Vice President Community Operations Jobs (NOW HIRING)

NJ/NY Gotham FC ("Gotham FC" or "the Club") is a National Women's Soccer League ("NWSL") team representing New Jersey and New York. The team plays at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ.
THE ROLE: Gotham FC is seeking a visionary, relationship-driven, and operationally excellent Vice President, Community & Impact to help lead the club through its next phase of growth.
As one of the most ambitious and visible clubs in women's sports, Gotham FC is building an organization capable of sustaining long-term excellence on and off the field. As the club continues its growth throughout the NY / NJ region and prepares for its transition to Etihad Park in Queens, community engagement will play an increasingly important role in strengthening Gotham FC's brand, expanding its fan base, deepening relationships across the region, and establishing the club as one of New York's defining sports organizations.
The Vice President, Community & Impact will serve as the organization's senior leader responsible for Community Impact, Youth Soccer, and Supporter Relations. Together, these functions represent Gotham FC's primary platform for grassroots engagement, relationship building, and long-term community growth. This executive will establish a unified strategy that strengthens Gotham FC's presence across the New York region while creating meaningful pathways for new fans, families, youth players, supporters, community partners, and civic stakeholders to connect with the club.
The Vice President, Community & Impact will work in close partnership with Gotham FC's Chief Operating Officer and External Affairs function to ensure the club's community engagement strategy aligns with broader civic, political, and institutional relationship-building efforts. Together, these leaders will help strengthen Gotham FC's standing throughout New York City and New Jersey by coordinating community programming, stakeholder engagement, and long-term regional initiatives that support the club's continued growth and transition to Etihad Park.
This executive will oversee Gotham FC's community engagement strategy while serving as a trusted strategic advisor to the President and executive leadership team. The role will require close collaboration across GTM functions (e.g. Revenue, Marketing, Communications), business operations (e.g. HR, Finance) and Soccer Operations to ensure Gotham FC's community initiatives support the club's broader business, brand, and organizational objectives.
The ideal candidate will combine strategic vision with exceptional relationship-building skills, operational excellence, and executive presence. This leader must be capable of translating community investment into measurable outcomes across fan growth, ticket sales, sponsorship value, brand awareness, employee / player engagement, and long-term community impact while building scalable systems that support Gotham FC's continued growth.
This role requires a hands-on, collaborative executive who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, balances long-term strategic thinking with operational execution, and embraces the opportunity to help shape one of the most community-connected organizations in professional sports.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Organizational Leadership

• Serve as a strategic advisor and thought partner to the President and executive leadership team.
• Develop Gotham FC's long-term Community Engagement strategy aligned with the club's business, brand, and growth objectives.
• Establish long-term strategies for Social Impact, Youth Soccer and Support Relations that align with and add to Gotham FC's overarching long-term strategy.
• Position community engagement as a strategic driver of fan acquisition, attendance growth, supporter development, and long-term brand affinity.
• Partner closely with the Chief Operating Officer and External Affairs leadership to align community engagement initiatives with Gotham FC's broader civic engagement, government relations, and regional growth strategies.
• Collaborate closely with Ticketing, Marketing, Communications, Partnerships, Gameday Operations, Soccer Operations, and HR to ensure Gotham FC's community engagement efforts support organizational priorities and create a seamless experience for community partners, supporters, and fans.
• Manage departmental budgets, resource allocation, staffing, and long-term planning.
• Develop measurable KPIs to evaluate community impact, supporter growth, and youth soccer engagement..
• Build scalable operating processes, planning frameworks, and organizational structures that support continued growth.
• Provide executive leadership on strategic initiatives supporting Gotham FC's expansion across the NY region and transition to Etihad Park.

Community Impact, Social Impact, & External Partnerships

• Oversee Gotham FC's Community Impact and Social Impact strategy, ensuring the continued success, growth, and long-term sustainability of the club's existing community initiatives while identifying opportunities to expand Gotham FC's impact across the region.
• Develop and execute Gotham FC's long-term social impact framework, building upon the club's existing foundation while identifying new initiatives that expand access to soccer, empower women and girls, support LGBTQ+ communities, promote sustainability, and create meaningful opportunities throughout the NY region.
• Collaborate with the Chief Operating Officer and the External Affairs function to cultivate and strengthen strategic relationships with civic institutions, elected officials, neighborhood organizations, and community stakeholders that strengthen Gotham FC's long-term presence throughout NYC and NJ.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Communications, and Corporate Partnerships to develop compelling storytelling that elevates Gotham FC's community impact, amplifies the voices of participants and partners, and creates meaningful value for fans, sponsors, and the broader community.
• Partner on major community initiatives supporting Gotham FC's transition to Etihad Park, ensuring community programming complements broader civic engagement, stakeholder relations, and regional outreach efforts.
• Strengthen and evolve Gotham FC's signature community platforms-including programs such as Keep Her in the Game and Elevate Play-while ensuring they continue to deliver meaningful impact for participants, partners, and the communities they serve.
• Develop strategic partnerships that advance Gotham FC's mission while creating meaningful value for fans, partners, sponsors, and local communities.
• Ensure Gotham FC is recognized as one of the most engaged and impactful professional sports organizations in the New York area.
• Collaborate with Corporate Partnerships to maximize the value of Gotham FC's Community Engagement and Social Impact platforms for club partners.

