Senior Deputy Athletics Director, Chief Operating Officer

Department: Intercollegiate Athletics

Classification: Professional Faculty

Job Category: Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Salary: Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

To unite communities by developing champions with a mission to inspire and transform lives through the power of sports. Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) serves 500 student-athletes in 22 NCAA Division I sports. We are a proud member of the Atlantic 10 Conference with 17 Conference Championships, NCAA Championships in Women’s Soccer and Men’s Indoor Track, an NCAA Final Four appearance with Men’s Basketball, and over 30 individual National Champions. We are student-focused, education-centered, and committed to providing transformational experiences for our student-athletes and staff. Our five priorities are student-athlete experience, competition, resources, storytelling and engagement, and championship culture.

About the Position:

The Senior Deputy Athletics Director serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the department of Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) with responsibility and accountability for day-to-day operations, programming, and administration of the Athletics department. The position will operate innovatively as a strategic advisor and liaison to the Vice President/Director of Athletics while driving strategic initiatives, enhancing operational efficiency, strengthening internal and external relationships, and fostering a championship culture.

Responsibilities:

Serves as a member of the Vice President/Director of Athletics’ senior leadership team and oversees daily operations of the department to ensure effective communication, collaboration, and consistent operational execution in support of over 500 student-athletes, 100 full-time employees, and over 200 part-time staff members.

Assists the Vice President/Director of Athletics with daily operational management of the department of Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) to include strategic leadership, advising and implementation of industry best practices, policies, processes, and procedures to improve operational efficiencies, drive department results, and ensure student-athlete success and positive experiences.

• Oversees daily operations of the department to ensure alignment with department short and long-term strategic goals and objectives;
• Collaborates with department heads to streamline operations and implement new initiatives, policies, and programs that advance the mission and operational needs of the department;
• Periodically monitors and evaluates programmatic and operational effectiveness, regularly communicates progress, and implements changes required for improvement;
• Supports the recruitment, training, supervision, professional development, and retention of coaches and administrative staff; and
• Serves as a primary liaison with internal and external stakeholders, including university leadership, coaches, and external partners. 

Oversees the implementation and monitoring of the new athletics strategic plan and other new strategic initiatives to enhance the services provided to student-athletes, leverage areas of distinction, and strengthen relationships across the university and local community.

• Partners with the Vice President/Director of Athletics and members of the Strategic Leadership team to implement, monitor, and update the department's strategic plan;
• Drives new strategic initiatives to enhance the student-athlete experience, department competitiveness, and galvanize the community; and
• Collaborates with campus and community partners to advance the athletics program.

Serves as the program administrator for various varsity athletics programs, including sport supervision responsibilities.

• Responsible for day-to-day administration and supervision of assigned varsity sports teams to include, but not limited to the following: academic performance, recruitment and experience, recruit, manage, develop and evaluate coaches, practice and game scheduling, game contracts and competitive performance, budget/finance, travel, event management, external and community relations, and fundraising;
• Ensures sport programs maintain compliance with department, university, conference, and NCAA policies and procedures; and
• Provides updates and recommendations to the Vice President/Director of Athletics concerning all pertinent aspects of sport oversight and individual sport operations. 

Performs other related duties as assigned by the Vice President/Director of Athletics.

• Attends athletic events and functions at the discretion of the Vice President/Director of Athletics to build, enhance, and/or manage key relationships within university and local community;
• Leads, mentors, and evaluates staff to ensure professional growth and alignment with departmental and institutional goals while promoting a culture of teamwork, innovation, and high performance among athletics department staff; and
• Represents the department at university, athletic, and other local community events to further the athletic department mission. 

Required Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in related field or work experience equating to an advanced degree;
• Significant relevant professional experience (generally seven or more years);
• Experience aligning strategic initiatives with operational plans and project management;
• Experience in recruiting, hiring, developing, retaining, and evaluating coaches and staff members;
• Demonstrated experience leading, communicating, collaborating, and managing a team approach to effectively carry out the functions of a department or unit;
• Experience with policy development and implementation;
• Comprehensive understanding of intercollegiate athletics administration, student-athlete development, and NCAA compliance within a Division I environment;
• Knowledge in Microsoft Office suite and a familiarity with database software;
• Knowledge of policy development and implementation;
• Proven leadership and management skills, particularly as it relates to establishing and communicating priorities, critical thinking and problem solving, advancing innovative practices, building strategic partnerships, and formulating effective policies, processes, and procedures;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written and oral) and demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community;
• Ability to align strategic initiatives with operational plans and project management; and
• Ability to recruit, hire, develop, retain, and evaluate coaches and staff members.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Sports Administration, Business Administration, or related field;
• Experience working in a Division I athletics program;
• Demonstrated experience overseeing units within complex organizations with various forms of revenue streams and resource allocations;
• Successful experience in managing and resolving conflict, building consensus, and making sound judgment in a complex environment;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in a collegiate athletics setting;
• Knowledge of change management principles, effective recruiting and hiring practices, and leading change across an organization; and
• Skill in managing and resolving conflict, building consensus, and making sound judgment in a complex environment.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for the Senior Deputy Athletics Director, Chief Operating Officer at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a resume.

Posting Open Date:  February 6, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  February 20, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes