Director of Athletics

Director of Athletics

Position Summary

Drew University seeks an approachable, visionary, and people-centered leader to serve as its next Director of Athletics. The Director provides vision, leadership, and day-to-day oversight for a comprehensive NCAA Division III program, with 25 varsity teams competing in the Landmark Conference. The Director of Athletics also serves as the department chair and works with Academic Affairs in directing the University's physical education department. Campus Recreation, Club Sports, and Intramurals indirectly report to the Director through an Associate Athletic Director. The Director is a visible campus leader who connects athletics to Drew's academic mission, advocates for the department with senior leadership, stewards its people and resources, and keeps student-athlete well-being at the center of every decision.

The next Director will build on a strong, close-knit departmental culture while raising the program's ambition, visibility, and support for coaches, student-athletes, and teams. A signature near-term opportunity is to help establish academic credit for the leadership students develop through athletic participation, a concrete expression of Drew's conviction that participation in athletics and the classroom reinforce one another.

About Drew Athletics

Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey enrolling 2,200 students. Its varsity teams, the Rangers, compete in NCAA Division III as members of the Landmark Conference across a broad-based program that includes baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Beyond varsity competition, the department delivers physical education, recreation, and intramural programming, and is supported by athletic training, strength & conditioning, sports communications, equipment, and business operations. Through an equity based model, the director and their staff work collaboratively with Admission and Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, Campus Life and Student Affairs, and University Advancement as primary partners, while collaborating with every other unit around campus. 35% of the new student population is recruited through the Athletics Department. The University President is highly engaged with the department, meeting regularly with the Director and a frequent supporter at athletic events.

Student-athletes are represented by the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), the program is supported by the Blue & Green Club and the broader Ranger community. Home contests take place on the beautiful Drew campus in Madison, New Jersey. The department's culture, captured in the phrase "Win the Ranger Way", is widely valued by staff and student-athletes alike, and continuity of that culture through this leadership transition is a shared priority.

Organizational Scope and Supervision

The Director leads a department organized to best support the operational functions and success of our student athletes in, and outside, the classroom. The Director directly oversees senior administrators, including an associate athletic director for operations and an associate athletics director for development. Together the Director and two Associate ADs supervise a talented group of head coaches and support staff including sports communications, business operations, athletic training and strength & conditioning, and equipment management. In total, the Director is responsible for the head coaches of the University's varsity programs and a multi-layered administrative and support staff.

Key Responsibilities

Vision and strategic leadership

• Set and clearly communicate an ambitious vision for Drew Athletics aligned with the University's mission and strategic plan, with measurable goals and milestones.
• Develop and lead a multi-year strategic plan for the department, developed with broad input from coaches, staff, student-athletes, alumni, and campus partners.
• Make timely, transparent decisions and communicate them openly across the department and university.

Student-athlete experience and well-being

• Keep student-athlete well-being, physical, mental, and academic, at the center of departmental decisions.
• Champion a meaningful student-athlete voice: partner with SAAC, which is currently advised by the Senior Women's Administrator.
• Protect the academic-athletic balance, including support for travel and competition without academic penalty, and partner with faculty to build shared understanding of the demands student-athletes carry.
• Partner with the Faculty Athletics Representative to assist student athletes in success.
• Steward athlete-focused spaces, equipment, and resources so they reliably serve the students who depend on them.
• Celebrate student-athlete achievement and grow school spirit, promotion, and attendance across every program.

Coaching and staff leadership, development, and retention

• Recruit, develop, support, and retain a strong, stable coaching staff and administrative team.
• Establish mentorship, onboarding, professional development, and clear, ongoing performance evaluation that looks beyond wins and losses to culture, recruiting, retention, and the student-athlete experience.
• Give coaches clear expectations and recruitment and retention goals with the autonomy to lead their programs, while remaining accessible, engaged, and consistent in how conflicts are handled.

Physical education and academic integration

• Direct the University's physical education department, overseeing course and program offerings that promote health, skill development, and lifelong wellness across the campus community.
• Finalize the implementation of the Leadership in Athletics academic initiative.
• Serve as a bridge between athletics and the faculty, cultivating shared ownership of student-athlete success and integrating athletics into the broader educational experience.

Fundraising, external relations, and visibility

• Lead the department's fundraising and donor engagement, partnering with advancement and the Blue & Green Club to grow philanthropic support, including sport-specific giving.
• Cultivate alumni and former student-athletes through storytelling, events, and proactive relationship management, engaging coaches as partners in outreach to their own constituencies.
• Elevate the visibility and brand of Drew Athletics across campus, the community, and prospective-student audiences, advancing enrollment, engagement, and school pride.

