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Sr. Manager, Strategic Initiatives – NHLPA UNLMT 

National Hockey League Players’ Association

ABOUT

Established in 1967, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) is comprised of the 750 players in  the National Hockey League (NHL). The primary role of the Association is to act as the collective bargaining unit on  behalf of the players, but also assists and manages areas such as marketing, licensing, pension, insurance, Player  health and wellness, international development, and communications. 

The players’ career development initiative, NHLPA UNLMT seeks to develop resources and opportunities across a  range of key areas of interest relevant to the active player population. The objective of NHLPA UNLMT is to  provide meaningful, engaging, flexible, and custom learning opportunities to each individual player’s personal and  professional development. 

As the Sr. Manager, Strategic Initiatives – NHLPA UNLMT, you will report to the Senior Director, International  Strategy & Growth to ensure that the NHLPA’s athlete development resources are best positioned to drive positive  outcomes for NHLPA members. The Coordinator, Strategic Initiatives and NHLPA UNLMT Career Strategists  report directly to this role.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

The role focuses on three principal areas:  

  1. Managing the planning, development, and implementation of a framework of programs and  services that support the success of NHLPA members 

  2. Developing and implementing educational resources, services, and opportunities that enhance  NHLPA members experience 

  3. Overseeing all NHLPA UNLMT resources and initiatives while serving as the primary liaison  and resource for NHLPA UNLMT personnel 

Additional roles and responsibilities include (but not be limited to): 

  • Maintain and develop all NHLPA athlete development resources/services 

  • Establish short and long-term plans, priorities, objectives and learning outcomes, in each  program area 

  • Lead and direct programs and initiatives-- serving as the primary liaison and resource for  NHLPA UNLMT consultants/personnel 

  • Work in cross-functional teams across the NHLPA to ensure NHLPA UNLMT priorities are  being delivered 

  • Ongoing evaluation and development of effective awareness & engagement strategies • Ensure optimization of key NHLPA UNLMT resources – recommending adjustments / new  opportunities where appropriate 

  • Establish & report on annual KPI’s 

  • Collaborate and foster relationships with key stakeholders – NHLPA members, NHLPA health  and wellness team, NHLAA, NHLPA UNLMT vendors/subject matter experts, to advance the  support for, and quality of the athlete experience

  • Build and foster relationships with NHLPA members, growing awareness for NHLPA UNLMT  offerings and opportunities 

  • Participate on tasks, forces and working groups that support the enhancement of NHLPA  UNLMT’s resources and services (i.e. Multi-Sport PA Career Consortium) – when applicable • Communicate and liaise with professional organizations (PA’s, World Players Association, etc.)  and peer institutional colleagues to expand and enrich athlete development understanding &  identify best practices globally 

  • Participate in relevant professional development seminars and conferences 

NHLPA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. Accommodation is available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment process.

SPECIFIC SKILLS REQUIRED

• Strategic thinking with a bias for action 

• Proactively analyze emerging trends, anticipate related organizational needs, develop  strategies for meeting them, and ensure the planning process is integrated with the  overall strategic plan 

• Oversee the implementation of strategic initiatives, including allocation of resources,  while balancing long-term strategy and short-term objectives 

• Comfort with ambiguity 

  • Navigates ambiguity and simplifies the complex; draw out insights and develops practical  solutions to real problems 

  • Think critically and systematically about complex business problems and opportunities 

• Innovative 

  • Not satisfied with the status quo or current ways of doing things, continuously looking  to improve existing methods or create new ones 

• Self-starter 

  • Drive cross-functional projects; identify goals, success criteria, assumptions, own  discovery of project requirements through deep subject matter expertise, resource  requirements and timelines 

  • Strong project management skills 

  • Collaborative and able to thrive in a cross-functional team setting  

• Relationship building and influence 

  • Ability to build strong relationships with NHLPA members and peers alike 

• Communication skills 

  • Leverage fact-based data & analytics insights from multiple perspectives to build a  cohesive narrative, form a perspective, organize thoughts, and present in a clear, concise  & succinct manner 

  • Ability to partner and collaborate while building trust internally and externally 

• Management skills 

  • Provide leadership & mentorship to the Coordinator, Strategic Initiatives, fostering an  environment of personal and professional growth

• Effectively manage and motivate the NHLPA UNLMT team to encourage best practices  and optimal work product, creating an environment that fosters continual learning,  growth, and innovation

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

  • 7-10 years of experience in educational program (career) development and/or education • A working knowledge of the athlete development sector as well as current/past practices in this  space 

  • Consideration will be given to an equivalent combination of education and experience • Experience working in a managerial capacity with the ability to work with and motivate cross-functional teams and key stakeholders 

  • Experience and/or knowledge and understanding of working with professional athletes is  considered an asset 

All interested applicants can submit their resumes to adimaras@nhlpa.com. 

No agencies, please.