Head Athletic Trainer

The Washington Spirit Head Athletic Trainer will be responsible for leading the day-to-day coordination of athletic training needs, while supporting the management of all injuries, illnesses and emergency care. Possessing “gold standard” clinical and manual skills for diagnosis, treatment and pre/rehabilitation, they will be capable of working autonomously to ensure an individualized, female athlete, elite performance focus.

In close conjunction with the Director of Medical they will be detailed and thorough with all administration, record keeping, documentation, consultant communication and league mandates/requirements.

They will work holistically and collaboratively with the wider MDT and Technical streams – prioritizing clear, concise and transparent communication with a common understanding of the individual athlete. Supporting all streams of Performance and Medicine where required on VMOST, Project work and where directed by their line manager.

• Coordinate all relevant services and staff to ensure a robust and thorough program of injury and illness prevention/management and individual medical care at the home facility/when traveling throughout the season (pre/during/post).
• Lead on all Athletic trainer administration requirements for club, 3rd party communication, consultants, league mandates and required paperwork for external providers – with detailed SOPs and relevant training.

• Tailored to individual player and team needs across the season they will be aligned with the overall philosophy of the P&M Department and documented accordingly – under the remit of the VP P&M and SDPS.

• Deliver the front-facing emergency care and ensure all legal requirements are met for SOPs, facility safety and equipment use/storage and maintenance.

• Operate with all club and league mandates to ensure medicolegal compliance and
• Support the Lead S&C Coach with training, conditioning sessions, and individual programs for players in conjunction with Medical, RTP and Women’s Performance staff.

• Support Performance staff to utilize sports science tools (GPS tracking, force plates, heart rate monitors) to assess and track players’ physical outputs where linked to medical or RTP.

• Collaborate with RTT/RTP Performance coach, physical therapists and other medical staff to develop injury prevention strategies and return-to-play protocols.
• Support the club nutritionist’s guidance on nutrition, hydration, and recovery techniques to support high-performance demands.

• Lead on the conduction, reporting and interpretation of all relevant medical screening/profiling – including daily injury reports/annualized testing. Support the SDPS with all Performance testing and reporting.

• Support and where applicable lead on educating athletes on best practices for injuries, illnesses, strength, conditioning, and self-management of physical health.
• Work closely with technical coaches and wider MDT to integrate physical performance/rehab objectives into football-specific training sessions.

• Collaborate with the Director of Medical and work closely and directly to deliver cutting-edge bespoke management, monitoring and development plans for training on and off the pitch.
• Provide specific front-facing prehab/rehab and training management support – including first aid, SOPs and relevant application use
• Support the programming and delivery of gym-based strength and conditioning, as well as specific requirements for Women’s Health.
• Collaborate with the wider MDT on the programming and delivery of on-field conditioning, warm-ups, individual requirements, as required.
• Collaborate with the Director of Medical Services/Head ATC to ensure all players receive individual physical programs, monitoring and management to track player development and manage any prehab/rehab.
• In collaboration with the Performance and Medical staff create and monitor off-season training programs.
• Work collaboratively with the Director of…