Mental Performance Jobs (NOW HIRING)

JOB DESCRIPTION

Mental Performance Coach

CLASSIFICATION: Year-round; Full-time

FLSA: Exempt

REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Athlete Health & Performance

LOCATION: Center of Excellence training facility, Park City, Utah

TRAVEL: Up to 30% travel both domestically and internationally

BENEFITS: Comprehensive health insurance package; 401k with 4% company match; generous flexible time off; industry perks; access to athlete gym; weekly staff lunch if on-site; ski pass

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is seeking a Mental Performance Coach. This is a full-time position located at the Center of Excellence Training Facility in Park City, UT. This role is eligible for our full benefits package including medical insurance and retirement. For inquiries or help with your application, please email HR@usskiandsnowboard.org.

SUMMARY / OBJECTIVE

We are seeking an experienced team-centered Mental Performance Coach to join our High-Performance Department supporting U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes across 11 sports. This role is integral to the holistic preparation of our athletes, helping them build mental skills, performance plans, and resilience required to perform consistently at their best at the international level. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with coaches to develop their abilities to support the athlete’s mental performance skill development across all phases of the annual training and competition cycle. This role will be an integral part of an integrated performance team that also includes sport science, athletic development, sports medicine, nutrition and athletic administration staff.

ABOUT US

U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) is committed to leading, encouraging, and supporting athletes in achieving excellence and making the United States of America the Best in the World in Olympic skiing and snowboarding. We are committed to fostering, cultivating and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating an environment in which diversity is valued, equity is striven for, and inclusion is embraced.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Athlete Experience

• Individual one on one sessions and group/team based mental performance activities
• Develop a mental skills assessment to help identify areas of opportunity for individual athletes
• Design and deliver individualized mental performance programs tailored to each athlete's goals, competitive demands, and developmental stage
• Facilitate group workshops and team sessions on topics including focus, confidence, managing pressure, and team cohesion
• Support athletes through high-stakes competition preparation, performance slumps, injury recovery, and career transitions
• Build trusting, confidential relationships with athletes that encourage ongoing engagement with mental performance work

1. Mental Skills Training and Performance Planning

• Teach and develop core mental skills including but not limited to attention and focus control, self-regulation and energy system management, confidence and self-belief, mental imagery and visualization, goal setting, self-talk and cognitive control, resilience, and motivation strategies
• Help athletes develop robust coping strategies for dealing with crashes and injuries, poor results, media pressure, and team selection stress
• Support athletes in building their identity and a healthy relationship with performance outcomes and sport participation

1. Athlete Monitoring & Wellbeing

• Implement validated tools to monitor athlete psychological wellbeing, mental readiness, and stress load across training and competition phases
• Collaborate with coaches and medical staff to identify athletes experiencing distress or burnout and coordinate appropriate support pathways
• Maintain accurate records in the athlete management system of the high-performance department in accordance with professional ethical standards

1. Competition Support

• Support athletes in managing the unique psychological demands of high-consequence sport disciplines (e.g., speed events, big mountain, halfpipe, slopestyle, etc)
• Conduct post-competition reflections with athletes to consolidate learning and inform future preparation

1. Operational Excellence

1. Supervisor of 2-3 part time mental performance contractors that will help to carry out the mental performance program and development framework across the organization’s 11 sports
2. Sport Coach & Staff Education

• • Deliver education to sport coaches and support staff on psychological principles and mental skills relevant to athlete development, communication, and performance culture
  • Advise coaching staff on creating training environments that foster psychological safety, growth mindset, and intrinsic motivation
  • Support coaches in developing effective feedback, communication, and athlete-coach relationship skills
  • Support and participate in healthy conversations between mental performance coach, sport coach, and athlete to normalize mental skills and performance planning discussions

1. Research & Innovation

• • Stay current with applied sport psychology research and mental skills relevant to professional sports, extreme action sports, winter sports, and high consequence athletic environments
  • Contribute to the development of the organization's mental performance framework and best practices

d. Professional Development

• Maintain active membership in a recognized professional body and adhere to relevant ethical guidelines and scope of practice

1. Financial Performance
   1. Operate and travel within an allocated budget

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS FOR THE ROLE

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Successful candidate must be able to lift 50 pounds and work in potentially adverse weather conditions outdoors for many hours.
2. Ability to travel domestically and internationally for training camps and competitions

COMPETENCIES & EXPERIENCE

1. Master's degree or higher in Sport Psychology or a closely related field
2. Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) or equivalent recognized professional designation
3. Minimum 5 years of applied experience working with professional or elite athletes
4. Demonstrated ability to deliver individualized mental performance programs across a range of athlete needs and different age groups
5. Strong knowledge of mental skills training and evidence-based mental performance solutions
6. Understanding of the unique psychosocial demands of competitive ski and snowboard environments or the ability to break down sport specific demands
7. Experience working within a multidisciplinary high performance support team
8. Experience supporting athletes through injury rehabilitation
9. Ability to travel domestically and internationally for training camps and competitions
10. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills
11. Exceptional attention to detail and ability to high level multitask to manage several projects at once
12. Experienced, empathetic, results driven leader
13. Strong abilities and experience to develop a system of staff and contractor accountability within the mental performance program
14. Strong comfort level in program implementation across a diverse set of sport coaches and athletes ages 14-40
15. Active passport and ability to be licensed or work in Utah

Preferred

1. Experience working specifically with ski or snowboard athletes, or athletes in high consequence/extreme action sports
2. Familiarity with trauma-informed approaches
3. Training or experience in grief counselling or mental health triage, with clear scope of practice boundaries
4. Knowledge of athlete monitoring tools and psychometric instruments (e.g., RESTQ-Sport, PANAS, Athlete Burnout Questionnaire)

INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. Informational call / Screening with Hiring Manager
2. SparkHire: One-way video interview
3. Zoom interview with Team

U.S. SKI AND SNOWBOARD EEO STATEMENT

USSS is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions), gender identity or expression (including transgender status), sexual orientation, marital status, military service and veteran status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local laws and ordinances. USSS's management team is dedicated to this policy with respect to recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, transfer, training, compensation, benefits, employee activities, access to facilities and programs and general treatment during employment.