Associate Director, Adaptive Sports & Fitness

The Associate Director of Adaptive Sports & Fitness serves as a senior organizational leader responsible for advancing the mission, sustainability, and institutional integration of adaptive sports and fitness through strategic execution, operational leadership, and long-term stewardship. Fundamentally focused on organizational leadership, this role translates divisional, unit, and departmental priorities into sustainable systems, policies, and practices that promote access, equity, and excellence in adaptive sport within a higher education environment. The Associate Director provides comprehensive oversight across three primary areas: department leadership and program management, administration and fiscal oversight, and staff oversight. Day to day, the role balances high-level strategy with operational decision-making by supervising and mentoring professional and student staff, setting priorities, monitoring resources, ensuring compliance and risk management, addressing emerging challenges, and coordinating closely with campus partners, community organizations, donors, sponsors, and external adaptive sport agencies. The Associate Director regularly represents the unit at institutional, regional, and national levels, requiring strong executive communication skills, political acuity, and the ability to align diverse stakeholders around shared goals. Over the course of each year, the position leads strategic planning, budget development, assessment, grant development and implementation, and policy refinement to ensure organizational effectiveness, financial sustainability, and continuous improvement. Success in the role depends on advanced competencies in people management, financial stewardship, strategic planning, inclusive leadership, and a deep understanding of disability, adaptive sport systems, and the operational realities of a large research university, enabling the Associate Director to sustain a complex, mission-driven organization while supporting long-term growth and impact. 30% travel to local events to represent the program and with student athletes to adaptive sport events nationally and internationally. Hybrid (may work from home 20% of time). Direct supervision of 1 assistant director, 1 temp. employee + indirect supervision of 5 adaptive sports head coaches.