Assistant, Athlete Ombuds

Overview

The organization is seeking an Assistant Athlete Ombuds to support the Athlete Ombuds Office in providing confidential, independent, and impartial guidance and dispute-resolution support to Team USA athletes.

This role assists athletes with understanding their rights, options, resources, and pathways under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act and applicable Olympic, Paralympic, and sport-governance rules and policies, including anti-doping, athlete safety, and other relevant governing frameworks.

The position is designed for an attorney with strong problem-solving and dispute-resolution capabilities who is interested in developing expertise in athlete rights and Olympic and Paralympic sport.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Athlete Ombuds, Senior Associate Athlete Ombuds, and other Office staff to provide trusted, athlete-centered support aligned with statutory responsibilities and Office mission.
• Help maintain an environment that is accessible, supportive, safe, competent, inviting, and resourceful for athletes and other constituents.
• Uphold the Office principles of independence, impartiality, and confidentiality.
• Provide confidential consultations to athletes regarding their rights, responsibilities, options, resources, and dispute-resolution pathways.
• Research and analyze applicable laws, rules, policies, procedures, precedent, and other relevant information to support accurate and timely athlete guidance.
• Assist athletes in identifying issues, evaluating options, preparing for difficult conversations, and determining appropriate next steps.
• Support resolution of athlete concerns and disputes through problem-solving, conflict coaching, facilitated communication, mediation, and other appropriate dispute-resolution approaches.
• Identify opportunities for early intervention and informal resolution before concerns escalate into formal disputes.
• Support intake and triage of athlete inquiries, including routine and lower-complexity matters, and escalate matters requiring greater experience or specialized expertise.
• Support athletes in high-impact areas including team selection, anti-doping, athlete safety, commercial matters, benefits and services, and Games-related issues.
• Assist with administration and delivery of specialized athlete resources, including the Legal Aid Program and Athlete Commercial Agreements Resource (CAR) Program, connecting athletes with appropriate external expertise when needed.
• Review athlete-facing policies, procedures, and dispute pathways; identify opportunities to improve clarity, fairness, timeliness, accessibility, and consistency.
• Use athlete experiences to identify systemic issues and opportunities for improved processes, education, coordination, prevention, and organizational learning.
• Maintain accurate, consistent, high-quality case and program data and strengthen Office data-management practices.
• Help identify information and data points needed to understand workload, athlete experiences, emerging issues, program effectiveness, and Office impact.
• Analyze case and program information to identify patterns, trends, and opportunities for earlier intervention or systems improvement.
• Support development and improvement of dashboards, reports, case-management tools, knowledge resources, and data-tracking practices.
• Evaluate and implement responsible uses of AI, automation, and other technologies to improve research, knowledge retrieval, triage, reporting, and Office efficiency while protecting confidentiality and preserving human judgment.
• Translate case, program, and data insights into clear reports, presentations, and recommendations for appropriate audiences while protecting confidential information.
• Support Office and cross-functional initiatives designed to strengthen athlete-facing systems, operational readiness, and Games preparation.
• Coordinate with Office staff in supporting athletes at the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, Parapan American Games, and other protected competitions.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with athletes, the Team USA Athletes' Commission, NGBs, organization colleagues, outside counsel, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Represent the Athlete Ombuds Office professionally and support urgent or time-sensitive athlete matters, including outside regular working hours as needed.
• Contribute to a culture of learning, experimentation, continuous improvement, and exceptional athlete service.
• Perform other duties as assigned consistent with the Office mission.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor from an accredited law school.
• Training or demonstrated experience in mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution, or alternative dispute resolution (preferred).
• Additional education/training or experience in data analytics, technology, business, sport management, or a related field (preferred).
• Early-career legal experience demonstrating strong research, analysis, writing, judgment, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with individuals navigating complex, sensitive, high-stakes, or emotionally charged matters.
• Demonstrated interest in mediation, conflict resolution, facilitated problem-solving, or alternative dispute resolution.
• Demonstrated ability to learn complex regulatory, policy, or governance frameworks quickly.
• Experience in Olympic or Paralympic sport, collegiate athletics, professional sport, athlete representation, sport governance, or another athlete-facing environment (preferred).
• Personal experience as a competitive athlete or other demonstrated ability to build credibility and trust with athletes (preferred).
• Experience using case-management systems, data-analysis or visualization tools, AI-enabled tools, or other technology to improve professional workflows (preferred).
• Experience identifying patterns or trends across matters and translating information into actionable insights (preferred).
• Exceptional listening, empathy, discretion, interpersonal judgment, and ability to establish trust quickly.
• Ability to remain impartial and non-judgmental while helping individuals evaluate difficult choices.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to distinguish legal, procedural, relational, and practical issues and identify underlying interests.
• Developing capability in mediation, facilitation, negotiation, and conflict management, with sound judgment regarding when to resolve, facilitate, escalate, refer, or seek additional expertise.
• Excellent legal research, writing, verbal communication, and presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with individuals from diverse backgrounds and across organizational levels.
• Curiosity about and respect for the athlete experience and the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, with the ability to work effectively in fast-moving, high-pressure environments.
• Strong comfort with technology and demonstrated ability to learn new systems quickly.
• Ability to work thoughtfully with structured information and data, identify patterns, and translate findings into useful insights.
• Interest in using AI, automation, case-management systems, and knowledge tools to improve quality and efficiency (advanced technical development skills are not required).
• Ability to bridge professional practice needs and technical solutions and to work effectively with technical partners.
• Demonstrated integrity, independent judgment, prudence, and discretion in dealing with sensitive and confidential matters.
• Intellectual curiosity and a demonstrated inclination to improve how work gets done.
• Fast, resourceful learner with strong adaptability, initiative, and follow-through.

Preferred Qualifications

• Training or experience in mediation, negotiation, conflict resolution, or alternative dispute resolution.
• Additional education/training or experience in data analytics, technology, business, sport management, or a related field.
• Experience in Olympic or Paralympic sport, collegiate/professional sport, athlete representation, sport governance, or another athlete-facing environment.
• Personal experience as a competitive athlete.
• Experience using case-management systems and data-analysis/visualization tools.
• Ability to identify patterns/trends across matters and translate into actionable insights.

Compensation & Benefits

• Hiring pay range: $85,000 - $95,000 per year.
• Full-Time, Exempt position intended to work 40 hours per week.
• Bonus: Eligible for the Annual Incentive Award Program with a 15% target. The employer may change or eliminate this program at any time at its sole discretion.
• Benefits: Eligible for organization benefits.

Location

• Remote - US

Work Schedule & Travel

• Standard office equipment and technology platforms.
• Non-traditional work hours and schedule as required, including extended hours during urgent athlete matters and Games periods.
• Some domestic and international travel.
• Regular attendance at work is an essential job function.

Closing Date

This job posting will close 12:00pm MT on 10/30/2026.