Senior Associate Athletic Director – Development Operations

Senior Associate Athletic Director – Development Operations

The position provides strategic leadership and oversight for Kansas Athletics Development, partnering with the Deputy Athletic Director – Development to advance all fundraising operations. Serving as the primary liaison to Sales & Service, Marketing, and Ticketing, the role drives collaboration, innovative revenue strategies, and external partnerships to maximize fundraising and ticketing outcomes. Responsibilities include oversight of all development operations, including per-seat donation pricing, donor benefits, hospitality programs, special events, and meaningful stewardship strategies to grow the donor base and enhance philanthropic support for Kansas Athletics. This role is a senior leader within Kansas Athletics Development responsible for staff leadership, budget management, and continuous improvement of revenue generation, engagement and stewardship efforts.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Position

1. Partner with the Deputy Athletic Director – Development to provide strategic leadership and oversight of all internal operations supporting fundraising functions, including annual philanthropic fund, Williams Fund, Ad Astra Society, K Club, gift processing, data analytics, premium seating, hospitality, donor events and stewardship;

2. Serve as primary Development liaison for other revenue-generating areas of Kansas Athletics, specifically Sales & Service, Marketing and Tickets, to ensure efficient, consistent communication and strategic collaboration both internally and externally, and to maximize fundraising and revenue generation outcomes;

3. Collaborate with Sales & Service, Tickets, Marketing and external relations teams to set and execute per-seat donation pricing for all Kansas Athletics season ticket packages and develop and implement innovative revenue models for Kansas Athletic hosted events;

4. Leverage industry knowledge and best practices to manage and oversee external partnerships, such as Paciolan and Tickets For Less, driving continued revenue growth for Kansas Athletics Development and Ticketing.

5. Travel as needed in support of athletic events to manage and support donor tickets, hospitality, and events while cultivating and strengthening donor relationships;

6. Provide leadership and support to the Assistant Director of Annual Fund to ensure effective execution of annual giving appeals, oversight of Ad Astra Society, acknowledgments, and donor acquisition strategies that drive donor base growth and maximize annual fund giving;

7. Provide leadership to the Director Donor Relations to ensure implementation of unique, meaningful events, hospitality, stewardship and other experiences for prospects and supporters of Kansas Athletics and to ensure proper oversight of Development Coordinators, interns and student workers;

8. Oversee staff responsible for K Club activities to ensure development and execution of effective communication, events and outreach to engage and cultivate former letterwinners with objective of identifying and qualifying prospective donors;

9. Provide leadership to the Gift Administrator to ensure timely and accurate processing of all gifts, effective coordination with KU Endowment Association, and budget oversight and analysis;

10. Provide leadership to the Administrative Assistant supporting Development Team;

11. Manage and monitor budgets for development and K Club;

12. Continuously evaluate and measure effectiveness of engagement and stewardship plans, with ultimate objective of increasing the number of donors and the level of support for Kansas Athletics;

13. Take initiative to provide new ideas and concepts to improve the efficiency and productivity of your area;

14. Respond to all inquiries in a timely and effective manner, representing Kansas Athletics in a professional way;

15. Other work-related duties as assigned by the Director of Athletics or their designee.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university;

• Minimum of ten years of progressive experience within college athletics or closely related field;

• Minimum of five years of progressive experience in leadership and management roles;

• Strong knowledge of donor databases/CRM systems (e.g., Paciolan, Advance, Salesforce, or similar).

• Proven track record of successful hiring, managing and leading others;

• Demonstrated proficiency using the Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, etc.);

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a customer service mindset;

• Outstanding organizational skills and attention to detail;

• Self-starter that takes a proactive approach to work;

• Ability to execute effectively under multiple deadlines in a fast-paced office environment with the capacity to adapt quickly to major and minor changes in projects/events and outcomes;

• Ability to work well both independently and in collaboration with staff as a team member;

• Ability and willingness to work evenings, weekends, or holidays as needed;

• Ability and willingness to travel as needed;

• Knowledge of and commitment to NCAA rules.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in intercollegiate athletics, higher education, or nonprofit fundraising;

• Experience with Paciolan and Salesforce;

• Prior experience with priority point programs and per seat donation ticketing models;

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices, including, but not limited to: cell phone, printer, copy machine, and other related devices. This job requires flexibility and adaptability in schedule and the ability to perform job related duties on short notice.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. This position may require frequent bending, moving, lifting, and carrying material weighing up to 25 pounds; standing up to eight hours each day; and working in all weather conditions.

Travel

Moderate travel may occur with this position.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work will vary based on the needs of the position. Early morning, evening and weekend work may be required.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.