Position: Full Time, Salary
Location: WHL Office (Calgary, AB)
The WHL’s Senior Manager, Hockey Operations is a critical role at the League’s head office in Calgary, AB that leads a variety of aspects of the League’s Hockey oriented activities with respect to Member Clubs, partner hockey organizations, national and regional governing bodies as well as select on-ice licensing suppliers.
The WHL recently launched a new set of priorities that are designed to create a unified approach to advancing the state of the League on and off the ice. Those key priorities include:
- Maintaining the League’s position as the best development League in the world
- Establishing a stronger commercial ecosystem built to grow the relevance and presence for the League with fans across Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest USA
- Engage partners at the Canadian Hockey League, and Ontario (OHL) and Quebec (QMJHL) Leagues as well as the WHL Clubs to create an environment of enablement and collaboration – working with one another to celebrate and socialize best practices in the spirit of growing the impact of the League in our communities and beyond.
This position is connected directly to the first priority and revolves around maintaining an exceptional operating standard at the League office, communicating with stakeholders across a variety of topics, and influencing strategies and plans to elevate the Player Experience, the League’s competitive parity, while supporting the League’s core tenets around player education and player development.
Duties and Responsibilities
Oversee and lead WHL’s player registry including but not limited to:
- Roster compliance for all Clubs at all key cutoffs and milestones
- Data management and administration of all player and roster info via League technology supplier, HockeyTech
- Administration of all player transactions, and other in-season player movement
- Actively manage annual updating and distribution of WHL Regulations Manual and WHL Operations manual, the documents that guide Clubs on consistent operations and compliance with League regulations.
- Act as lead WHL liaison with select committees and workgroups including WHL Team Services Committee
- Involvement in the WHL scheduling process
- Oversee the coordination, agenda, and management of periodic meetings including WHL’s annual Trainers’ Meeting and bi-annual Leadership Conference.
- Attend, participate in, and administrative support for WHL General Managers’ Meetings
- Lead and influence WHL’s relationship with Provincial Branch organizations (BC Hockey, Hockey Alberta, Hockey Saskatchewan, Hockey Manitoba)
- Manage WHL’s relationship with strategic partners including CSSHL and Okanagan Hockey Group
- Collaborate with WHL Clubs on hockey-related inquiries, troubleshooting, and compliance
- Support interactions between WHL Clubs and League-wide equipment and uniform suppliers as necessary
- Manage at least one member of the Hockey Operations team and create an environment for enrichment and growth
- Deliver annual WHL Trainers’ Directory and other key documents and guides to support continued operations
- Participate in and responsible for minute-taking in some League and WHL Committee meetings
- Engage on technology-related platforms including the publishing of the League (and Clubs’) schedules, rosters, as well as the WHL’s interaction with data and statistics suppliers in conjunction with CHL
Qualifications/Requirements
- Familiarity with the elements and aspects associated with hockey operations of either Junior A, Major Junior, Collegiate, Semi-professional, or Professional hockey organization
- Five (5) or more years experience in relevant, hockey-related roles
- Experience with player registries, Hockey Canada Registry, HockeyTech, or comparable environments
- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), comfort with conflict resolution and problem solving
- University/College Degree strongly preferred
- Hockey operations work experience preferred
- Expertise and comfort with technology platforms including Powerpoint, Excel, Word, MS Teams, or equivalents
- Willingness to travel – predominantly in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest
Skills, Abilities, Other Attributes
- Analytical, thoughtful, and possessing a level of creativity
- Courageous – willing to have tough conversations
- Communication skills – not only written and verbal, but also listening. Listening and information intake is paramount to understand and to drive the needs of the organization
- Ability to handle many projects and business challenges simultaneously
- Strong communication via electronic documents and presentations
Qualified applicants are invited to submit their cover letter and resume to info@whl.ca; subject: WHL Senior Manager, Hockey Operations.
About the Western Hockey League
Regarded as the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players, the Western Hockey League (WHL) head office is based in Calgary, Alberta. The WHL offers a world-class player experience featuring three key cornerstones: hockey development, education, and a safe and positive environment for all participants. A diverse and inclusive organization, the WHL consists of 22 member Clubs with 16 located in Western Canada and six in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. A member of the Canadian Hockey League, the WHL has been a leading supplier of talent for the National Hockey League for close to 60 years. The WHL is also a leading provider of hockey scholarships with over 375 graduates each year receiving WHL Scholarships to pursue a post-secondary education of their choice. Each season, WHL players also form the nucleus of Canada’s National Junior Hockey Team.