Sports Operations Specialist Jobs

Sports Operations Specialist

keep the dream alive. It’s a simple statement that means so much to the thousands of players in the LUG all over the US and Canada. LUG was originally started as a way for students to have the opportunity to play more sports and activities with their friends. After getting to campus as a 1st year or freshman, finding out what extracurricular activities are available, especially with sports, can be tough. That’s where LUG comes in.

From our original roots, LUG is a competitive, recreational and fun campus league, with multiple divisions representing 50+ college cities and over 15,000 players across North America. With our strong community, and focus on both the on-ice/field/diamond and off ice/field/diamond experience, LUG is the only ticket our students and alumni need for their sport and social needs.

We are currently looking for a Sports Operations Specialist to help support and lead our efforts to provide the first class experience that our members expect whether they’re playing in a hockey league in London Ontario Canada, a Softball league in Tucson Arizona USA or any of our other sports (volleyball, eSports, flag football and more). This individual will provide leadership and work closely with our facilities partners, Campus Commissioners, Game Day Staff, Time Keepers, Officials and other contractors to help ensure smooth and consistent league operations. They will meet and/or exceed established targets and make excellent decisions based upon analysis, knowledge, experience, and sound judgment.

The Sports Operations team will be working in tandem with our existing Head Office team to take projects from start to finish, having personal accountability and ethical actions to set positive examples for our Campus based staff. They must “understand the bottom line” and effectively coach and mentor direct reports and evaluate Commissioners in their performance within their areas of responsibility while making all staff and players feel welcome, regardless of their background or orientation. When we say understanding the bottom line, we mean the bottom line for customers, which translates into games that are scheduled well in advance, time keepers there to keep stats and play music, with referees ready to keep games running smoothly and all of the other operational details required. The bottom line for our customers is games that exceed expectations with no hiccups along the way.

General responsibilities include:

• Supporting other initiatives that pop up in our fast moving, entrepreneurial business such as photoshoots, product and campaign launches, and more.
• Model all scenarios and keep organized projections for possible team, league and venue situations.
• Create and manage league schedules and staff schedules to ensure all necessary support staff (time keepers, game day staff, photographers, etc) are on locations for games, events, and all other league related activities.
• Oversee league statistics and scoring tracking to ensure all games are accurately and consistently posted to the website immediately following games.
• Build processes and procedures to help simplify operations and the back end experience to deliver a consistent player experience.
• Order equipment, support shipping of materials and supplies across the leagues.
• Source out new and manage existing relationships with officials, photographers, and other contractors as required.
• Work closely with facility partners to secure and negotiate contracts for games, tournaments, and leagues. Manage contracts and maintain good relationships with key partners.
• Act as a lead on team/player communications keeping teams informed of schedule changes, league updates, and outstanding balances owed to ensure all league dues are collected on time.
• Manage on time payments for all Game Operations related staff with proper reporting and validation of all data.
• Act as a main point of contact for Campus Commissioners on processes, policies, and procedures to ensure a smooth league experience. Provide guidance on best practices and support staff in problem-solving field related issues, managing suspensions and other operational support.

Education and Knowledge Requirements

• Current industry trends
• Service quality principles
• General business fundamentals
• Business planning & forecasting
• Financial analysis and Performance metrics
• 1+ years’ experience in an Operations, Event Management or as an administrative specialist, preferably in sports, entertainment, or hospitality services
• Training development and communications
• College Certificate or University Degree in business or a related field

Skill Requirements

• Organization and logistical skills
• Strong attention to detail
• Team oriented
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Additional tools knowledge include: Calendly, Canva, MailChimp, Slack, Klaviyo
• Pro-active problem solving
• Proficient at using Microsoft Suite, Google for Business
• Data analysis and management

Additional Notes

• League games typically take place on evenings and weekends. This is not your standard 9-5. Working day requirements may shift based on leagues running and the season.
• LUG offers unlimited vacation, a competitive benefits package for all your health and dental needs and a monthly athletic fee stipend.
• We’re a remote-first team and output is more important than facetime, so where you choose to work is up to you — as long as you have internet access, you can work from wherever helps to make you successful, and your family happy.

Applications submitted via auto-apply on LinkedIn will not be considered. If you are interested in applying for this position, please email your resume and a cover letter to [email protected]. For the Cover Letter, we don’t need anything fancy, just tell us in plain writing why you want to join the LUG Head Office team and why your experience will support the operations team to stay organized and run the best sports leagues possible. Only those who include a Cover Letter will be considered.

NOTE: At LUG Sports, we are building leagues for a diverse world and we need a diverse team to do that successfully. We strongly encourage applications from everyone regardless of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, provincial and local laws and ordinances. If you need any accommodations or adjustments throughout the interview process and beyond, please let us know. Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted. Please accept our utmost appreciation for your interest.