The Marine Technology Society (MTS) believes that advancements in the development and use of marine technologies are essential to support responsible and sustainable use of the ocean. Founded in 1963, we are an international professional society that provides members of academia, government, and industry a common forum for the exchange of information and ideas. Our members are engineers, scientists, technologists, policy makers, and educators on the leading-edge of technology design and application. MTS members work within the full spectrum of ocean and subsea technologies that support sustainable ocean use, ranging from offshore energy to dynamic positioning, ocean robotics to buoys, and many more.

MATE is a long-standing global platform and education pipeline rooted in workforce development. MATE’s three pillars—the MATE ROV Competition, MATE ROV Academy, and SeaMATE Store—together form a flagship ecosystem within MTS, integrating competition, educator professional development, and hands-on learning resources.

The Role 

The Senior Manager of MATE Operations will play a pivotal role in driving MTS’s mission and operational success by overseeing MATE competition planning and execution, managing volunteers, sponsors, donors, and grants, supporting the logistics and delivery of MATE academy workshops, and analyzing information and data to determine impact. Reporting to the MATE Executive Director, this role will support and sustain a broad scope of operations and contribute to the development and implementation of strategies that further MATE sustainability within MTS.

As a senior member of Team MATE, the Senior Manager of MATE Operations will work closely with the MATE Executive Director to manage and administer the MATE ROV Competition, including oversight of contractors, on-site logistics, and volunteer coordination. The role will also manage sponsor, donor, and grant tracking; provide operational leadership; support MATE ROV Academy workshops; and contribute to strategies that grow MATE and strengthen cross-organizational programmatic synergies. This position will collaborate with colleagues within Team MATE and across MTS headquarters to develop, refine, and streamline systems and processes that increase efficiency, track and demonstrate impact, maximize results, and deliver value to MATE and broader MTS community. The Senior Manager of MATE Operations will serve as a key representative of MATE and the overall society brand.

This role includes the following essential functions and other duties as assigned:

Operational Leadership 

• Identify duplication, opportunities for greater efficiency, and potential synergies and collaboration across MATE’s three pillars and the broader MTS organization.
• Collaborate with Team MATE and MTS colleagues to operationalize these opportunities and strengthen engagement, satisfaction, and retention across the larger MTS ecosystem.

Competition Operations

• Ownership of the full-cycle competition season, which involves overseeing planning, organization, and coordination of the MATE World Championship, including:
  • Collaborate with the MTS Events Manager to secure and manage contracts with venues—including pool facilities and hotels—and with food and beverage, transportation, and other vendors.
  • Procure prizes before the event.
  • Coordinate the on-demand merchandise vendor before and during the event.
  • Lead on-site logistics, including final preparations and walk-throughs.
• Manage scorekeeping, including contractor oversight, pre-event planning, and on-site support.
• Ensure administration of competition surveys, including preparing survey instruments and facilitating evaluator access to submissions.
• Enhance sponsor experience and satisfaction by annually reviewing and updating the sponsorship matrix, ensuring equitable delivery of benefits, and collaborating with the MTS Communications team and Events Manager to increase sponsor visibility before and during the World Championship.
• In collaboration with Team MATE and MTS colleagues, document processes and procedures to increase efficiency and streamline operations.

Volunteer Coordination

• Identify and synthesize best practices in volunteer recruitment, management, training, preparation, and on-site coordination; share these as resources with the regional competition network and apply them to World Championship volunteer coordination in order to elevate the volunteer experience, increase satisfaction, and support retention.
• Refine existing resources to clearly outline volunteer roles and responsibilities, required expertise and experience, and expected time commitments.
• Organize volunteers for the annual MATE World Championship, to include pre-event recruitment, training, and preparation and on-site leadership and coordination.

Academy Workshop Support

• Provide operational support for professional development workshops, as requested.
• Support the management and reporting requirements of grants and donations for workshops and other academy programming and resources, such as the development of online courses and instructional materials.

Data Management, Analysis, and Reporting

• Sponsor, donor, and grant tracking and management, to include monitoring contributions, distributing acknowledgements, ensuring compliance with grant requirements, and contributing data and content to inform grant reports.
• Contributing sponsor, donor, and grant data to inform the process for tracking network development and revenue growth.