Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Location: Remote (U.S.-based preferred)
Compensation: Equity + Executive Compensation Package (Post-Funding)
Industry: Sports, Live Events, Entertainment, League Operations
About Us
Critical Sports and Entertainment (CSE) is building a national sports platform that integrates live events, athlete representation, media production, and league infrastructure. The company operates a growing portfolio of sports properties including Critical Combat, a national touring fight night platform; the United Combat League (UCL), a franchise-based professional MMA league; and Unity Combat Series, a national youth and amateur combat sports ecosystem.
Together these ventures form an integrated platform spanning live event promotion, athlete development pipelines, brand partnerships, and broadcast-ready sports content. CSE is currently entering a national expansion phase, with arena-scale events, new league infrastructure, and multi-city event touring planned across the next several years. As the organization scales, we are building the operational leadership necessary to support multi-property growth and long-term platform development.
The Role
We are seeking a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead operational strategy and execution across the company’s sports properties. Working directly with the Founder & CEO, the COO will oversee company operations, live event infrastructure, and internal systems as CSE expands nationally. This role is designed for a leader who can build scalable systems and translate ambitious sports properties into operationally disciplined platforms.
What You’ll Do
Operational Strategy
- Design operational frameworks that support multi-property sports ventures
- Build scalable systems for live event touring and national expansion
Event Operations
- Oversee operational execution for national fight nights, tournaments, and championships
- Manage venue coordination, production timelines, and event logistics
League Infrastructure
- Support operational development of the United Combat League franchise system
- Build systems that support multi-team league operations and event schedules
Systems & Process Development
- Implement workflows, reporting systems, and operational standards
- Build infrastructure that enables multi-market event execution
Team Development
- Build and manage teams across operations, event production, and administration
- Develop leadership structures as the company expands nationally
Strategic Planning
- Assist leadership in planning national event expansion and league growth
- Support long-term operational planning across company ventures
Performance Management
- Establish operational KPIs and reporting frameworks
- Ensure accountability and execution across departments
Ideal Background
Growth-Stage Operators
- Experience in live event production, sports operations, or touring event logistics
- Strong organizational leadership and operational discipline
- Comfortable building processes within fast-moving startup environments
Experienced Sports Executives
- Senior leadership experience in sports leagues, event promotion, or entertainment operations •
- Proven ability to scale operational infrastructure across multi-location platforms
- Experience managing complex sports or live-event ecosystems
Compensation
This role includes equity participation in Critical Sports and Entertainment, aligning executive leadership with long-term platform growth. Compensation includes: (a) equity ownership in the company; (b) base salary following completion of the company’s current capital raise; and (c) participation in event and property-level revenue streams
Expected initial total compensation range: $125,000 – $160,000
With growth potential to: $250,000+ total compensation as the platform scales nationally
Why Join CSE
CSE is building a vertically integrated sports platform designed to scale across events, leagues, and athlete ecosystems.
Key growth drivers include:
- Expansion of Critical Combat arena events
- Launch and growth of the United Combat League franchise model
- Development of national youth and amateur combat sports championships
- Growth of athlete representation and NIL partnerships
- Media and broadcast-driven sports content
This role offers the opportunity to help build the operational backbone behind a national sports platform during its most important growth phase.
