its bylaws and financial statements, are available on the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports website, www.usawaterski.org.
Position Summary:
The Executive Director is accountable to the Board of Directors for management and direction of all USA Water Ski & Wake Sports activities. The mission statement provides insight into the Executive Director’s primary responsibilities:
The mission of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is to advance, support and service all towed water sports through widespread recreational participation, education, promotion and sustained worldwide competitive excellence.
This position is a combination of leadership, adhering to prudent fiscal controls, a touch of inspiration, solid strategic planning, hands-on work and proven sales and marketing skills. It is meant to be a highly visible position requiring frequent public involvement, volunteer interaction, presentations and cooperative programming within the water ski industry. It is a “roll up your sleeves” role. Examples of specific responsibilities to grow the organization include the following:
A. Membership Growth and Development
1. Member Benefits: Solicit input from the board, members, water sports industry leaders, other national governing bodies, and non-member recreational water skiers to identify appropriate membership benefits and turn-key methods in which each of the organization’s 500 clubs can either increase their membership at a local level or increase the number of clubs.
2. Membership Solicitation: Identify potential members, establish new member categories and services, solicit members through direct mail, online activities, sponsors, events and maintain and frequently communicate with this membership and potential membership database.
3. Membership Marketing: Review the organization’s membership development marketing programs geared to increasing membership and further participation among the recreational water skier. Work with members and volunteers on developing the plans for continued roll out of these programs and set benchmarks for success. Meet with industry leaders to understand and cooperate with their methods of identifying and then creating frequent touch points with the nine million participants in these water sports disciplines to further engage them. Develop additional marketing programs to better identify and engage this group of recreational skiers to find value in USA Water Ski & Wake Sports’ family, services and membership.
B. Marketing
1. Public Relations: Further develop the USA Water Ski & Wake Sports public relations/communications plan to increase the visibility of the organization’s assets of internationally renowned water ski champions, recreational water skiers and the benefits of college scholarships for water skiers. Develop a network of sport industry professionals both in the US and internationally for the exchange of information and generation of interest in local water ski events; develop advertising campaigns capitalizing on electronic, digital and print media; build a stronger social network gaining national recognition and prominence.
2. Liaison with United States Olympic Committee: Continue with a solid working relationship with the United States Olympic Committee and the International Water Ski and Wakeboard Federation.
3. Sponsorship Development: Develop and organize corporate sponsorship initiatives, special events, and promotions; solicit private foundations, public entities, individuals and corporations for sponsorships, in kind goods/services and cash investments.
4. Sport Development: Support national and team coaches in each discipline to plan, implement and evaluate programs as they relate to the high-performance goals of USA Water Ski & Wake Sports. Ensure there are programs at the grassroots level, that are adequately funded, that insure a successful pipeline of talent for international competitions and to fulfill the objectives of the organization.
C. Administration
1. Office: Manage the day-to-day operations of the National Headquarters operation, ensuring procedures support quality service for the membership and the public. Lead and manage the Headquarters staff to best serve the members and promote our sport. Assign staff members appropriately to support the mission of the Federation.
2. Financial: Prepare and monitor the annual budget and financial controls, oversee proper accounting, develop and maintain membership programs, and ensure appropriate sponsor partnerships and fulfillment.
3. Insurance: Monitor our current programs and investigate new coverage options for our events, membership and assets.
4. Legal: Seek out and secure legal advice to insure our organization and operations conform to all legal standards.
5. Advocacy and Compliance: Continue to work with USOC on critical issues such as the SafeSport initiative, Operation Gold and the Performance Partnership Agreement. Work with USOC, the Center for SafeSport and the sport disciplines to insure compliance with the education, certification and background check requirements. Continue to work closely with the WSIA and meet with appropriate government and industry leaders to promote waterways assistance and access, as well as boating laws, driver certification, insurance and event guidelines.
6. Other: Work with the board of directors and assist each sport discipline’s board of directors and volunteers with guidance to accomplish the mission of the overall organization and of the specific sport disciplines. Work closely with boating industry executives and other trade and membership associations affiliated with water skiing. Educate and interact with the board and members on new initiatives which can be used for USA Water Ski & Wake Sports in building greater relationships with even more water sports participants, activities and organizations.
Required Qualifications:
1. Education:
Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with preference in business administration, public administration, sports marketing or related field. An advanced degree is a plus.
2. Knowledge and Experience:
Functions: The position requires experience in marketing, specifically membership development/affinity programs/customer development, market research, event organization and management, fundraising and sponsorship sales, in a small organization. Hands on experience with bookkeeping/accounting/budgeting, advertising, social and digital media and communications. This individual needs to be comfortable with athlete promotion and development. Candidates should have had previous work experience managing a customer database. An understanding of software programming is a plus.
Association Management: Candidates should have had successful association experience in managing and leading a volunteer board of directors and volunteers, as a whole.
Sports Industry: Candidates should be knowledgeable of the sports and recreational industry, preferably familiar with sports executives in national governing bodies, colleges, and sport manufacturers. Experience participating in a water sports discipline is preferred but not required.
Sport Development: The overseeing of elite level athlete management and development is preferred but not required.
3.Other qualifications:
Business Acumen: The Executive Director must be capable working with diverse groups of people including government officials, business industry leaders, community leaders, amateur and professional sport leaders and participants, and the general public. It requires multiple skill sets, including volunteer board experience, sports administration, extraordinary communication, visionary skills and fiscal management.
Personal: Candidates should have a high level of energy, accessibility, a commitment to the benefits of a healthy outdoor lifestyle, commitment to a heavy workload and schedule, solid management skills and have well-developed public speaking and presentation skills. USA Water Ski & Wake Sports is a small organization in which the Executive Director must be flexible and willing to do whatever is needed. Strong written, oral and electronic communications skills are essential for success.
Proven successes: Candidates will be asked to detail their history of ongoing success and share the steps in their decision-making process. We are seeking a leader capable of bridging multiple interests yet guiding all factions towards increased participation and promotion of water sports activities.
Job Time Commitments:
ADMINISTRATION
Oversight of Headquarters operations – staffing, finances, governance, membership and sanctioning processes, SafeSport, USOC programs, USA-WSWS Foundation, etc. 25%
MARKETING
Creation and implementation of partnerships and sponsorships strategies/initiatives in coordination with HQ staff. 20%
MEMBERSHIP
Membership processing, fulfillment and support in coordination with HQ staff. 20%
SPORT DEVELOPMENT
Set strategies and implementation for growing the sport by looking for best opportunities for member growth and retention. 15%
NATIONAL TOURNAMENTS
AWSA and NSSA contracts, negotiations, planning and support 10%
COMPETITION
Support for non AWSA and NSSA events 5%
PUBLICATIONS
Guidance and oversee publications and social media. 3%
TOWBOAT TESTING
Coordination of testing program. 2%
Compensation and Benefits:
• Full-time position located at National Headquarters in Polk County, Florida.
• Compensation commensurate with qualifications.
• Generous benefits package including retirement program and medical insurance.
Applications
If you feel that you are ready to meet the challenge, please provide your CV with a cover letter that tells why you are a suitable candidate for the role and details your current salary/benefits to TeamWork Online at: www.teamworkonline.com. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.It is anticipated that the last day for applications to be accepted will be Monday, April 30, 2018. Due to the anticipated number of high quality applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Inquiries:Tim Cullen, President
Email: president@usawaterski.org