Athletic Trainer

DC FLIGHT

Major League Volleyball - Washington, D.C.

Head Athletic Trainer

Position Overview

DC Flight, Washington, D.C.'s expansion franchise in Major League Volleyball (MLV), is seeking a Head Athletic Trainer to lead all sports medicine operations for the club's first roster ahead of its 2027 inaugural season.

The Head Athletic Trainer is the organization's primary day-to-day medical professional and medical operations coordinator, responsible for prevention, evaluation, immediate care, treatment, rehabilitation, documentation, emergency response, and care coordination for players and covered team personnel. The position works in close daily partnership with the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach and Head Coach to build an integrated performance and health program from the ground up, and communicates and collaborates with the Team Physician, Primary Care Physician, coaches, team administrators, mental-health providers, consultants, and the MLV Director of Player Health and Wellness.

This is a ground-floor opportunity to establish the sports medicine infrastructure, protocols, and staff for a new professional franchise. The position reports to the General Manager of Personnel & Operations.

Clinical Care and Player Management

• Provide comprehensive athletic training services, including injury and illness prevention, clinical evaluation and diagnosis within scope, immediate and emergency care, therapeutic intervention, rehabilitation, and health care administration, in collaboration with the Team Physician and strength and conditioning staff, consistent with BOC standards, state practice acts, accepted standards of care, and MLV policies.
• Lead the day-to-day evaluation, treatment, and rehabilitation of player injuries, from acute on-court incidents through full return-to-play clearance.
• Develop and manage the team's injury prevention program, including pre-season screening, movement assessments, and volleyball-specific risk areas (shoulder, knee, ankle, low back).
• Coordinate physician appointments, imaging, specialty consultation, surgery, physical therapy, medication-related communication, second opinions, and other approved care.
• Monitor health status, functional limitations, workload tolerance, treatment response, and progression toward full participation.
• Partner with the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach on return-to-play progressions and communicate athlete workload and health status for practice and training planning.
• Display familiarity with sports science technology and the ability to perform basic functions and assessment of applicable devices.
• Provide or coordinate appropriate care for work-related and non-work-related conditions consistent with team responsibility, insurance coverage, and applicable law.
• Support mental-health referral and emergency pathways without acting outside professional training or disclosing protected information unnecessarily.

Coverage Responsibilities

• Provide on-site medical coverage for every team match, scrimmage, practice, and team travel period.
• Be available for every team-organized strength and conditioning session and provide on-site coverage when medically necessary or required by team policy.
• Provide appropriate pre-event and post-event athletic training room coverage based on player needs, schedule, staffing, and facility access.
• Travel with the team for away matches, managing road medical kit logistics and coordinating with home-venue medical staff as needed.
• Coordinate medical services for preseason and entry medical assessments, exit medical assessments, community appearances, and team-sponsored activities.
• When assigned, support MLV All-Star, championship, combine, tryout, or other league events, and coordinate host-team resources, physician access, EMS, equipment, and visiting-team care.

Emergency Preparedness

• Develop, maintain, distribute, rehearse, and document venue-specific Emergency Action Plans and Mental Health Emergency Action Plans for the practice facility and home and away venues, including access to AEDs, emergency equipment, emergency communication, EMS, receiving hospitals, and venue personnel.
• Conduct a pre-event medical timeout and coordinate responsibilities with physicians, EMS, security, officials, coaches, and visiting medical staff.
• Lead or support emergency response within training and scope, complete required incident documentation, and participate in post-event review.

Communication and Collaboration

• Communicate daily with coaches and designated team administrators regarding participation status, restrictions, anticipated progression, and operational needs, while limiting disclosure to authorized information.
• Maintain regular communication with physicians and all members of the interdisciplinary medical and performance team.
• Provide visiting teams with reasonable access to medical facilities, emergency information, supplies, and referrals.
• Communicate required medical matters to the MLV Director of Player Health and Wellness and Vice President of Player Personnel according to league policy.
• Help establish clear roles, escalation pathways, and shared decision-making processes among medical, performance, coaching, and administrative personnel.
• Build a network of medical providers and contractors in the region to deliver high-level care across multiple specialties for players and covered staff.

