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                          Director of Growth & Partnerships

                                  USTA Midwest Section

Position Summary: 

The Director of Growth & Partnerships is a critical leadership role responsible for strengthening the effectiveness, alignment, and performance of the relationship between the USTA Midwest Section and its District organizations. Serving as a primary strategic partner to District Executive Directors, this role ensures that districts are supported, aligned, and accountable in delivering against shared growth priorities, particularly in the expansion of entry-level participation.

The Director integrates district engagement, shared services, data infrastructure, and operational planning to ensure consistent execution across the Section, while respecting local market dynamics. This position plays a central role in connecting long-term strategy to annual operating plans, translating goals into actionable priorities, and ensuring clarity, consistency, and accountability across districts, TSRs, and Section teams. This role partners closely with the Directors responsible for parks and schools to translate enterprise-level strategy into clear, scalable frameworks for district implementation, working in close partnership with District Executive Directors to drive execution, adoption, and performance.

This role operates in a partnership model and does not have direct authority over District Executive Directors, who continue to report to their local Boards; success is achieved through influence, alignment, and shared goals. This role works through existing Section leaders, TSRs, and District teams to enable execution, rather than directly owning all aspects of delivery.

This role reports to the CEO of the USTA Midwest Section.

BENEFITS

What’s in it for you?

• We offer a robust 401K Plan
• 20 Paid Time Off (PTO) days awarded your first year
• In addition to medical, dental, and vision benefits, we also offer short-term and long-term benefits and life insurance
• Paid travel and job-related expenses

Key Responsibilities

This role focuses on two primary areas: (1) strengthening relationships and alignment between the Section and Districts, and (2) serving as a strategic partner to support District performance against shared growth priorities.

District Relations & Executive Director Partnership 

Serve as a key relationship builder and trusted partner to District Executive Directors, building strong, transparent, and collaborative relationships grounded in trust, shared goals, and mutual accountability. Align with District Executive Directors on priorities, resource allocation, and execution strategies, ensuring clarity on “who leads vs. supports vs. is accountable” across key initiatives. 

Foster a “one team” mindset across Section and District leadership, reinforcing partnership, shared success, and alignment to overall mission priorities. Districts retain ownership of local strategy, operating plans, and execution decisions, with this role focused on alignment and support. 

Entry-Level Growth Strategy & Performance Accountability

Accountable for enabling and supporting entry-level participation growth, serving as the central point of alignment between Section leadership and District execution, and partnering closely with Section Directors and District Executive Directors to co-develop clear strategies, goals, and measurable targets aligned to enterprise priorities; translates these into actionable execution plans with defined ownership and timelines, establishes disciplined performance tracking against plan, and works collaboratively with District and Section leaders to identify gaps, implement mitigation strategies where performance is off track, and accelerate focus and investment in areas of high growth potential, reinforcing a culture of accountability, data-driven decision-making, and continuous improvement across districts.

Tennis Service Representatives (TSRs) Leadership & Alignment

Evaluate and develop the most effective model for leveraging TSR resources across the Midwest, balancing Section priorities with District needs to maximize entry level growth impact, community engagement, and the USTA's long-term participation goals. Partner closely with District Executive Directors, TSRs, and Section leadership to foster alignment, strengthen collaboration, establish shared goals, and ensure the mutual success of the Section, Districts, and TSRs. 

Lead Generation, Coordination & Growth Execution

Lead the development of a structured, scalable lead generation and conversion model across districts.  Partner with districts to identify and pursue growth opportunities in schools, parks, and community organizations.  Support development of contact databases to strengthen outreach efforts and standardize outreach materials and collateral.  Partner with the Directors responsible for parks and schools to operationalize Section strategies within districts, translating strategic priorities into actionable district-level frameworks, tools, and playbooks that support consistent outreach, engagement, and program delivery.

Cross-Functional Strategy Enablement

Serve as a key partner to the Directors of parks and schools to ensure seamless alignment between strategy development and district-level execution. Co-develop implementation frameworks, success metrics, and operating rhythms that enable districts to deliver against priority initiatives.  Establish clear roles and responsibilities across Section leaders and Districts, ensuring clarity on ownership, support, and accountability. Monitor execution progress, identify barriers, and continuously refine approaches based on district feedback and performance data.

Database Management & Performance Analytics

Lead the development of a centralized, integrated data strategy across the Section and Districts.  Oversee database management to ensure accurate, actionable data on participants, leads, and programs.  Establish consistent KPI definitions, tracking mechanisms, and reporting standards across districts, improving the organization’s ability to aggregate district-level data, analyze trends and outcomes, and use insights to “tell the story” of impact and growth.  Provide leadership and coordination of tennis related systems and databases, supporting Districts, TSRs, and program delivery ensuring first line support for system needs.  

Strategic Planning & Growth Alignment

Lead development of long-term (3–5 year) growth strategies aligned with USTA participation goals. Translate strategy into annual operating plans with clear KPIs, milestones, and accountability structures. Ensure alignment between Section strategy and District-level planning and execution. Support prioritization of initiatives and resource allocation across districts.  Track progress and drive accountability for results across the Section.

Performance Management, Storytelling & Continuous Improvement

Strengthen performance management systems to ensure goals reflect desired outcomes, not just activities. Build the organization’s capability to use data for storytelling, funding, and stakeholder engagement. Identify and scale best practices across districts.  Lead ongoing improvement efforts in planning and reporting, communication, and cross-District collaboration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of leadership experience in operations, sports management, nonprofit or membership-based organizations
• Experience working within a decentralized or federated organizational model strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success leading multi-unit operations, field support, or shared services environments
• Experience in tennis or a similar participation-based ecosystem preferred; demonstrated ability to quickly build domain knowledge required

Core Competencies

• Exceptional relationship management skills, particularly with senior leaders and independent stakeholders
• Strong operational and strategic leadership capability
• Data-driven decision-maker with experience building reporting and analytics capabilities
• Ability to drive alignment and accountability without direct authority
• Strong communication, facilitation, and change management skills

Leadership Profile

• Highly collaborative leader with a partnership-first mindset and strong field empathy
• Builds trust and credibility across diverse stakeholders
• Balances strategic thinking with hands-on execution
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and helping create clarity
• Motivates and aligns teams around shared goals and outcomes

Disclaimer: The USTA Midwest Section is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.