Head of Caretaking Operations

Head of Caretaking Operations
Lisboa
Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal

Director of Athlete Pathways & Caretaking Operations

(Integrated Role – Pathways + Welfare)

Location: Europe-based preferred (Portugal / Spain priority)

Work Mode: On-site dominant - Travel required - Hybrid only when justified

Engagement: Full-time - Long-term mandate

Reports to: Founder / President (JP Org)

Chambers: Lincoln - Bright Tiger - Chromite

Why This Role Exists (Read Carefully)

This role exists because most athletes do not fail on the pitch .

They fail because:

• Nobody told them the truth early enough
• Their
  - field life collapsed quietly
• Adults around them protected “hope” instead of dignity
• Systems treated them as leads, numbers, or assets

JP Org explicitly rejects that model.

We do not move athletes through pipelines blindly.

We design lives , not funnels.

This role exists to protect:

• The athlete
• The family
• The integrity of the organization
• And the
  - term consequences of our decisions

If you are uncomfortable telling someone “you should not go pro” —

this role is not for you.

What Kind of Organization This Is

JP Org is not :

• A
  - selling academy
• A “grind harder” sports factory
• A savior brand exploiting hope

We build structured, humane,
- standard systems where:

• Ambition is respected
• Reality is not avoided
• Care is operational, not sentimental
• People are protected even from their own blind spots

Role Definition (Integrated Responsibility)

This is a hybrid
- operational role combining:

• Director of Athlete Pathways
• Head of Caretaking Operations

You are the person who ensures that no athlete enters or stays in a path that will quietly destroy them .

Core Ownership Areas1. Athlete Pathway Architecture

(Director of Athlete Pathways)

You own the entire logic of an athlete’s journey:

• Academy → Trial → Education → Professional attempt → Transition
• Pro / Semi-pro / Education-first / Exit-with-dignity pathways

You are responsible for:

• Designing and maintaining clear, realistic pathway maps
• Defining entry criteria , continuation criteria , and exit criteria
• Managing expectations before damage occurs
• Ensuring no athlete is pushed forward because of:
• sunk costs
• pressure from parents
• brand optics
• ego (theirs or ours)

Key principle:

Not every talented athlete should go pro — and saying that early is an act of care.

Chambers involved:

• Lincoln (Integrity,
  - horizon responsibility)
• Bright Tiger (Mental and emotional protection)

2. Ethical Filtering & Decision Safeguards

You must actively filter:

• Who enters
  - risk professional tracks
• Who should pause, redirect, or exit

This includes:

• Mental readiness assessment (in coordination with Bright Tiger systems)
• Emotional maturity and support evaluation
• Family dynamics and pressure analysis
• Cultural and relocation resilience checks

You have full authority to recommend:

• Delay
• Redirection
• Termination of a pathway

—even if it costs money or prestige.

3. Caretaking Operations

(Head of Caretaking Operations)

You own off-field survival and stability , including:

• Housing
• Daily logistics
• Travel and scheduling
• Medical and psychological escalation
• Crisis response (injury, breakdown, conflict, emergency)
• Family communication and mediation

You ensure that:

• Athletes can sleep, eat, recover, and function
• No crisis is ignored because it is “inconvenient”
• Families are informed without being allowed to hijack decisions

Key principle:

Players fail
- field before they fail
- field.

Chambers involved:

• Bright Tiger (Welfare & mental health)
• Chromite (Crisis override,
  - first authority)

4. Crisis Authority & Escalation

In crisis situations, you:

• Activate Chromite Chamber protocols
• Override normal procedures if safety or dignity is at risk
• Coordinate with legal, medical, and leadership teams
• Act decisively — not democratically

This role requires moral courage , not politeness.

What This Role Is NOT

• Not a “player manager”
• Not a travel coordinator
• Not a
  - pleaser
• Not a PR buffer
• Not a soft HR role

This is load-bearing responsibility .

Required Profile
Must Have

• Proven experience in:
• elite sports environments, academies, or athlete development
• welfare, safeguarding, or
  - responsibility care roles
• Ability to say no clearly, early, and humanely
• Emotional intelligence without emotional indulgence
• Strong judgment under pressure
• Comfort handling parents, agents, coaches, and executives

Strongly Preferred

• Multi-country or
  - cultural experience
• Background in football / elite sport (playing, coaching, or operations)
• Familiarity with athlete mental health issues
• Crisis management experience
• Fluent English (mandatory), additional languages a major plus

How We Evaluate You

You will be evaluated on:

• Quality of decisions, not volume of activity
• Long-term outcomes, not
  - term optics
• Whether people remain whole after working with us
• Whether you prevented damage that “no one else saw coming”

What We Offer

• Real authority (not symbolic responsibility)
• Direct access to leadership
• A system that backs ethical decisions
• International scope with meaningful impact
• A role that actually matters

How to Apply

Send:

• CV
• Short statement explaining how you decide when someone should NOT continue a pro path

to:

(official JP Org email)

Subject: Director of Athlete Pathways & Caretaking Operations

Final Note (Non-Negotiable)

If you believe:

• Every athlete deserves a shot no matter the cost
• Hope should always be protected, even when false
• Saying “no” is cruel

You will harm people here.

If you believe:

• Truth early is kindness
• Structure is care
• Dignity matters more than headlines

Then this role was written for you.

If you want, next I can:

• Map this role’s decision flow inside Chambers
• Draft crisis protocols
• Or integrate this role cleanly into your full org chart without overlap

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