Opportunity Summary: The Squash and Education Alliance (SEA) seeks a highly organized and detail-oriented squash professional with a passion for tournament play to be the Director of Competition. The Director of Competition will help lead SEA’s efforts to raise the level of squash across the network by markedly increasing the amount of squash competitions that SEA participants enjoy annually. Specifically, the Director of Competition will organize and manage regional and national squash competitions, develop and manage a formal regional league system, coach at SEA squads and camps, and lead a community of squash directors in the SEA network to learn from each other and identify best practices for coaching squash. The Director of Competition will work closely with the Director of Player Development and report to SEA’s Managing Director.
Duties and Responsibilities: Specific responsibilities will include but not be limited to:
Tournament Planning & Management
- Event Management – Manage all aspects of SEA-led tournaments, including facility contracts, insurance, program communications, student paperwork, housing, seedings and draws, meals, and staff hiring and training (tournament assistants, athletic trainers, etc.).
- National Tournaments – Manage SEA’s 6 marquee, 3-day competitions:
- October: High Performance Team Trials (location TBD, Indigenous People’s Day Weekend)
- November: Great Lakes Championships (Detroit or Chicago, Veterans Day Weekend)
- January: West Coast Invitational (San Diego, MLK Day Weekend)
- February/March: Team Nationals (Philadelphia, US Squash Specter Center)
- June: Individual Nationals (Amherst & Williams Colleges)
- July: Summer Midwest Championships (Kenyon College)
- Regional Tournaments – Ensure, with planning support and grantmaking, that at least one regional tournament (1-2 days) is held annually at each of SEA’s member program facilities.
League Design & Management
- League Play – Design, implement, and oversee a varsity and JV regional league structure with the network’s middle and high school teams, enabling students across the network to experience formal and consistent team match play, pre- and post-season rankings, and win-loss records.
Network Support
- Grantmaking – Participate in SEA’s grant-making efforts that are focused on raising the level of play and coaching across the network with grants.
- Partnerships – Serve as a liaison for SEA with its squash partner organizations – US Squash, College Squash Association, WSF, etc. – strengthening relationships and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
- Coach Development – Support and help lead two two-day trainings for SEA coaches annually.
Operations & Communications
- Manage college student interns in leading tournaments and events.
- Maintain up-to-date squash-relevant sections of the website and SEA Salesforce database.
- Contribute to SEA’s electronic communications (social media, newsletters, etc.).
- Liaise with SEA Board members and its Program Committee
Qualifications & Experience
- Experience as a squash player or coach.
- Valid US driver’s license and ability to drive a 15-passenger vehicle.
- Experience as a student, volunteer or staff member of an SEA member program a plus.
Qualities & Skills
- Experience in and passion for organizing athletic competitions and bringing large groups of people together.
- Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to work in a collaborative, solution-focused manner. Great problem solver.
- Sets high standards for self and colleagues; highly self-motivated and thrives under pressure.
- Excellent attention to detail and project management skills, and strong writing skills.
- Exceptional ability to build efficient processes to ensure cross-functional communication and collaboration.
- Experience with Salesforce database a plus.
Hours & Travel: SEA’s main hours of operation are Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and our office is located in the Financial District of Manhattan. Beginning in the fall, SEA will have a hybrid model of 3 days in the office per week, and we will continually monitor this policy as public health and other circumstances permit. This role includes regular travel and visits to SEA member programs and attendance at regional and national events. Annually, the position will include 15 full weekends of work (Fri-Sun or Sat-Sun), or approximately one in every four weeks. After working on weekend days or federal holidays, the Director of Competition receives comp days for each day worked.
All SEA staff are expected to show proof of full vaccination (vaccine plus booster(s)) at start date.
Compensation & Benefits: $65,000, with the potential to earn considerably more depending on experience level. Includes 4 weeks of vacation annually, health insurance benefits, and, after one month of full-time service, a 401K matching plan. Vacation time must be taken outside of programming responsibilities.
Start date: September 2022
SEA is the umbrella organization and governing body of a network of 19 U.S. nonprofits and 5 international affiliate organizations that combine squash, academics, mentoring, travel, college support, and career readiness for more than 2,500 young people. Ninety-four percent of the high school graduates of our U.S. member programs matriculate to college, one-third attend top-100 ranked colleges, and more than two-thirds earn degrees in six years or less. SEA leads this network by launching new programs, promoting best practices to ensure the highest quality programming among member organizations, and providing additional educational and athletic experiences for students and alumni of our member programs.
SEA is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please visit our website to read our full statement.
We are committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to sex, race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status.
Interested? Candidates should send a resume and cover letter to info@squashandeducation.org.
