Senior Associate Athletic Director, Sport Administration

Pay Grade: 32E

Context of the Job:

The Senior Associate Athletic Director (AD), Sport Administration and Front Office at the University of Delaware is a valued member within the University and Department of Athletics, Community & Campus Recreation (DACCR) upholding and embracing the departmental mission of ”Achieving Excellence Together”

Under the limited direction of the Senior Deputy Athletic Director (AD), the Senior Associate AD, Sport Administration Front Office is responsible for collaborating with department leadership on all facets of sport administration for UD Athletics’ 22 varsity athletics programs and Spirit teams. The Deputy AD for Competitive Excellence who oversees sport performance and student success will be a critical partner with this position.

The Senior Associate AD will lead the Sport Administrator team, Coaches and other Athletic Department leadership regarding the design and establishment of shared and sustainable visions, plans and standards for our varsity programs. The focus of this position will be to create and manage an environment conducive to both academic and competitive success and the best possible student-athlete experience. In the rapidly changing environment of college athletics, this position will lead the department’s strategy in handling roster management, scholarship/cost of attendance/Alston/revenue share/NIL philosophy and execution. This position is essential in ensuring any contractual agreements needed with student-athletes in the future align with the department's strategic goals and comply with legal and regulatory requirements, particularly considering recent legal decisions and evolving revenue-sharing models with student-athletes. This position will collaborate closely with coaches, vendors, university officials, and student-athletes to secure favorable terms and mitigate risks.

The Senior Associate AD will bring focus to winning for our department so that our coaches and support staff are set up for success to build consistent and sustainable winning programs across the board. This will include general supervision and evaluation of coaches, regularly evaluating needs and resources of coaches and sport programs. It will include ongoing assessment efforts for the creation, execution, and metrics of success for varsity programs in collaboration with Head Coaches and Sport Administrators. The development, growth and evaluation of all sport administrators will be critical as we invest in their ability to assist coaches in managing their roster budgets and navigating the changing landscape of college athletics, as will a strong collaborative approach with Sport Performance to ensure mental and physical optimization towards winning. The Senior Associate AD is responsible for proactively building and

maintaining positive and collaborative working relationships with colleagues across campus. In addition, this position has extensive interactions outside of the University with institutional representatives from CUSA and/or visiting institutions, outside group representatives, parents, alumni, fans, and the public.

Major Responsibilities:

Sport Administration Leadership

• Men’s Basketball Sport Administrator and responsible for General Manager functions for men’s and women’s basketball program.
• Additional sport administrator assignment to be determined.
• Provide strategic insight and recommendations regarding sport administrator assignments.
• Partner on professional development opportunities and the Pathway program for current and potential future sport administrators with Senior Associate AD, Student-Athlete Services and Development
• Partner with the Divisional Director, Talent Management on salary and retention strategy review for coaches.
• Partner with the Divisional Director, Talent Management on execution of strategy for coaching searches and assist other sport administrators on coaching searches, and execution and onboarding of new hires as needed to ensure consistency across all programs.
• Responsible for the oversight and providing daily direction to coaches in addition to interacting with assistant coaches and student-athletes and the administration of assigned sport program(s)
• Regularly evaluating needs and resources of coaches and sport programs.
• Responsible for the growth and evaluation of all sport administrators to ensure they have the skills and capabilities to effectively manage and assist coaches in roster budget management and changing NCAA landscape

Strategy

• Develop strategy for handling roster management, scholarship/cost of attendance/Alston/revenue share/NIL philosophy and execution.
• Responsible for developing and driving outcomes that lead to successful talent acquisition and retainment. This includes but is not limited to, creation of a financial approach/strategy that aligns with the program strategy, direct conversations with student-athletes regarding their financial package and responsibility for the strategic tracking and management of the roster budget.
• If applicable with new NCAA rules, responsible for contract management with student-athletes in conjunction with Office of General Counsel.
• In collaboration with Sport Performance team, ensure mental and physical optimization for teams and individual student-athletes towards winning.
• Develop strategy and planning for Coaches’ and Operations Team meetings.
• Drive a culture of analytics and assessment to pursue continuous improvement in all responsible areas including the student-Athlete Experience Survey and Senior Exit Interviews process.

Administrative Functions

• Establish and implement processes and procedures to ensure suitable communication and execution of requests from coaches/teams; identify opportunities for efficiencies and/or streamlining processes.
• Design and implement new policies, procedures, protocols, and/or practices to align with Athletic Department, NCAA, and CAA policies, procedures, protocols, and/or practices.
• Work with Facilities, Operations and Event Management team to provide recommendations regarding home game administration; assist with developing, implementing, and monitoring adherence to standards.
• Develop and maintain systems for documenting, tracking, and evaluating coach and team performance; determine methods and seek opportunities to implement proactive strategies to enhance performance of coaches and/or teams.
• Be an active member of the CARE team for assigned sports and ensure the wellbeing of our student-athletes.
• Responsible for helping enforce the many rules and regulations in college athletics, especially those designed to protect and champion for student-athletes, while working with coaches regularly regarding student-athletes’ failure to meet Blue Hen expectations or conduct related issues.
• Responsible for the effective and consistent execution of competition and practice schedules, team travel, roster management and scholarship budget, operational budget decisions, and student-athlete experience factors for our varsity sport programs.
• Attend home events regularly, and travel to regular season away competitions on occasion, and travel for all assigned post-season competition/championships.
• Review and hold signatory approval for: playing season and coaching declarations; scholarship renewals, non-renewals, and cancelations.
• Identify and maximize other operational efficiencies for all sport programs, to include preseason, other university break periods, housing, and dining.
• Organizes project work related to sport programs and team operations, to include student-athlete awards and recognitions, scheduling, and other projects as assigned.
• Assists in the development and management of sports team budgets.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required in sports management, athletics administration, or related field and six years related experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Master’s Degree in Sport Administration preferred.
• Experience working in NCAA Division I Athletics preferred.
• Experience as a student-athlete and/or coach preferred.
• Knowledge of rules and regulations governing intercollegiate athletics as well as knowledge of overall student-athlete experience.
• Understanding and philosophy around winning AND positive student-athlete experiences.
• Ability to lead coaches as a Sport Administrator, including sound judgment and leadership qualities that involve a high-level of confidentiality and discretion.
• Ability to supervise and train employees, to include organizing, prioritizing, and scheduling work assignments.
• Ability to work collaboratively and comprehensively on the development and implementation of policies and practices.
• Administrative strengths, including ability to develop a plan, execute and measure success of projects and events.
• Ability to think analytically and strategically, with experience evaluating programs/projects, budgets, staff, and coaches.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community.
• Experience and expertise in solution-oriented thinking, critical thinking, conflict resolution.
• Commitment to the development of leadership and performance of staff.
• Ability to work successfully in a fast-paced, performance driven environment.
• Demonstrates an understanding and consideration of the differing needs and concerns of individuals with varying identities, cultures and backgrounds.
• Committed to fostering a workplace culture of belonging, where diversity is celebrated, and equity is a core value.