The USA Federation for Sport Cheering is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that was established in 2007 to serve as the Governing Body for Sport Cheering in the United States and is recognized by the International Cheer Union. USA Cheer exists to serve the cheer community, including club cheering (all star), youth recreational cheer, traditional school-based cheer programs, and the growing sport of STUNT. USA Cheer has three primary objectives: promote safety and safety education for cheer in the United States; help grow and develop interest and participation in cheer throughout the United States; and represent the United States of America in international cheer competitions.

USA CHEER

Education, Research & Special Projects Manager

Position: Full-Time

Location: Remote

Anticipated Start: Fall 2026

Reports To: Executive Director

Salary: $80,000–$95,000, depending on experience

POSITION OVERVIEW

USA Cheer is seeking an exceptionally organized, resourceful and detail-oriented Education, Research & Special Projects Manager to manage significant organizational initiatives from concept through completion.

The Manager's initial primary responsibilities will include two major national initiatives: the National Cheerleading Census, an effort to better document and understand participation in cheerleading and STUNT throughout the United States, and the comprehensive modernization of the USA Cheer Safety Manual and Safety Certification Program, targeted for launch in May 2028.

In addition to these core projects, the Manager will lead and support other strategic initiatives based on organizational priorities, workload, and the individual's skills and experience.

This is a hands-on position for someone who excels at taking a complex idea or initiative, creating structure around it, organizing large amounts of information, coordinating the people and resources necessary to execute it, and driving the project through successful completion.

The ideal candidate is a versatile project manager who can move comfortably between research, written content, spreadsheets and data, project-management systems, stakeholder coordination and implementation. This person should enjoy variety, take ownership of projects, anticipate needs and be comfortable working independently while collaborating with staff, leadership, outside partners and subject-matter experts.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

National Cheerleading Census

USA Cheer is undertaking a national effort to better understand and document participation across youth, school-based, All Star, collegiate, STUNT and other segments of cheerleading.

The Manager will:

• Manage the overall Census project plan, timeline, milestones and deliverables.
• Coordinate participating organizations, partners and data contributors.
• Develop and maintain partner instructions, data-collection templates, tracking tools and project documentation.
• Manage distribution, collection and tracking of survey and participation data.
• Maintain a centralized dashboard of partners, submissions, outstanding information and follow-up needs.
• Communicate regularly and professionally with participating organizations and contributors.
• Review incoming information for completeness and consistency and identify potential duplication, participation overlap or other data-quality concerns.
• Maintain clear documentation regarding data sources, definitions, methodology, decisions and outstanding questions.
• Coordinate with appropriate research or statistical experts when specialized analysis is required.
• Support development of summary tables, reports and presentations for USA Cheer leadership and other stakeholders.
• Establish an organized project archive and repeatable process to support future Census updates.

USA Cheer Safety Manual & Certification Program

USA Cheer is undertaking a comprehensive modernization of its Safety Manual and associated Safety Certification Program, with the goal of creating a current, relevant and sustainable safety education resource for the cheerleading community.

The Manager will:

• Develop and maintain the master project plan through the targeted May 2028 launch.
• Conduct and organize a comprehensive review of the existing manual and supporting educational materials.
• Gather and organize existing USA Cheer content, research, references and proposed updates.
• Coordinate input and review from medical, legal, athlete-safety, coaching, sport-specific and other subject-matter experts.
• Manage chapter assignments, deadlines, review cycles, comments and approvals.
• Research and organize supporting source material as directed by USA Cheer leadership and subject-matter experts.
• Identify missing, outdated, duplicated or potentially conflicting material and route it to the appropriate experts for resolution.
• Maintain source documentation, citations, version histories, approval records and change logs.
• Help ensure consistency in terminology, organization, writing style and presentation throughout the program.
• Coordinate copyediting, proofreading and final quality-control reviews.
• Coordinate document production, formatting, typesetting and design resources for digital and, if applicable, print publication.
• Coordinate conversion of manual content into an effective online learning experience, including lessons, learning objectives, knowledge checks and assessments.
• Work with USA Cheer staff, subject-matter experts and LMS resources throughout course development, testing and implementation.
• Coordinate pilot testing, quality assurance, corrections and final launch preparation.
• Establish an organized master archive and update process so the Safety Manual and Certification can be efficiently maintained in future years.

The Manager will coordinate and manage the content-development process; final medical, legal, safety and policy determinations will remain with USA Cheer leadership and designated subject-matter experts.

ADDITIONAL STRATEGIC PROJECTS

As workload permits, the Manager will lead or support additional projects that align with USA Cheer's organizational priorities and the individual's experience and strengths.

Projects may involve education and certification, research and data collection, athlete safety and wellness, membership initiatives, program development, process improvement, governance and organizational projects, partnerships, events, special programs or other cross-functional priorities.

Responsibilities may include project planning, research, information gathering, stakeholder coordination, documentation, process development and implementation support.

The nature and volume of additional assignments will vary throughout the year based on the workload and deadlines associated with the Manager's primary projects.

