Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Technology Officer is responsible for developing and implementing appropriate product technology strategies and solutions to grow the overall enterprise. The Chief Technology Officer is part of the WSL’s executive leadership team and will be the most senior technology officer in the organization with overall responsibility for the company’s technical point of view for product and information system design, development, strategy and execution. This person will be the top technology strategist, guiding the direction of the company, and leading technology aspects of development of new products and businesses.

Responsibilities include (but not limited to):

Strategic Technology Leadership:

  • Evolving and transforming the current technology platform to become the standard for global media and sports organizations
  • Developing and clearly articulating a vision, platform, architecture and technology roadmap - tied to the overall enterprise vision & mission - and driving the long-term technology strategy for the WSL.
  • Serving as an internal and external evangelist with customers, partners, investors and other key stakeholders.
  • Develop and execute a 3-5+ year technology roadmap that aligns with the league's business goals, focusing on digital transformation, OTT streaming, and data-driven decision-making.
  • Drive strategic partnerships with technology vendors (e.g., cloud providers, broadcast partners) to optimize infrastructure costs and performance.
  • Driving planning, budget development and strategic priorities to shape and execute strategy and objectives.
  • Monitor KPIs and IT budgets to assess technological performance.
  • Supervise system infrastructure to ensure functionality and efficiency.
  • Maintaining awareness of the competitive landscape, watching for new industry developments, market threats, and opportunities for expansion.

Product Development:

  • Leveraging primarily external resources, leading the build, integration and implementation of new products into the business- on budget, on time and with the highest possible quality.
  • Leading the redefinition and build/rebuild of our direct-to-consumer, mobile and cloud capabilities from product concept, prototype, to release.
  • Collaborate interdepartmentally to integrate wearable technology, data analytics, and performance tracking systems to enhance player safety and performance.
  • Fostering a culture of product development that is both responsive to the voice of the customer and scalable, with the goal of ultimately building community and brand loyalty across the audience/fan base.

Required Skills and Qualifications

  • A bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology or a related field.
  • 8+ years of experience as a technology officer or in a similar senior technology leadership role, preferably in the sports/entertainment industry.
  • Demonstrated success in managing IT infrastructure, IT budgets, software development and systems architecture.
  • Deep understanding of technology trends, best practices and sports and entertainment technology landscape.
  • Extensive knowledge of software development methodologies, infrastructure management, and cybersecurity best practices.
  • Experience driving digital transformation initiatives, leveraging cloud technologies, and implementing data-driven decision-making.
  • Strong strategic thinking and the ability to translate business objectives into effective technology strategies.
  • Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to inspire and develop high-performing technology teams.
  • Proven track record of successfully leading large-scale technology projects, delivering results on time and within budget.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to leverage data and insights for informed decision-making.

Personal Attributes:

  • Above all, integrity and honesty
  • Comfortable in a fast past, entrepreneurial environment
  • An exceptional work ethic
  • Optimistic and high energy
  • An enthusiasm for coaching, teaching and the development of people
  • An open and collaborative nature
  • A high degree of self-awareness of one’s own personal style, strengths and weaknesses and motivational triggers
  • Intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning
  • Action Oriented—enjoys working hard and looks for challenges
  • Able to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; willing to take unpopular stands when necessary
  • Willingness to travel

Location:

  • The WSL office is located in Playa Del Rey, CA and positions would be hybrid or fully remote (U.S.-based, pacific time zone)

Compensation:

  • Competitive executive compensation package including base salary, and discretionary bonus incentives; and benefits package. The base salary offered will be commensurate with experience and qualifications, industry knowledge and expertise.

About World Surf League

The World Surf League (WSL) is a global sports media & entertainment company and the governing body of and path to professional surfing. The league partners with brands to create and deliver transformational partnerships that deliver next-generation, innovative, purpose-driven engagement platforms that have both regional and global relevance and scale. The league owns and distributes the rights to The Championship Tour, which crowns men’s and women’s elite world champions each year. As a top-tier Olympic qualifier, WSL will send 18 top-ranking men and women to France in 2024, located in Teahupo’o, Tahiti. A division of The WSL, WSL Studios is a full-service original entertainment production engine, committed to delivering a broad range of high-quality lifestyle storylines to the world. Our content is transformative and celebrates surfing, the ocean, and human potential. Our studio is producing documentaries and series for major media companies like HBO, The Walt Disney Company, and Apple TV. Our latest launch is Make or Break season 2, which is a worldwide hit. The WSL is distributed on television in 525M+ homes worldwide. The league has been a leader in live streaming in the sports industry on platforms like Facebook, Youtube, and WSL.com/APP. The league and its athletes have a collective social following of over 100M+ and are reaching new audiences via connected devices and are one of the fastest growing sports on Tik-Tok. Join us! For all inquiries/ opportunities please reach out to [email protected]

Apply now

Please let World Surf League know you found this job on ManagerTrack. This helps us grow!

Apply now

Unlock thousands of jobs and get more interviews

Let us do the heavy lifting and sift through the noise in your job search to get the most relevant jobs in front of you

What’s included

  • Advanced search filters
  • 24 hour advanced access to new jobs
  • Email alerts

Pay monthly, cancel anytime

$19.99/month

Join now

Invoices and receipts available for easy company reimbursement