Mental Performance Coach

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association•Park City, UT

15h•Onsite

About The Position

U.S. Ski & Snowboard (USSS) is seeking an experienced team-centered Mental Performance Coach to join our High-Performance Department supporting U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes across 11 sports. This role is integral to the holistic preparation of our athletes, helping them build mental skills, performance plans, and resilience required to perform consistently at their best at the international level. The successful candidate will work collaboratively with coaches to develop their abilities to support the athlete’s mental performance skill development across all phases of the annual training and competition cycle. This role will be an integral part of an integrated performance team that also includes sport science, athletic development, sports medicine, nutrition and athletic administration staff.

Requirements

Master's degree or higher in Sport Psychology or a closely related field
Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) or equivalent recognized professional designation
Minimum 5 years of applied experience working with professional or elite athletes
Demonstrated ability to deliver individualized mental performance programs across a range of athlete needs and different age groups
Strong knowledge of mental skills training and evidence-based mental performance solutions
Understanding of the unique psychosocial demands of competitive ski and snowboard environments or the ability to break down sport specific demands
Experience working within a multidisciplinary high performance support team
Experience supporting athletes through injury rehabilitation
Ability to travel domestically and internationally for training camps and competitions
Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills
Exceptional attention to detail and ability to high level multitask to manage several projects at once
Experienced, empathetic, results driven leader
Strong abilities and experience to develop a system of staff and contractor accountability within the mental performance program
Strong comfort level in program implementation across a diverse set of sport coaches and athletes ages 14-40
Active passport and ability to be licensed or work in Utah
Successful candidate must be able to lift 50 pounds and work in potentially adverse weather conditions outdoors for many hours.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally for training camps and competitions

Nice To Haves

Experience working specifically with ski or snowboard athletes, or athletes in high consequence/extreme action sports
Familiarity with trauma-informed approaches
Training or experience in grief counselling or mental health triage, with clear scope of practice boundaries
Knowledge of athlete monitoring tools and psychometric instruments (e.g., RESTQ-Sport, PANAS, Athlete Burnout Questionnaire)

Responsibilities

Individual one on one sessions and group/team based mental performance activities
Develop a mental skills assessment to help identify areas of opportunity for individual athletes
Design and deliver individualized mental performance programs tailored to each athlete's goals, competitive demands, and developmental stage
Facilitate group workshops and team sessions on topics including focus, confidence, managing pressure, and team cohesion
Support athletes through high-stakes competition preparation, performance slumps, injury recovery, and career transitions
Build trusting, confidential relationships with athletes that encourage ongoing engagement with mental performance work
Teach and develop core mental skills including but not limited to attention and focus control, self-regulation and energy system management, confidence and self-belief, mental imagery and visualization, goal setting, self-talk and cognitive control, resilience, and motivation strategies
Help athletes develop robust coping strategies for dealing with crashes and injuries, poor results, media pressure, and team selection stress
Support athletes in building their identity and a healthy relationship with performance outcomes and sport participation
Implement validated tools to monitor athlete psychological wellbeing, mental readiness, and stress load across training and competition phases
Collaborate with coaches and medical staff to identify athletes experiencing distress or burnout and coordinate appropriate support pathways
Maintain accurate records in the athlete management system of the high-performance department in accordance with professional ethical standards
Support athletes in managing the unique psychological demands of high-consequence sport disciplines (e.g., speed events, big mountain, halfpipe, slopestyle, etc)
Conduct post-competition reflections with athletes to consolidate learning and inform future preparation
Supervisor of 2-3 part time mental performance contractors that will help to carry out the mental performance program and development framework across the organization’s 11 sports
Deliver education to sport coaches and support staff on psychological principles and mental skills relevant to athlete development, communication, and performance culture
Advise coaching staff on creating training environments that foster psychological safety, growth mindset, and intrinsic motivation
Support coaches in developing effective feedback, communication, and athlete-coach relationship skills
Support and participate in healthy conversations between mental performance coach, sport coach, and athlete to normalize mental skills and performance planning discussions
Stay current with applied sport psychology research and mental skills relevant to professional sports, extreme action sports, winter sports, and high consequence athletic environments
Contribute to the development of the organization's mental performance framework and best practices
Maintain active membership in a recognized professional body and adhere to relevant ethical guidelines and scope of practice
Operate and travel within an allocated budget