OVERALL PROJECT MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Manager will:

• Turn organizational goals and ideas into actionable project plans.
• Establish timelines, milestones, owners, dependencies and deliverables.
• Maintain project trackers, dashboards and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate internal staff, external partners, consultants and subject-matter experts.
• Schedule and facilitate project meetings as appropriate.
• Maintain clear notes, action items and follow-up responsibilities.
• Proactively follow up with contributors and keep projects moving toward established deadlines.
• Provide concise and useful project-status reports to leadership.
• Maintain an active list of decisions or approvals needed from leadership.
• Identify potential delays, unresolved issues, resource needs and project risks early.
• Recommend solutions or options when escalating issues rather than simply identifying problems.
• Establish and maintain consistent file organization, naming conventions and version control.
• Document key decisions, changes and approvals.
• Coordinate handoffs among content, design, technology, communications and other functions.
• Manage multiple concurrent workstreams while maintaining strong attention to detail.
• Help create repeatable systems and processes that remain useful after an individual project is completed.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Demonstrated experience successfully managing complex, multi-phase projects involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail and follow-through.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong writing, editing and proofreading abilities.
• Ability to organize large volumes of information and turn unstructured material into clear, usable systems.
• Ability to independently establish priorities and move projects forward with limited day-to-day supervision.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel, Google Workspace, and shared-document environments.
• Experience developing and maintaining project plans, trackers, schedules, dashboards and documentation.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leaders, staff, external partners and subject-matter experts.
• Professional persistence and comfort following up with busy contributors to meet established deadlines.
• Ability to manage several different types of projects simultaneously and adjust priorities as organizational needs change.

Preferred

• Experience in project or program management, education, research, publishing, nonprofit organizations, youth sports or national sport organizations.
• Experience coordinating educational content, manuals, certification programs, curricula or online learning.
• Familiarity with editorial workflows, document production and typesetting.
• Experience with surveys, data collection, research projects or large datasets.
• Experience with learning management systems or online course development.
• Familiarity with project-management platforms such as Monday.com, HubSpot, Smartsheet, or similar.
• Experience coordinating medical, legal, safety, compliance or other technical subject-matter experts.
• Knowledge of cheerleading, STUNT or organized youth/college sports is helpful but not required.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and professional experience.

THE PERSON WE'RE LOOKING FOR

The successful candidate will be someone who:

• Loves turning complicated projects into organized plans.
• Sees both the big picture and the details required to accomplish it.
• Takes ownership rather than waiting to be told every next step.
• Notices gaps, inconsistencies, and unanswered questions.
• Is comfortable asking questions and respectfully holding others accountable to deadlines.
• Can work equally well with people, written content, spreadsheets and systems.
• Is resourceful and comfortable learning new subject areas.
• Understands when to solve a problem independently and when a decision needs to be elevated.
• Can manage expert input without needing to be the subject-matter expert.
• Communicates clearly and concisely with leadership.
• Enjoys working on different types of projects rather than performing the same function every day.
• Takes pride in leaving behind organized systems, documentation, and processes that others can maintain.

INITIAL PROJECT MILESTONES

Fall 2026

• Assume day-to-day project management of the National Cheerleading Census.
• Assess Census progress, outstanding partner needs, and remaining deliverables.
• Establish the Safety Manual master project plan, file structure, content inventory, and subject-matter-expert review process.

2027

• Coordinate Census data validation, follow-up, reporting and project documentation.
• Manage the comprehensive review and rewrite of the USA Cheer Safety Manual.
• Coordinate subject-matter-expert participation, research, source verification, and review cycles.
• Manage development of the corresponding Safety Certification curriculum and assessment materials.
• Establish sustainable processes for future Census and Safety Certification updates.
• Lead or support additional USA Cheer strategic initiatives as workload permits.

January 2028

• Target completion and approval of the new Safety Manual content and corresponding certification curriculum.

February–April 2028

• Coordinate final document production, online course development, quality assurance, pilot testing, revisions, and launch preparation.

May 2028

• Support the national rollout of the new USA Cheer Safety Certification Program.

Project timelines may evolve based on organizational needs, subject-matter review, and other considerations.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Salary Range: $80,000–$95,000 annually, depending on experience (DOE).

USA Cheer offers a competitive benefits package for full-time employees, including:

• Employer-sponsored health insurance
• Dental and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Mobile phone and Wi-Fi stipend
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and recognized holidays
• Remote work environment

Specific benefit eligibility, coverage, and employer contributions will be provided during the hiring process.

ABOUT USA CHEER

USA Cheer serves the cheerleading and STUNT community by supporting athlete safety, education, sport development and opportunities for participation throughout the United States.

Our work spans youth, school, collegiate, and other cheerleading programs as well as the continued development of STUNT. USA Cheer works with athletes, coaches, administrators, organizations, and other stakeholders to support the safe and responsible growth of cheerleading and STUNT.

TO APPLY

Interested candidates should submit:

• Resume
• Cover letter describing relevant project-management experience and interest in the position
• Optional examples of project plans, educational resources, publications, research projects, or other relevant work

Application materials should be submitted through the USA Cheer job posting.

Anticipated Start Date: Fall 2026

USA Cheer is an equal opportunity employer.