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As the official governing body for soccer in Canada, Canada Soccer promotes the growth and development of soccer in Canada, from grassroots to high performance, in partnership with its provincial/territorial members and in close collaboration with other key organizations that are active in the sport. There are nearly 1,000,000 registered Canada Soccer active participants in Canada within 1,200 clubs that operate in 13 provincial/territorial member associations. Canada Soccer is affiliated with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC).
Soccer is the largest participatory sport in Canada and is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Recent performance of both the women’s and men’s national teams highlight the success of Canada Soccer’s programs, which in turn has motivated tremendous excitement and awareness for the sport. Couple this with the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by Canada, the US and Mexico, and soccer in Canada is poised for even greater expansion and recognition at a world-class level.
The Board of Directors of Canada Soccer is seeking to recruit and appoint a highly capable General Secretary to lead the organization forward. Reporting to the Board of Directors, this high-profile role is the senior-most executive in the organization and will ensure Canada Soccer further strengthens its reputation as a strong, proud, financially stable and vibrant organization driven by a focused and shared vision. The General Secretary will embody the values of Canada Soccer and bring the experience required to transform and lead this complex national sports organization serving the needs of players from the local grassroots to the amateur and professional world stages. S/he will serve as an advocate and spokesperson with the soccer community, the corporate sector, and all levels of government, and will operate with open, effective communication and dialogue with the organization’s members and key stakeholders. Extensive global travel is required to various locations within Canada, the Americas and around the world.
In the near term, the General Secretary will be responsible for improving the financial profile of Canada Soccer, which will include modernizing and optimizing the agreement with Canadian Soccer Business, concluding collective bargaining agreements with the national teams, and seeking new revenue generating opportunities. S/he will also be charged with transforming the organization into a world class NSO, reflective of the programs and talent that represent the country today. This will involve developing a strategic vision for Canada Soccer and ensuring that the organization has the needed talent and resources to execute on this strategy with focus and passion.
The General Secretary will bring proven and effective business management and discipline, as well as substantial personal leadership, to Canada Soccer. The General Secretary will be hands-on and will Page 2 of 3 engage with staff in all internal functions. Building strong relationships with athletes (from grassroots to professional), members, sponsors, government, FIFA, CONCACAF, COC, and other key partners, to encourage them to engage productively with Canada Soccer, will be paramount. The General Secretary will foster an energetic, high performing, and accountable team and will drive an organizational culture defined by integrity, accountability, and transparency to its members and partners. S/he will work closely and collaboratively with the Board of Directors to access their respective skillsets and ensure that the organization is aligned strategically from bottom to top.
Responsibilities of the General Secretary
Reporting to the President & Board of Directors, and in consultation with the members and key stakeholders of Canada Soccer, the General Secretary will:
• develop and implement a cohesive and growth-oriented strategic vision for the organization.
• manage the operations and resources of the organization in support of the strategy.
• improve the financial situation at Canada Soccer and seek additional revenue sources to build organizational strength and resilience.
• provide strong and visible leadership for the organization with a range of stakeholders, including staff, the Board of Directors, players, Canada Soccer members, volunteers, Members’ Council, Sport Canada, Canadian Soccer Business, other national sport organizations as well as FIFA, CONCACAF, and the COC.
• establish strong and trusted working relationships with the women’s and men’s national teams.
• serve as an effective advocate and spokesperson with the domestic and international soccer communities, the media, the corporate sector, and all levels of government.
• facilitate open, effective communication and dialogue with the organization’s members and key stakeholders to ensure a strong, integrated organization.
• work closely with FIFA and CONCACAF in a coordination role for the planning and execution of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
• ensure that Canada Soccer embodies the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, in seeking to engage underrepresented groups, and also maintains the highest level of commitment towards safe sport at all times.
Experiences and Characteristics Sought in the Next General Secretary
The next General Secretary of Soccer Canada is a leader and team builder, passionate and proactive in addressing stakeholder concerns and challenges, and managing change in a collaborative way. S/he will have a strong appetite to learn, and the personal drive and enthusiasm to drive a big, bold vision for what is possible.
• 10+ years of executive leadership experience with demonstrated success transforming an organization or a line of business.
• Commercially and operationally savvy with proven financial acumen; operates with fiscal responsibility demonstrating strong budgeting, business planning and resource management skills. Accomplished at identifying and capturing new and innovative streams of revenue.
• Highly effective negotiator with proven skills in mitigating financial, legal and other business risks.
• Proven change agent with experience leading organization and culture transformation; not afraid to make significant and sometimes disruptive changes to support the long-term sustainability of the organization.
• Has worked effectively with an engaged board of directors in support of the direction and vision of an organization and built, implemented and operationalized a strategic plan.
• Proven ability to attract, retain and develop highly qualified individuals into a committed and energized team.
• Knowledge and understanding of the structure and programs of FIFA, Canada Soccer, the Canadian sport system, and the general activities of National Sport Organizations, is ideal.
• Demonstrated expertise in government relations; strong empathy for the requirements of public sector decision-makers; comfortable delivering programs aligned with the needs of public sector partners.
• Empathetic and knowledgeable about the issues associated with diversity, equity and inclusion, and safe sport, ideally with demonstrated success implementing programs to address these important issues.
• Expert knowledge in nurturing and managing strong relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders; experienced at managing and resolving conflicts under (at times) challenging and public circumstances.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written; comfortable presenting in diverse platforms including live, electronic and social media.
• Strong preference for bilingualism (French and English) or, in the absence of same, open to working towards proficiency. Knowledge of Spanish is also an asset.
• Ability to travel: extensive global travel is required to various locations within Canada, USA and around the world.
• Demonstrates an unwavering passion and a steadfast commitment to the ideals of sports, in its ability to inspire and encourage individuals to reach their fullest potential, both on and off the pitch.
• Displays the highest level of integrity and ethics.
Download job description from here
Please submit a resume and cover letter to canadasoccer@kornferry.com by no later than November 10, 2023, 12:00pm(ET).