Documentation and Administration

• Maintain complete, accurate, timely, and confidential records in the league-designated EMR, including injuries, illnesses, daily treatments, evaluations, consultations, medications, restrictions, rehabilitation progress, and referrals, in accordance with league and privacy requirements.
• Coordinate entry and exit medical assessment documentation, off-season plans of care, medical-record transfers, and continuity of care after release, trade, free-agent signing, or season conclusion.
• Assist with workers' compensation reporting, claim communication, authorization, billing coordination, and documentation in collaboration with team administration and designated insurance professionals.
• Maintain medical inventories, treatment areas, travel kits, medication storage processes, infection-control procedures, and equipment inspection logs.
• Participate in quality improvement, policy review, continuing education, and annual performance evaluation.

Program Build-Out

• Establish the club's sports medicine infrastructure, protocols, and documentation standards ahead of the inaugural season.
• Oversee training room setup, medical equipment and supply procurement, and budget recommendations at the team's practice facility.
• Support hiring and supervision of assistant athletic trainers and medical support staff.
• Assist with international player medical intake, including physicals and documentation tied to visa and league eligibility processes.

Required Qualifications

• Board of Certification (BOC) certification as an Athletic Trainer, active and in good standing.
• Current state licensure, certification, or registration as required by employment jurisdiction; licensure eligible in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.
• Current CPR/AED certification for the professional rescuer or health care provider.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited athletic training program; eligibility under all current professional educational requirements.
• Minimum five years of athletic training experience at the professional, NCAA Division I, or national-team level, including meaningful independent responsibility.
• Strong working knowledge of shoulder, knee, ankle, and low-back injury patterns common to volleyball and other overhead and jumping sports.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in athletic training, sports medicine, exercise science, health administration, or a related field.
• Professional volleyball or professional women's sport experience.
• Experience building or running a training room and medical program from the ground up, given the franchise's inaugural-season context.
• Experience with workers' compensation, EMR administration, emergency planning, travel medicine, injury surveillance, and post-surgical rehabilitation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent clinical reasoning, organization, documentation, and interpersonal communication.
• Ability to remain calm, decisive, and collaborative during emergencies and high-pressure competitive situations.
• Ability to establish professional trust with players while preserving appropriate boundaries and confidentiality.
• Proficiency with electronic records, secure communication, and basic data reporting.
• Ability to work closely with coaching, performance, and front-office staff in a fast-paced expansion-team environment.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Ability to stand, walk, kneel, squat, reach, and work courtside for extended periods.
• Ability to lift and move medical equipment and assist with emergency movement of an injured person, with help and equipment when appropriate.
• Frequent travel and work during early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and irregular competitive schedules.
• Exposure to athletic facilities, locker rooms, bodily fluids, cleaning agents, and emotionally demanding medical situations.

Employment Terms and Conditions

Compliance

The Head Athletic Trainer is required to comply with applicable federal, state, and local law; professional licensure and ethics; organizational policies; MLV Medical Policies and Procedures; venue requirements; and lawful directives of the employer or contracting entity. Where requirements conflict, the individual must promptly notify the appropriate medical and administrative leadership and may not proceed in a manner that violates law or professional standards.

Medical Confidentiality

Medical personnel must protect player information and use or disclose it only for treatment, health care operations, authorized employment purposes, emergency response, workers' compensation, or other lawful purposes. Coaches and team administrators should ordinarily receive participation status, restrictions, expected progression, and operational information - not unnecessary diagnostic or treatment detail.

Non-Retaliation and Medical Independence

No medical or performance professional will be disciplined, threatened, or retaliated against for making a good-faith health and safety decision, reporting a compliance concern, recommending additional evaluation, activating an emergency plan, or refusing to act outside professional scope. Concerns should be escalated through the organization, medical provider, Team Physician, and MLV leadership as appropriate.

Role Clarification

Before services begin each season, the organization and the individual will document employment or contract status, compensation, anticipated hours, event coverage, travel, reporting relationships, access to records, expense responsibility, malpractice or liability coverage, workers' compensation responsibilities, and any duties beyond the standard scope described here.

Equal Opportunity and Professional Conduct

DC Flight maintains an inclusive, respectful, harassment-free workplace. Medical and performance personnel must demonstrate professional boundaries, cultural competence, impartiality, and respect for all players and staff regardless of role, health status, background, identity, or roster standing.

What DC Flight Offers

• The chance to build the sports medicine program of a new professional franchise from day one.
• Competitive compensation commensurate with experience.
• Direct collaboration with ownership and league-level resources through All United Sports and Entertainment's multi-franchise network.

To Apply

Submit a resume and cover letter on TeamWork Online

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.