Senior Sport Group Manager

The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles, California in 2028, returning to the United States for the first time in over 30 years. 2028 will be the first time LA hosts the Paralympic Games, creating an opportunity to expand awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with disabilities.

LA28, the organizers for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, is on a mission to create an unparalleled Games experience for athletes, fans, partners, our community and our people. Our vision is to collectively create what's next through sport, community and the power of our differences.

The 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will represent LA and leverage the strength of our community's diversity and creativity as we collectively work to design a Games that we all want to be a part of. We do this by focusing on people and by inviting everyone into the story of the LA28 Games.

The LA28 organizing committee is an independent, non-profit organization that is privately funded and governed by a board of directors.

Our Vision is to collectively create what's next by harnessing sport, community and the power of our differences. Our Mission is to create an unparalleled Paralympic and Olympic Games for athletes, fans, partners, our community and our people.

Values and Behaviors:

• Optimism – Embody a positive, enthusiastic, and solution-oriented attitude in everything we do; challenge the status quo, inspire and support one another to achieve our best; have our eyes on the future and believe we can make a meaningful impact
• Integrity – We communicate openly and honestly, listen, and respectfully value multiple perspectives; we do what we say and are accountable for everything we do; we do the right thing, always. Even when it isn't easy
• Excellence – We hold ourselves to the highest standard and expectations; we live our values and truths and persevere through challenges; we are continuous learners and adapt and pivot with speed to meet changing needs
• Inclusion – We seek to represent, include, empower and level the playing field; our work reflects the communities we serve and the world in which we live; we leverage our platforms to bring awareness to issues relevant to who we are
• Co-Creation – We are authors of a shared story. Everyone contributes their unique voice to our shared mission; we share pride in our accomplishments and ownership of our shortcomings
• Boldness – We embrace creativity, courage and outside-the-box thinking; we are unafraid to take risks, explore unconventional solutions, and learn from the process; we are innovators, disruptors, and challengers of the status quo

Senior Sport Group Manager:

The Senior Sport Group Manager will play a critical role within the LA28 Sport team, reporting directly to the Senior Director of Sport while leading all aspects of operational planning for an assigned group of Olympic and Paralympic sports and disciplines (more than 10 sports/discipline per group). This role will ensure close coordination with the relevant International Federations (IFs) and the National Governing Bodies (NGBs). This role will also be expected to collaborate with the centralized Sport Planning team as well as other LA28 functions within Games Planning and Delivery (i.e. Venues and Infrastructure, Venue Management, Ticketing and Hospitality, Games services, Transport, Accommodations, Food and Beverage, Accreditation, etc), and across the organization (including but not limited to Athlete Relations, Strategy, Marketing, Commercial, Technology, HR, and Finance).

Key Responsibilities:

Competition and Training Venue(s)

• Liaise with assigned Olympic and Paralympic IFs on the development and design of competition and training venues

• Coordinate with LA28 Venues and Infrastructure and Venue Management and other Functional Areas (FAs) internal to LA28 to provide sport specific input into the development and design of competition and training venues

Competition Management & Planning

• Collaborate within Sport and with relevant FAs to provide sport specific input into test event and Games-time planning including operating plans for competition and training venues including components of the Event Delivery Plan

• Coordinate the input of the Olympic and Paralympic IFs, and once onboarded the respective Sport Managers, into the development of the competition schedule and training schedules for assigned sports/disciplines

• Validate sport equipment requirements for assigned sports/disciplines ensuring that all Olympic and Paralympic IF requirements have been scoped

• Provide sport specific feedback as required for all pre-Games, test event and Games-time planning across the organization via centralized planning activities lead by Sport Planning including relevant Sport Delivery Plans

• Provide input to Sport Planning on the development of the test event calendar

Competition Management Workforce

• Lead the recruitment process for all Sport Manager roles within assigned sports/disciplines

• Onboarding and day-to-day leadership of all Sport Managers within assigned Olympic and Paralympic sports/disciplines

• Collaborate on the Sport Workforce strategy and planning for assigned sports/disciplines, completing research with each NGB on the quantities and status of National Technical Officials and Sport Skilled Volunteers currently engaged in local and regional events

• Support the development of test event and Games-time training for sport/discipline specific workforce

Olympic/Paralympic IF & NGB Relations

Competition and Training Venue(s)

• Liaise with assigned Olympic and Paralympic IFs on the development and design of competition and training venues

• Coordinate with LA28 Venues and Infrastructure and Venue Management and other Functional Areas (FAs) internal to LA28 to provide sport specific input into the development and design of competition and training venues