Equity, compliance, and governance

• Ensure full compliance with NCAA Division III, Landmark Conference, Title IX, and institutional policies, advising senior leadership on related governance.
• Allocate resources equitably across programs based on need, preserving fairness so that no sport is advantaged over others.
• Represent Drew in conference and NCAA governance regionally and nationally.

Operations, budget, and facilities

• Alongside the Assistant Athletic Director for Business Operations, the Director manages the department's budget with integrity and transparency, optimizing financial and human resources to maximize program impact.
• Oversee athletics and physical education facilities, including the Simon Forum, Doc Young Field, Ranger Stadium, and lead fair, reliable scheduling and shared-space coordination.
• Partner on game-day and event operations that serve student-athletes and fans well.

Advocacy and campus partnership

• Advocate effectively for athletics and physical education with senior administration and across campus, particularly in resource discussions.
• Build strong working relationships across admissions and enrollment, advancement, student life, academic affairs, finance, and facilities.
• Partner with admissions and coaches on student-athlete recruitment aligned with Drew's enrollment goals.

Qualifications

Required

• A bachelor's degree.
• Several years of progressively responsible leadership experience in athletics administration or an equivalent field, including supervision of staff, budget management, and program oversight.
• A demonstrated commitment to student-athlete well-being, equity, and the Division III philosophy of education through athletics.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills, with a track record of building trust.

Preferred

• An advanced degree.
• Experience in collegiate athletics, ideally NCAA Division III or a comparable liberal-arts setting.
• A record of success in fundraising and alumni or external engagement.
• Experience leading physical education, recreation, or wellness programming.
• Familiarity with academic-athletic integration and curricular collaboration with faculty.
• Working knowledge of NCAA compliance and conference governance.

Leadership Attributes and Personal Characteristics

When the staff and SAAC were asked what they see in a successful candidate, the following trends appeared:

• Approachable and accessible - easy to talk to, visibly present, and genuinely interested in people, not just performance.
• Honest and transparent - willing to have difficult conversations and to communicate decisions openly and fairly.
• A visible presence - at competitions and across campus and the community, championing the program and its people.
• A strong advocate - for coaches, student-athletes, and the department, especially in conversations with senior leadership.
• Equitable and fair - committed to supporting every program according to its needs, with no favored sports.
• Strategic and visionary - able to set a clear direction and build momentum and ambition.
• Collaborative - building trust with coaches, athletes, faculty, and campus partners while granting coaches real autonomy.
• Decisive and steady - calm under pressure, consistent, and willing to back staff when the right process has been followed.
• Entrepreneurial and resourceful - able to accomplish meaningful things with limited available resources and find ways to grow resources over time.

First-Year Measures of Success

In the first year, the Director will be expected to:

• Build trust and relationships across the department, establishing regular, structured engagement with coaches, staff, and SAAC.
• Develop a multi-year strategic plan with clear metrics and broad, inclusive input.
• Partner with advancement and the Blue & Green Club to develop a fundraising plan, including sport-specific giving.
• Finalize the implementation of the Leadership in Athletics academic initiative.
• Strengthen visibility, promotion, and attendance across all programs and grow school spirit.
• Assess staffing and compensation and develop a plan to strengthen coaching support and retention. A longstanding need has been full-time assistant coaches.

Compensation, Benefits, and Application

Salary range $125,000 - $135,000

For full consideration apply prior to July 6, 2026.


About Drew University:

Drew University, a Phi Beta Kappa liberal arts university, includes the College of Liberal Arts, Drew Theological School, and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies. Drew is located on a beautiful, wooded campus in Madison, New Jersey, a thriving small town close to New York City.

Drew's one-of-a-kind, leading-edge path to an undergraduate degree, Launch, ensures that every student graduates with a purpose, sought-after transferable skills, a network of mentors, and an experience-based résumé-guaranteed. Drew's unique, immersive learning experiences include professionally mentored scientific research in RISE and DSSI, volunteer and community-based opportunities through the Center for Civic Engagement, making industry connections in seven semesters in New York City, and exploring the world through eye-opening international study abroad trips.

Drew University's two graduate schools, Drew Theological School and the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, confer 10 master's and four doctoral degrees. Numerous certificate programs are also available. All programs are based on Drew's renowned commitment to faculty-student mentorship, opportunities for out-of-the-classroom experiential learning, and facilitating a robust intellectual and global community, with many programs offered in hybrid or fully online modalities.

To enrich education through diversity, Drew University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Following federal and state requirements, a candidate must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States if selected for hire.


This position is subject to a background check.