Chief Athletics Development Officer

the client seeks an entrepreneurial, strategic, and accomplished fundraising leader to serve as its inaugural Chief Athletics Development Officer (CADO). Reporting jointly to the Director of Athletics and to the Associate Vice President for Development, the CADO will design and execute the philanthropic strategy for the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation (DAPER) amid major changes in the economics of collegiate athletics and the introduction of new models affecting institutional funding and student-athlete compensation. The role will help ensure the athletics program can sustain a distinctive scholar-athlete tradition while competing at the highest levels academically and athletically. As the client’s chief development officer for DAPER, this position sets the strategic direction and drives measurable results for the athletics fundraising program. The CADO will lead a team of approximately 15 development professionals; partner closely with athletics leadership, with senior administrators, and with the office’s principal and major gift teams; and collaborate with university trustees and key volunteers. The role also involves building a robust donor pipeline designed to secure transformational philanthropic commitments at major levels. The successful candidate will bring the discipline and donor-centered mindset of a sophisticated university advancement operation, along with the speed, public perception awareness, and high-stakes relationship management required in top-tier intercollegiate athletics. The CADO is expected to exercise strong strategic judgment, foster close cross-functional partnerships, and manage complex philanthropic efforts in a manner that advances institutional and program priorities.