Youth Soccer

• Provide strategic leadership and oversee Gotham FC's Youth Soccer function, working closely with the Head of Youth Soccer and ensuring alignment with the club's broader business, brand, and community engagement objectives.
• Partner closely with the Head of Youth Soccer to strengthen and evolve Gotham FC's youth soccer strategy, including club relationships, grassroots programming, camps, clinics, participation initiatives, and long-term growth opportunities.
• Support and develop the Head of Youth Soccer while empowering them to lead day-to-day operations, programming, and execution.
• Expand Gotham FC's presence within the regional youth soccer ecosystem through strategic partnerships, club engagement, and innovative programming.
• Partner with Ticketing, Marketing, Partnerships, and Soccer Operations to leverage youth soccer as a driver of fan engagement, attendance, and revenue growth.
• Evaluate opportunities to expand Gotham FC's youth soccer footprint, including future programming at Gotham FC's practice facility and other strategic initiatives.

Supporter Relations

• Develop Gotham FC's long-term supporter engagement strategy.
• Build and oversee relationships with supporter groups while fostering an inclusive, authentic, and vibrant supporter culture.
• Partner with Gameday Operations, Marketing, Fan Experience, Communications, and Ticketing to enhance the supporter experience both inside and outside the stadium.
• Create programs that increase supporter engagement, participation, retention, and long-term loyalty.
• Help strengthen Gotham FC's matchday atmosphere through strategic supporter development initiatives.

Board, League, & External Engagement

• Serve as Gotham FC's executive leader for Community Engagement in relationships with league partners, community organizations, civic institutions, nonprofit leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Partner with the President and Chief Operating Officer to advance Gotham FC's long-term community, civic, and regional engagement strategy.
• Support executive leadership, ownership, and the Board through regular reporting on community engagement, social impact, youth soccer, supporter relations, and strategic partnership initiatives.
• Represent Gotham FC at league meetings, community events, industry conferences, and regional leadership forums.
• Build strong relationships with community leaders, elected officials, philanthropic organizations, and peer organizations that strengthen Gotham FC's long-term standing throughout the New York City area.
• Help identify opportunities where community engagement, social impact, and civic partnerships can advance Gotham FC's business objectives, strengthen its brand, and create long-term organizational value.

IDEAL EXPERIENCE:

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in community engagement, external affairs, youth sports, grassroots development, supporter engagement, social impact, or related fields.
• Demonstrated success leading and developing high-performing, cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, with a strong track record of coaching leaders and building organizational capacity.
• Soccer industry experience strongly preferred.
• Experience working within the NYC metropolitan area is preferred, but not required. Familiarity with the region's communities, youth sports ecosystem, and stakeholder landscape is a plus.
• Proven success developing strategic partnerships across nonprofit, civic, educational, youth sports, and community organizations.
• Strong understanding of youth sports ecosystems and community engagement strategies.
• Experience collaborating with government, civic, or public-sector stakeholders preferred.
• Experience building scalable organizational processes and operational frameworks.
• Experience managing budgets and leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience working directly with executive leadership teams, ownership groups, or Boards preferred.
• Passion for women's sports and community impact.

LOCATION:
Based at Gotham FC's business office, which is located at 15 Exchange Place Jersey City, New Jersey, on a hybrid working schedule which consists of three core in-office/in-person days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and two non-core days (Monday and Friday), with the option of being in the business office or remote. Ability to attend all home games and any mandatory events as well as away games, as necessary. A willingness to travel for other business-related needs, as they arise. Ability to work at the team's soccer operations office in Whippany, New Jersey, as needed. Gotham FC requires its associates to live in its market, that is, within reasonable commuting distance of Gotham FC's offices, practice facility and Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Gotham FC is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone to our team. We are committed to broadening the pool of qualified talent for consideration, including those who have been historically underrepresented. We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply.
Job type: Full-time, Exempt
Salary range: $170,000 - $215,000 annually
Benefits: Medical, Dental & Vision benefit plans available for Employee & Family, Employee funded 401(k) option
This job description is a broad summary of the essential job functions and general duties for this position, the additional job duties that may be required from time-to-time, the level of knowledge and skill typically required, and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. The person in this role may be required to and must be willing to perform other duties as assigned, to meet organizational needs. This job description may be modified from time to time, at the sole discretion of Gotham FC. This employee must follow and enforce all policies and procedures formulated by Gotham FC and be a role model for the organization.
The existence of this job description does not modify the employee's "at-will" status. That is, unless a signed employment contract specifying a term of employment exists between Gotham FC and the employee or his/her/their representative, both Gotham FC and the employee will have the right to terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without reason or notice, unless otherwise prohibited by law.