The Washington Spirit is seeking a Performance Nutritionist/Dietician to deliver individual and team nutrition services, including profiling, counseling, and tailored strategies. This role will focus on optimizing the health, recovery, rehabilitation, and performance of female athletes through targeted education and support.
This role will work closely with the Technical, Medical and Performance Multi-Disciplinary Team. Additionally, support all nutrition and dietary requirements related to day-to-day fueling, travel, preseason and offseason.
The Performance Nutritionist/Dietician will:
Direct the day-to-day provision of nutrition-related services for the Washington Spirit:
- Provide nutritional support to players during all training sessions and games, with some travel required.
- Educate and support players, as well as produce appropriate visuals, on optimal nutrition for training, competition, return to play, recovery, weight management, hydration, immunity, travel, and performance supplementation.
- Counsel and create individualized high performance, and recovery, nutrition plans for players.
- Co-ordinates nutrition for home facility, domestic and/or international travel, for example catering, hotel, airlines, competition, for individuals and the team.
Perform nutrition-related assessments, screenings & create individualized plans:
- Including assessing and analyzing dietary practices, body composition, blood profiling and energy balance in the context of athletic performance and health.
- Implement team nutrition plans, including menu building, consultation on team meals and snacks based on schedule and activities, at the training facility and during away camps and fixtures.
- Research, evaluate, recommend, purchase, distribute and monitor permissible and effective nutritional supplements with attention to USADA, WADA and IOC rules, regulations, and nutrition related bylaw
Managed department specific budgets, documentation and ordering:
- Lead and develop fueling station access and performance supplementation, including scheduling, procurement, ordering, receiving, inventory and stakeholder/relationship management.
PHD & MDT support:
- In collaboration with the Performance and Medical staff, support relevant research and PHD students.
- Work collaboratively with the department to support, and educate, by supporting implementation and monitoring optimal female health, wellbeing, recovery, physical profiling, strength and conditioning, training and match load monitoring, nutrition, psychology, and return to play strategies.
Other:
- Perform other duties as assigned such as research.
Key Attributes & Expectations
- Drive innovation and uphold world-leading standards in women's performance and medicine.
- Communicate effectively and respectfully across all departments, fostering a unified, high-performance culture.
- Demonstrate commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion, and safeguarding best practices.
- Comply with all Club policies, processes, procedures and strategies
- Represent the Club professionally and positively at all times.
- Flexibility to work non-traditional hours and travel for training, matches, and events.
Our Ideal Candidate:
- Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science or Dietetics required.
- Master’s degree in Dietetics is preferred.
- Two (2) years of experience working as a sports dietitian in a professional or in a comparable setting working directly with elite athletes, preferably in soccer.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, and counseling skills.
- Have a passion for innovation and the growth of women’s sport.
- Knowledge of NWSL and women’s professional soccer preferred.
- Ability to work non-traditional hours, including scheduled games that can/will be weekends, evenings and perhaps Holidays.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience working with female athletes, with an understanding of female physiology.
- Ability to accurately measure body weight, assess body composition, hydration, sweat rate/composition, and evaluate energy balance and needs.
- Knowledge of food service quality and safety procedures.
- Knowledge of and compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Knowledge of rules and regulations of supplementation for athletic governing bodies: e.g., USADA, WADA, NSF.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON SPIRIT
The Washington Spirit is a founding club in its 13th season of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) proudly representing the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is the first franchise to have a minority woman hold a majority stake. A visionary entrepreneur, Michele Kang, is leading a new era for women’s sports with a vision to:
1. Become the most preeminent sports organization in the world;
2. Build a high-performance culture of winning on and off the pitch;
3. Train women as women; and
4. Motivate and inspire the next generation of girls and women.
We offer a competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package, including health and wellness benefits, retirement plans, unlimited vacation time off, and opportunities for career development.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.
