Paulus played hockey and soccer as a child. Turning his sole attention to soccer in his teens, he played for local clubs St. Andrews, Maple Leaf and Woburn.[1] He also played and coached while serving in the military in The Maritimes before moving to Alberta.[2]
In September 2006, Paulus also joined the Canadian Soccer Association to coach national team prospects at the Prairies National Training Centre in Edmonton.[3] He worked with players aged between 14 and 17 for five years until his departure in December 2011.[4]
FC Edmonton
Upon his departure from the Canadian Soccer Association, Paulus joined North American Soccer League club FC Edmonton on a full-time basis. While acting as assistant coach to Colin Miller, he also worked in the Academy as technical director.[1] When the FC Edmonton senior team ceased operations in 2017, Paulus continued to lead the club's youth section.[5]
On July 4, 2018, Paulus was named as the head coach of FC Edmonton after the club was re-founded to compete in the Canadian Premier League.[6] He was then made the interim general manager of FC Edmonton on November 21, 2019, replacing Jay Ball. The club also announced that he would remain as the head coach for the 2020 Canadian Premier League season.[7] Jeff Paulus stepped down as head coach of FC Edmonton on September 21, 2020.[8]