In June 2025, AU transformed and expanded its softball business by launching the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), a premier professional women’s softball league. Before the 2026 season, additional teams were added, converting to a fully city-based model and building out ancillary business, fan and partner engagement opportunities.

The AUSL has 6 city-based teams that compete over a 3-month season nationwide. Each team will play 12-15 games in its home city and travel to other cities for an additional 12-15 games. 

Athletes Unlimited Softball League is looking to hire an Executive Director to serve as a public-facing leader in one of our home markets, working alongside AUSL’s national team. This position is full-time, and reports to the Sr. Director, Public Affairs of AUSL. Candidates must be based in one of the following markets: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Austin/Round Rock, Texas; Salt Lake City, Utah; or Portland/Hillsboro, Oregon.

Responsibilities

The Executive Director will be the face of the team locally, building community and fan engagement, cultivating relationships with local partners and stakeholders, elevating the overall fan experience, and serving as the team’s primary representative and on-site point person during the season. The ideal candidate is from the market and knows it deeply. The Executive Director will have a strong passion and desire for face-to-face community building among fans, sponsors, and community leaders. 

Community & Fan Engagement

• Serve as the primary spokesperson for the team at the local level and a visible, accessible presence at games, community events, and grassroots activations
• Drive and sustain local community outreach and engagement to ensure market relevance and emotional connection with fans
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with youth softball organizations, community organizations, and serve as a key public-facing member of the team’s leadership team
• Coordinate with AUSL staff to support local marketing and communications functions, including digital, social, advertising, and public relations
• Bring deep knowledge of the market to offer suggestions to AUSL’s location-specific marketing plans
• Support grassroots partnerships that translate to group ticket sales, in coordination with AUSL’s Marketing team

Venue, Regional Stakeholder and Operator Relationships

• Work with the Commissioner and Senior Director, Strategy to manage the relationship with the host venues/local team operating partners
• Work with the Strategic Communications team to build and maintain municipal, state, and other key relationships
• Work closely with the PR team during the season to direct local public relations strategy and assets

Local Partnerships & Sponsor Relationships

• Work closely with the Activation team to host and support national and local partners in market to integrate seamlessly with the fan experience and brand identity
• Build long-term relationships with larger local companies and pass qualified leads to AUSL’s partnerships team 
• Cultivate existing relationships and identify new local small business partners, for small-scale sponsorships and in-kind opportunities (e.g., marketing, athlete experience) that strengthen the team’s community presence, in coordination with AUSL’s partnerships team

Game-Day Presence 

• Serve as the recognized on-site point person for the team at home games, a clear, consistent local contact for venue partners, sponsors, and stakeholders 

Ticketing & Premium Sales

• Support AUSL’s ticketing team, which sets ticketing strategy with local market insight and on-the-ground execution of group sales initiatives as needed
• Support AUSL’s ticketing team in maximizing utilization of premium inventory and hospitality spaces by fostering relationships with local businesses and hosting prospects in market

Requirements

• 8-10 years of leadership experience in sports, entertainment, or live events, with demonstrated success in revenue generation and team leadership
• Experience building brands and club communities that instill passion in members 
• Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills, with a proven ability to build relationships with government officials, lawmakers, and other civic leaders 
• Excellent communicator, both written and oral, with comfort in public speaking and media settings
• Strong desire and commitment to engage directly with fans, community organizations, sponsors, and other local partners
• Experience with local sports marketing
• Familiarity with the softball and/or women’s sports community preferred
• Deep familiarity with the local market’s community strongly preferred
• For Salt Lake City and Round Rock/Austin: Familiarity with state and local legislative affairs preferred
• Willingness to travel locally and regionally (within a 3-hour drive), with approximately 1-2 weeks of additional travel outside of the local market
• Willingness to work nights and weekends, including game days
• Knowledge of Google Suite products
• Legal authorization to work in the United States

Benefits

This is a full-time role that must be based in Oklahoma City, OK Austin/Round Rock, Texas; Salt Lake City, UT; or Portland/Hillsboro, OR. This role is remote during the off-season and on-site in season. This role is  compensated at a range of $90,000 to $110,000. While this is the intended range, the actual compensation may vary based on several factors including but not limited to qualifications, skills, and geographic location of the position. We anticipate the highest end of the range will be reserved for those who exceed the hiring committee’s expectations on all measures of the evaluation process. In addition, Athletes Unlimited is proud to offer comprehensive benefits and perks to all of our full-time employees, including:

• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) plan with generous company match
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness and Development benefit
• Caregiving benefit
• Unlimited paid time off alongside company holidays

Our DEI Statement

As a company, we share a vision to change the world for the better and believe in the power of sports to tear down barriers. We will Be Unlimited in our pursuit to intentionally create an environment where every individual can be their authentic self.

Research shows that women, trans, non-binary, and BIPOC are less likely to apply for a job unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications. We strongly encourage you to apply even if your background is non-traditional or you might not meet every one of the qualifications described.

Athletes Unlimited is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its hiring process based on race, religion, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, pregnancy status, parental status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.