Position Description
The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) is launching the inaugural Performance Science Fellowship, a unique one-year development opportunity designed to prepare the next generation of high-performance practitioners.
Funded through a strategic collaboration with VALD, one of the world’s leading sports science and human performance technology companies, this fellowship provides unparalleled exposure to elite athlete preparation, applied research, data analytics, innovation, and integrated performance support.
Based at the new National Training Center (NTC), the fellow will work across Youth National Teams, Extended National Teams, Coach Education, and Performance Innovation initiatives while collaborating with practitioners in performance medicine, strength & conditioning, performance science, performance nutrition, analytics and innovation.
This position is designed for an early-career practitioner who wants to bridge the gap between academic performance science and applied high-performance sport.
Fellowship Objectives
The Performance Science Fellow will:
- Support the delivery of an integrated performance support model across the National Training Center
- Translate performance data into actionable insights for coaches and practitioners
- Assist with athlete testing, monitoring, and reporting using industry-leading technologies
- Contribute to research, innovation, and knowledge sharing initiatives
- Develop expertise in applied sports science within an elite international sporting environment
The fellowship is intended to create future leaders who combine scientific rigor with practical impact.
Primary Responsibilities
Performance Science & Athlete Monitoring
- Support athlete profiling, testing, and monitoring across National Team programs
- Assist with force, strength, wellness, and movement assessments utilizing VALD technologies and other performance systems
- Prepare performance dashboards and reports for multidisciplinary staff
- Help maintain data quality, integrity, and longitudinal athlete records
- Integrated Performance Support
- Work collaboratively with practitioners across pe literature reviews and evidence synthesis
- Translate emerging research into practical recommendations for coaches and staff
Education & Knowledge Sharing
- The fellow will play an active role in advancing practitioner education by supporting initiatives such as performance science presentations, internal learning sessions, National Training Center educational events, practitioner workshops and digital educational content and articles
Technology & Data
- Develop practical expertise using VALD HumanTrak, ForceDecks, ForceFrame, SmartSpeed, Dynamo, Teamworks athlete management systems and Performance dashboards and visualization tools