Vice President and Director of Athletics

This job was posted by https://www.azjobconnection.gov : For more information, please see: https://www.azjobconnection.gov/jobs/7453695 Vice President and Director of Athletics \ \ Athletic facilities on NAU's campus include the iconic J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome the second-largest wooden dome structure in the United States which hosts football, basketball, and indoor track and field; Lumberjack Stadium for soccer and outdoor track; the state-of-the-art Wall Aquatic and Tennis Center; and the Student-Athlete High Performance Center (SAHPC), a premier training and event facility featuring research labs and an altitude chamber. NAU's commitment to the student-athlete experience is reflected department-wide, with athletes across all sports earning record GPAs in recent years.\ \ NAU's vision for athletics is one of purposeful ambition to build a nationally respected Division I program that fully reflects the university's core values of access, excellence, and community. Athletics at NAU is a catalyst for student recruitment and retention, and a powerful connector between the university and the broader Northern Arizona community.\ \ The next VP and Director of Athletics will be charged with elevating the Lumberjack brand, creating vibrant campus experiences, deepening alumni and donor engagement, raising revenue through corporate and philanthropic partnerships to unlock the full potential of our teams, and ensuring that every student-athlete who wears the blue and gold is positioned to succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life.\ \ NAU seeks a VP/AD who understands that athletics can and should be an integral partner in advancing the university's mission and vision by increasing institutional visibility, strengthening enrollment pipelines, amplifying NAU's research mission, deepening community ties, stewarding resources, growing revenues, and enriching campus life for all students. The ideal candidate will bring a track record of building genuine, lasting partnerships across academic affairs, student life, alumni relations, advancement, communications, and community outreach; will have a demonstrated history of leadership to successfully steward resources, refine operations, and grow revenues through ticket sales, partnerships, and philanthropic engagement; and has the capacity to engage deeply as a partner and bridge between athletics programs and communities of supporters. The successful VP/AD will leverage this experience to develop an excellent team of coaches and staff to pursue distinctive excellence and athletic accomplishments, the highest standards of academic achievement, and lead with integrity and partnership throughout the university community arriving at NAU prepared to lead from a place of institutional citizenship, not departmental isolation.\ \ Scope of Responsibility\ \ The Vice President and Director of Athletics serves as the strategic leader and chief executive of NAU's Division I athletics program. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of President's Cabinet, the VP/AD holds comprehensive responsibility for:\ \ All 15 NCAA Division I intercollegiate sport programs and approximately 350 student-athletes\ Full-time and part-time athletics department staff, including head coaches, assistant coaches, and administrative personnel\ Student-athlete academic support, mental health resources, life skills programming, and graduation success\ Leading the department in alignment with the university's mission and values and in partnership and collaboration with campus colleagues\ Oversight, management, and strategic allocation of the athletics department's multimillion-dollar operating budget\ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) strategy and structure for resourcing student-athlete opportunities\ Coordination and partnership with athletics staff and coaches, as we l as other university divisions, to maximize the activity, public engagement, and revenue\ generating potential athletics-related facilities, including the Walkup Skydome, SAHPC, Lumberjack Stadium, and the Aquatic and Tennis Center.\ Revenue generation, including fundraising, ticket sales, facility rentals, and corporate and philanthropic partnerships\ NCAA, Big Sky, and MPSF Conference compliance, governance, and institutional representation\ Brand management, communications, media relations, and community engagement The VP/AD is a visible and influential leader across the NAU campus and throughout the\ state of Arizona providing authoritative guidance on the role of intercollegiate athletics within the broader institutional mission and serving as a primary ambassador for the\ Lumberjack brand to prospective and current students, alumni, donors, and the Northern Arizona community.\ \ Duties and Responsibilities\ \ Champion NAU's unique student-athlete identity, building Lumberjack pride, celebrating athletic and academic excellence, and positioning Northern Arizona University as a national model for innovation and integrity in collegiate athletics.\ Serve as the primary advisor to the President and Cabinet Leadership on all NCAA and Conference matters, providing strategic counsel on policy, governance, and