Competition Management & Planning

• Collaborate within Sport and with relevant FAs to provide sport specific input into test event and Games-time planning including operating plans for competition and training venues including components of the Event Delivery Plan

• Coordinate the input of the Olympic and Paralympic IFs, and once onboarded the respective Sport Managers, into the development of the competition schedule and training schedules for assigned sports/disciplines

• Validate sport equipment requirements for assigned sports/disciplines ensuring that all Olympic and Paralympic IF requirements have been scoped

• Provide sport specific feedback as required for all pre-Games, test event and Games-time planning across the organization via centralized planning activities lead by Sport Planning including relevant Sport Delivery Plans

• Provide input to Sport Planning on the development of the test event calendar

Competition Management Workforce

• Lead the recruitment process for all Sport Manager roles within assigned sports/disciplines

• Onboarding and day-to-day leadership of all Sport Managers within assigned Olympic and Paralympic sports/disciplines

• Collaborate on the Sport Workforce strategy and planning for assigned sports/disciplines, completing research with each NGB on the quantities and status of National Technical Officials and Sport Skilled Volunteers currently engaged in local and regional events

• Support the development of test event and Games-time training for sport/discipline specific workforce

Olympic/Paralympic IF & NGB Relations

• Support Sport Managers to liaise with their Olympic and Paralympic IFs and NGBs, and oversee the relationship for sports with multiple disciplines to ensure clear and coordinated communication

• Oversee and track all communication with Olympic and Paralympic International Federations (IFs) and National Governing Bodies (NGBs), providing regular updates to the Senior Sport Director on relationship status, test event progress, and Games-time planning deliverables. Coordinate Olympic and Paralympic IF Site visits, developing an effective agenda, liaising with FAs and Stakeholders on their participation and producing site visit reports and presentations

Administration & Program Management

• Provide reports and updates on the status of milestones/deliverables and tasks to communicate overall progress in the planning for each sport and discipline

• Support the development of budgets and projects plans with well researched and validated sport and discipline specific information and planning assumptions

Background & Qualifications:

• Direct Olympic and Paralympic sport experience in a leadership role at one or more previous OCOG is required

• Knowledge of the Sport and event operations experience and exposure at multiple levels, including professional leagues or teams, federations, universities, and grassroots, including but not limited too direct sport experience in a leadership role at one or more International Federation World Championships

• Understanding and expertise within international and national Sport as well as international and US Sport governing bodies

• Experience collaborating with colleagues across multiple functional areas

• Extremely detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills

• Strong communication, team building, and interpersonal skills

• Well-developed problem-solving skills and ability to work independently to resolve issues

• Fluent working with Office suite products including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB)

Position Requirements: Education:

• Bachelor's degree required or equivalent work experience.

Expectations:

• Ability to work effectively in a close team environment,

• Required proven ability of building good interpersonal relationships with people across the organization, while balancing assertiveness with diplomacy

• A collaborative mindset; someone who prioritizes the team and fosters a culture of high performance without ego

• An innovative viewpoint, willing to challenge the status quo and thinking ahead to the future possibilities within the Movement

• Ability to implement and manage change effectively

• Demonstrated commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
• Experience considering diverse groups of athletes in Sport planning and delivery, with special attention to how ability, gender, and other identities impact different athletes' experiences.

Physical Requirements, Travel, and Working Conditions

• This position will require international, domestic, and local trips for IF and NGB events/congresses, as well as venue tours in the Los Angeles area during official IF site visits.
• International travel may involve travelling to different countries to observe global sporting events and will require a valid Passport. We anticipate International travel to be 1 - 6 times per year for 1-2 week intervals. Approximately 20% or less of working hours.
• Domestic travel may involve traveling within the United States to observe global sporting events. Anticipated travel can be 0-2 times per month.
• Local travel will consist of visiting local venues that LA28 is considering using as a Sport Venue. Anticipated travel can be 0-2 times per month and can increase as 2028 approaches.
• All of the travel will require the candidate to bring their own luggage.
• When not travelling, this role is based at the LA28 office.

Submission Requirements:

• Resume

The annual base salary range for this position is $115,000.00 - $130,000.00. The pay scale provided is the range that LA28 reasonably expects to pay as starting base compensation for this role. All LA28 compensation remains subject to final determination based on individual candidate qualifications, experience, or other reasonable criteria consistent with LA28's operational business needs and applicable law.

LA28 does not provide relocation assistance.

LA28 is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin, or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We strive to build a team that is diverse, inclusive and encourages qualified candidates of all backgrounds, perspectives, and identities to apply. We will consider all qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with local law. We assess applications based on relevant skills, education, and experience a candidate can add to our team.