Strength & Conditioning Coach, Academy

OVERVIEW

The Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) is an MLS soccer club serving the greater Los Angeles area. LAFC is dedicated to building a world-class soccer club that represents the diversity of Los Angeles and is committed to delivering an unrivaled experience for fans. LAFC's ownership group is comprised of local leaders and innovators of industry with intellectual capital, financial prowess, operations expertise, and success in the fields of entertainment, sports, technology, and media. LAFC is invested in the world's game and Los Angeles, constructing, and developing the 22,000 seat BMO Stadium and a top-flight training center on the campus of Cal-State Los Angeles.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Strength and Conditioning Coach, LAFC Academy, is responsible for enhancing and supporting player fitness, health, safety, and performance on the field while complying with all MLS, MLS NextPro, and MLS Next league policies and protocols. This role utilizes research-based best practices and data tracking to maximize performance on the field and in the gym, while facilitating conversations, creating insights, and developing programming for players and academy teams in the areas of performance, injury prevention and return to play.

This role reports to the Performance Manager.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Lead strength & conditioning coaching of Academy players, in alignment with the Club's strength development curriculum

Manage all data streams including Catapult GPS, Vald Performance Testing Hub, and oversee in-training and game tracking

Conduct on-field performance coaching, including position-specific speed, agility, and movement skills, and return-to-play training protocols

Collaborate with the Performance and Medical teams in the designing and administering of individualized pre-training activation protocols

Implementing training session specific preparation & activation in alignment with Academy Head Coaches

Collaborate with Performance Manager to implement and monitoring Academy team training periodization in alignment with the Club's methodology

Perform activation and regeneration sessions as needed

Manage, design, and implement weight room physical testing protocols

Evaluate player performance through performance testing, workload monitoring, and other team-specific metrics

Utilize team-specific collected performance data to educate, counsel, and provide feedback to staff and players regarding strategies to improve performance, training, recovery, and injury prevention

Design, modify and apply assessment protocols and methods to analyze the demands of the sport and the capabilities of the Academy athletes

Maintain accurate records of performance metrics, training loads, and recovery data

Stay current with sports science research and advancements to ensure best practices are applied

Support the development of a data-driven approach to athlete management and performance enhancement

Other duties and tasks as designated by Supervisor/Management

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's degree from an accredited College/ University in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or related field or National Federation's equivalent required. Master's Degree in Exercise Science, Kinesiology, Physical Education, or related field preferred

Minimum of 3 years' experience in a similar role required, at an elite/professional sports team, or MLS Academy preferred

Must have the Certified Strength and Conditioning certification by the NSCA, UKSCA, ASCA or equivalent internationally recognized Strength and Conditioning certification

Must be CPR certified

Previous experience working as part of a multi-disciplinary sports medicine and sports science department is a plus

Experience in utilizing sports science technologies, such as Catapult GPS, FirstBeat, and Vald Performance

Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to quickly build trust and relationships with players and staff

Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information

Ability to translate data information and communicate effectively and efficiently in English - both verbal and written

Flexible work schedule with the ability to work nights, weekends, and holidays as the event calendar requires

Must be able to obtain or have a valid and current U.S. passport and travel with team as needed

SALARY RANGE

At LAFC, we carefully consider a wide range of factors to determine a fair and equitable compensation package. The final offer amount will consider a wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to skill sets; relevant experience and training. Pursuant to state and local pay disclosure guidelines, the compensation for this role is $72,000 per year.

HIRING PRACTICES

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

LAFC strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

Applicants for employment in the U.S. must possess work authorization, which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa.