Director of Athletics

The Director of Athletics (AD) provides visionary, ethical, and operational leadership for McMurry University’s intercollegiate athletics program. The AD is responsible for cultivating a student-centered, compliant, competitive, and financially sustainable athletics department that advances McMurry’s mission and supports student success, institutional retention, and community engagement.

This role requires a leader who can align athletics with the University’s strategic goals, strengthen enrollment and retention through athletics, grow sponsorship and donor partnerships, and build an organized, transparent, and highly communicative department culture.

• Partner with Enrollment, Student Life, Academic Affairs, and Retention teams to use athletics as a strategic driver for student recruitment, persistence, and graduation.
• Establish retention metrics for student-athletes (term-to-term retention, GPA , eligibility, graduation rates, transfer-out tracking).
• Oversee academic support, eligibility monitoring, and early alert interventions for student-athletes.
• Promote holistic development of student-athletes through leadership, career readiness, and life-skills programming.
• Ensure coaches serve as retention partners, not just recruiters, through training, accountability, and shared goals.
• Build systems for tracking student-athlete engagement, progress, and concerns across all sports.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive athletics revenue strategy, including:
  • Corporate sponsor ships
  • Game-day advertising
  • Naming rights
  • NIL /collective partnerships (where applicable)
  • Alumni and donor engagement
• Cultivate relationships with local, regional, and national sponsors.
• Partner with Advancement and Marketing to grow athletic giving, sponsorship visibility, and donor pipelines.
• Lead development of annual athletics fundraising goals and sponsorship targets in collaboration with Institutional Advancement.
• Ensure all sponsor ships align with McMurry’s mission, values, and compliance requirements.

• Provide leadership to all athletic staff, ensuring clarity of roles, expectations, performance standards, and accountability.
• Build a culture of organization, documentation, follow-through, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee departmental budgeting, forecasting, purchasing, and financial controls.
• Establish clear operational workflows for scheduling, travel, facilities usage, event management, and communication.
• Evaluate staffing models, coaching structures, and sport offerings to ensure sustainability and compliance.

• Serve as the primary athletics liaison to University leadership, faculty, student life, enrollment, marketing, and compliance.
• Provide clear, timely, and transparent communication to:
  • Student-athletes
  • Parents and families
  • Campus stakeholders
  • Conference and NCAA partners
  • Coaches
• Regularly present data, progress reports, and strategic updates to Cabinet and senior leadership.
• Collaborate with Marketing & Communications to elevate the McMurry athletics brand.

• Ensure full compliance with NCAA, conference, federal, and institutional regulations.
• Oversee Title IX equity, roster management, scholarship/aid models, and program expansion.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation, eligibility records, and compliance training.
• Proactively identify and mitigate institutional and reputational risk.

• Support coaches in recruiting, player development, and competitive strategy.
• Evaluate sport offerings, facilities, staffing, and budgets to support sustainable growth.
• Advocate for facilities, technology, and resources that improve student-athlete experience and competitiveness.

• Minimum 4-5 years of progressive leadership in intercollegiate athletics.
• Demonstrated experience in:
  • Student-athlete retention strategies
  • Sponsorship development and external partnerships
  • Budget management and staff leadership
  • NCAA compliance and governance
• Strong organizational, communication, and strategic planning skills.

• Master’s Degree

Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action
McMurry University is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the university community and prohibits unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, disability or veteran status, in employment or the provision of services, in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is also prohibited pursuant to University policy.

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