Director of Athletics

Job Title

Director of Athletics

Posting Number

20110645

Pay Rate

Salary commensurate with experience

Position Type

Administration

Key Responsibilities

Juniata College’s commitment to Division III athletics is explicitly linked to the educational mission of the institution and emphasizes the overall health and well-being of students in and outside of training and competitive arenas. Sponsoring 24 varsity sports, we seek a Director of Athletics that works collaboratively across the institution to develop and support competitive athletic programs that achieve student success and align with institutional recruitment, retention, and graduation goals.

Reporting to the President and serving as a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Director of Athletics is charged with providing inspiring and visionary leadership to help ensure that the College’s values are translated through our athletics staff, programs, and student-athletes. The portfolio of Juniata’s next AD includes: Athletic Communications, Athletic Training Services, Strength and Conditioning, and administrative personnel including a dedicated support staff person, along with coaching staff. The athletics staff includes approximately 60 individuals in addition to a variety of student employment positions.

Juniata College Overview

A top 100 liberal arts and sciences college, Juniata College prepares students not only to adapt to change, but to lead it. More than 1,300 students from all over the world seek out Juniata College for its exceptionally strong academic programs in the sciences, business, arts, and humanities. Juniata College provides each student with two faculty advisors who guide students with a personalized, interdisciplinary approach to education.

With 100 student organizations and 24 NCAA Division III athletic teams, and ample opportunities for study abroad, community-engaged learning, and research, students embrace their experiences outside of the classroom and in their Huntingdon, Pennsylvania community. This results in 95% of graduates becoming employed or entering graduate school within six months of graduation.

Key Strategic Priorities for Juniata’s Next Director of Athletics:

• Strategic Leadership and Vision
• Develop and execute a vision that generates institutional pride and national awareness of Juniata College athletics;
• Drive institutional competitiveness that reflects the best abilities of student-athletes and coaches;
• Provide effective and efficient management of the athletics department, including oversight of personnel, facilities, compliance, and the annual budget;
• Communicate effectively and intentionally within the department, across the College, with partners and collaborators, and to critical constituencies, such as sport and institutional alumni, parents, donors, etc;
• Accept responsibility for the development and continuance of good sportsmanship, leadership, and ethical behavior of athletes, coaches, staff, and spectators;
• Resource Development
• Work in coordination with the President, Advancement Office, and Alumni Engagement to best leverage prospective donor engagement and enthusiasm in support of program and team priorities;
• Assist the Senior Leadership Team in the development and implementation of an overall athletic facilities plan for improvements and maintenance of athletic fields and facilities;
• Strategically manage all fiscal operations of the Athletics Department in accordance with institutional regulations and establish procedures to assure adherence to these regulations by all departmental coaches and staff members;
• Recruitment and Retention
• Support and promote the College’s commitment to the full intellectual growth, personal development, health, and wellbeing of student athletes and all Juniata students, recognizing that student-athletes must balance success in both a rigorous academic setting and in their athletic endeavors;
• Partner with Enrollment to ensure a cohesive and collaborative relationship that helps to shape recruitment activities and student-athlete offerings while maximizing opportunity, roster sizes, and ROI;
• Organize and actively coordinate recruitment efforts of the coaching staff to continue the College’s successful enrollment and retention of academically qualified student-athletes;
• Contribute to the achievement of institutional revenue goals through active engagement with the Vice President for Enrollment;
• Collaboration and Partnership
• Broadly share a vision for the athletics program that cultivates support for the program’s evolution, trajectory, and needs as an important and meaningful strategic enterprise of the institution;
• Foster campus vibrancy through mutually engaging students, coaches, faculty, and staff in both the intellectual and co-curricular aspects of the College;
• Develop relationships with local leaders in the surrounding community and secondary education institutions with whom facilities, resources, and efforts are shared;
  
  

Other Duties And Responsibilities

• Maintain proficient working knowledge and ability to comply with all College, Landmark Conference, and NCAA rules and regulations, especially those governing Division III, as well as those of other athletic groups to which the College belongs;
• Select, recruit, motivate, inspire, mentor, and retain high performing professional staff;
• Lead efforts within the Athletics Department to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, including through recruitment efforts, ongoing professional development for staff, and structured educational opportunities for student-athletes;
• Provide oversight and supervision to the Athletics Communications operation with responsibility to ensure effective communications with internal and external constituencies, including maintaining the athletics portion of the College website;
• Proactively maintain open lines of communication with members of the faculty, particularly the Faculty Athletics Representatives, to receive input from duly constituted faculty bodies, to communicate the goals and policies of the program, and to help mediate any academic/athletic conflicts;
• Seek opportunities to take leadership in conference, regional, and national athletic associations.
  
  

Juniata College is committed to cultivating an equity-minded and equity-engaged campus culture, one that is inclusive and supportive of its students, faculty, and staff. We believe that all members of the College community share the responsibility to value diversity, seek equity, promote a sense of belonging. We seek candidates who are sensitive to the needs of an academic community that is diverse with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation or identity, disability status, and protected veteran status..…EOE

Position Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree is required; Master’s degree or advanced degree preferred.
• A thorough knowledge of athletic administration at the collegiate level and a demonstrated record of successful athletic administrative experience or equivalent management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to develop an athletics vision and strategy that supports the College’s overall mission and strategic plan.
• Experience in campus master planning, as well as athletics facilities’ renovations and/or construction projects.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills with both internal and external constituencies.
• Demonstrated ability to promote an intercollegiate athletic program throughout the College community through successful fundraising, creation of external partnerships, fiscal management, and sport supervision.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and operations, with the ability to work with enrollment and coaches in the appropriate recruitment of student-athletes.
  
  

Supervision Required/Given

This position reports to the President and supervises an athletics staff which includes approximately 60 individuals in addition to a variety of student employment positions.

Special Instructions To Applicants

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, retirement (403b), paid vacation and holidays, tuition benefits for employees and dependents, wellness programs, and more.

Open Date

12/05/2025

Open Until Filled

Yes