Special Assistant Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics & Recreation and for Strategic Initiatives

General Summary: 

This is a 12-month full-time administrative appointment, reporting directly to Vice Chancellor of Athletics and Recreation (VCAR) with dotted reporting lines to the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Administration and Operations/Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and Deputy Athletic Director for Strategic Initiatives. This position provides complex administrative support to the VCAR and the executive operations. Additionally, this position will develop, coordinate, implement and manage effective and data-informed communication strategies and practices specific to committees, projects and initiatives as assigned by the VCAR. This position is involved in planning, facilitating and/or coordinating department-wide initiatives, projects and committees. Working independently or collaboratively with the VC of Athletics and Recreation/Department Head, Deputy Athletic Directors, athletics leadership team and staff/coaches and/or constituents across campus, this position organizes, supports and coordinates activities and projects that advance the initiatives, needs and goals of the department. General responsibilities also include the development, supervision and management of a student worker administrative support team to ensure appropriate office coverage, customer service and internal departmental responsiveness and the coordination of business meeting meals (Division-Wide, senior leadership, team dinners, staff/coach gatherings). This person is expected to work collaboratively with student leadership, internal groups, campus-wide departments and organizations, and demonstrate a working knowledge of sound budget management skills. This person will also work closely and at times with direction from the Executive Deputy Athletic Director/SWA and Deputy Athletic Director for Strategic Advancement to support of department-wide project work. Additional responsibilities in department-wide administration as assigned.

Examples of Duties: 

Provide direct administrative support for the VCAR to include but not limited to:

• Scheduling and anticipating schedules for diverse and complex appointments, meetings and travel.
• Develop weekly meeting and travel itineraries including meeting agendas, plans, and briefings.
• Develop, collate, write and format materials for meeting prep and presentations.
• Coordinate and reconcile various expense charges and reimbursements.
• In collaboration with Deputy AD team, supports and at times creates department-wide key communication documents/presentations including the Athletics and Recreation Annual Report, Cabinet briefings, Board reports and presentations, and other reports as assigned. Utilizes data to effectively communicate outcomes.

Lead strategic initiatives and special projects for the division ensuring alignment with Athletics and Recreation and university strategic plans. Special projects include but are not limited to:

• Name Image and Likeness (NIL): Creation and management of UMass Boston Athletics Name, Image, and Likeness program. This includes development and implementation of NIL policies and procedures in accordance with NCAA regulations, serving as the point of contact for local and national businesses and donors, educate and advise student-athletes on NIL opportunities, create and manage a system for tracking NIL activities, provide training sessions for student-athletes on brand building and social media, and help student-athletes navigate outreach to companies and the fulfillment of deals and agreements.

Sport Program Analyses:

• Conduct comprehensive analyses of each individual sport program regarding historic athletic success, facilities, staffing, admissions policies, recruiting, and social media.
• Strategic Engagement for Women’s Programs and Initiatives
• In collaboration with the SWA and head coaches of women’s teams, develop and lead a comprehensive strategy to strengthen relationships and engagement with former and current female student-athletes
• Work in collaboration with the Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development to develop and implement impactful programming to connect current female student-athletes and athletic alumni, including networking events, career panels, mentorship opportunities, etc.
• Establish and manage a women's sports advisory group of athletic alumni/constituents and develop a diverse advisory group focused on shaping both local and national engagement initiatives
• Partner with the Athletics Strategic Advancement team to develop and execute impactful alumni stewardship events that strengthen relationships and inspire continued engagement and support.
• Drive the execution of the department’s strategic plan by monitoring and analyze key performance indicators. Create systems for tracking and reporting on strategic outcomes progress. Lead the development of an annual report to be used for recruits, donors, families, etc.
• Lead the development and execution of the next Athletics and Recreation strategic planning process, including stakeholder engagement, goal setting, key performance indicators, implementation strategies, and progress evaluation
• Work with VCAR to maintain strategic alignment across the department. Work collaboratively to define project scope, goals and deliverables and ensure deadlines are met and projects stay within budget.
• Works independently or collaboratively with the athletics leadership team and other campus-wide departments and constituents to support and/or organize alumni and fundraising outreach efforts, stewardship communications and acknowledgements.

Organize and manage meetings:

• Athletics Advisory Board, Department-Wide Meetings, Strategic Plan Update Meetings, etc. Develop agendas and meeting briefings, provide support for presentations, build presentations, outline follow-up items, and action steps.
• Serve as human resources point of contact for the Division. o Oversee operations for department-wide searches and onboarding and offboarding of employees:
• Responsible for creating and posting job vacancies in PageUp;
• Coordinate all search committees and ensure compliance with University hiring practices; o Schedule all candidate interviews;
• Coordinate onboarding and orientation of new employees;
• Responsible for the accurate submission of all Electronic Personnel Action Form (ePAF) for Athletics & Recreation.
• Assist the Deputy AD for Internal Administration with issues and/or projects relating to labor relations.
• Create a UMass Boston Athletics Internship program for students in collaboration with the Sport Leadership and Administration program and other academic units. Develop yearly plan for interviewing, hiring, and onboarding. Create opportunities for professional development and networking within the department for interns.
• Design and implement a comprehensive onboarding and talent management program for UMass Boston coaches and athletic administrators, focused on accelerating integration, fostering professional development, and supporting long-term retention and performance across all athletic programs.
• Responsible for the administration of the division’s hourly employee time-keeping system; runs roster files and payroll reports and makes corrections, serves as point of contact with human resources student employment, student employment and the greater UMass IT Department as well as the external time-keeping software management company (Kronos); Is responsible for training divisional managers on the system, maintaining accuracy of employee profiles, reviewing time entries to ensure accuracy and submitting payroll on a weekly basis.
• Research and/or work with sub-committees to review and recommend best practices. Design, document, and implement processes that improve communication, decision-making, and execution across the department.
• Represents VCAR and or the department to high level internal and external constituents to identify and support alignment with other UMass Boston offices, alumni groups, student groups, etc. with special emphasis on supporting the needs of areas within Athletics and Recreation. Serve on campus-wide committees as needed/requested.
• Develop, supervise, and organize administrative support team of student workers for the Athletics and Recreation Office to ensure appropriate office coverage, customer service, responsiveness to organizational needs, and internal management.
• Improve collaboration across internal and external stakeholders by driving communication, information sharing and mission alignment. Demonstrates comprehensive knowledge to interpret policies and procedures, answer questions and make recommendations.
• Represent UMass Boston Athletics and Recreation on committees.
• Serve as a customer service representative for the department focusing on responsiveness that represents a culture of positivity and excellence and the vision of the department to be a top-level program and provide an ethic of care for all constituents.
• Uphold the department values of resilience, transformation, courage, integrity, excellence and equity in all work and the “find a way” solution-based attitude the drives our department.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, master’s degree preferred, and a minimum of 1-3 years of project management experience is required, preferably in intercollegiate athletics, higher education, or a related field. Strong organizational and written and verbal communications skills across various internal and external constituent groups and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with limited supervision is required. The ability to communicate through the utilization of data. Advanced knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and on-line calendar and presentation software is required. Ability to successfully interact with all levels of staff and various internal and external constituent groups, utilizing independent judgment, and respecting high levels of confidentiality and discretion is required. A strong preference for consideration of someone who has an understanding of the operations of an intercollegiate athletic department or sport administration organization through either experience as a college athlete or an athletic administrator.

Application Instructions:

Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three references. 

This is a non-union exempt position. 

UMass Boston expects to pay within an approximate range between $57,300 and $86,000 for this position.

The specific pay for this position will be determined by the University based on the consideration of all relevant factors when and if it decides to extend an offer of employment.

All official salary offers must be approved by Human Resources.

UMass Boston is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact View email address on us.fitly.work or View phone number on us.fitly.work.