Director, Athletics

The Department of Athletics provides a variety of services and facilities for students, staff, alumni and the public including intramural sports and the Wesmen Varsity Athletic program. Our Wesmen basketball and volleyball teams have won more national championships combined than any other university in Canada, and The Duckworth Centre facility serves thousands of spectators who attend events.

The Director, Athletics is responsible for the overall administration and supervision of the department’s programs. The successful candidate will oversee the unit’s staff, and will be responsible for budget allocation and revenue generation. They will also take the lead on programming which includes all competitive teams operating under the Wesmen name, summer camps, club sports and other recreational programs.

Key Responsibilities:

Administration and Finances:

• Coordinate budget forecasting, preparation, and allocation to achieve desired results and return on investment for the University of Winnipeg.
• Monitor departmental budget, authorize expenditures, and review revenue and operating accounts.
• Manage all aspects of the annual athletic scholarship fundraising program.
• Establish pricing structures for user fees and ticketing.
• Negotiate expenditures and revenue directly with suppliers or users and negotiates and sign lease agreements.
• Ensure ongoing negotiation, receipt, and account reporting for grants.
• Develop and implement event promotion strategies.

Staff:

• Oversee institutional athletic programs and staff conduct.
• Guide, motivate, support, and evaluate staff for effective function accomplishment.
• Recruit, develop, motivate, mentor and support coaching staff to ensure success within a highly competitive program where results are reported in the media. Assesses training and professional development needs of staff and coaches.
• Coordinates and supervises the activities of staff including the recruiting, interviewing and selection of various personnel.
• Participates, when necessary, in coach/athlete, staff/ customer problem solving, grievances, etc.

Student and Community Programs:

• Prioritize student athletes' welfare and ensure fair treatment.
• Educate the internal university community about athletic programs and challenges.
• Schedules team practices, negotiates league competitions and contracts exhibition competitions.
• Ensures academic supports for student athletes are made available. Authorizes all student-athlete academic program changes.
• Foster community-based programs and innovation.

Marketing and Representation of Athletic Programs:

• Develop, implement and deliver marketing strategies for Wesmen corporate sponsorship programs.
• Cultivate partnerships and participate in meetings with both internal and external partners in order to create a positive public image of the University of Winnipeg and the Athletics department.
• Meetings and signing agreements with corporate sponsors for financial support.
• Maintaining contacts with alumni for individual and financial support
• Negotiation and representation with external and internal individuals, groups and committees to develop and maintain their interest and support.
• Organizing Athletic Awards Banquet, news conferences for recognition and publicity.
• Handling the Media by responding to questions from local, provincial and national reporters of newspapers, radio and television, and arranging on site meetings to cultivate interest in the University of Winnipeg’s programs.

Policies and Procedures:

• Establishes departmental and operational policies and procedures, and develops and maintains policy manuals for all areas of department operations.
• Monitors compliance with rules and regulations (academic, league, regional and national rules) and codes of conduct, as well as with Safe Sport documentation requirements and policies to insure compliance and integrity of programs, participants and staff.
• Monitor risk situations and recommend actions for mitigation.

Qualifications:

• University degree in related area, post graduate preferred
• Eight years of directly related administrative experience.
• Media training an asset.
• Previous experience working in Canadian University Sport administration or equivalency preferred.
• Strong understanding of Canadian University Sport and the Canadian sport landscape an asset.
• Effective problem solving, critical thinking skills.
• Must be able to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate programs and people.
• Must be able to establish and maintain effective relationships with internal and external suppliers, volunteers and employees.
• Must be able to manage, direct and mentor a diversified group of staff to promote the highest quality service and product possible in a multi-unionized environment.
• Must have creativity, insight, sensitivity, versatility, focus and patience to evaluate consequences and make sound decisions considering all factors.
• Must be able to analyze, plan, implement and control programs to attract attention/individuals to our institution.
• Must exhibit commitment, integrity, and high energy level.
• Financial knowledge is required with experience in budget creation and management.
• Ability to drive and increase revenue growth through various revenue-generating channels.
• Knowledge of facilities allocation, operation, and management an asset
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to adapt communication style and to collaborate with student-athletes, sports administration colleagues, University academic staff, and senior leadership.

An equivalent combination of education, experience, skills, knowledge and abilities may be considered.

Condition(s) of Employment:

• Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Must be available for frequent evening and weekend events and meetings.

The salary range for this position will be from $99,131 to $125,576 annually.

Note: The work described in this posting will be conducted in-person.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognizes that a diverse staff and faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research environments, and is essential to academic and institutional excellence. We welcome applications from all qualified individuals and encourage women, racialized persons, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQ+ persons to confidentially self-identify at time of application.

The University of Winnipeg is committed to ensuring employment opportunities are accessible for all applicants. If you require accommodation supports during the recruitment process, please contact human_resources@uwinnipeg.ca.

The personal information of applicants is collected under the authority of the University of Winnipeg Act and 36(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. All personal information collected via the recruitment process is used to assess the applicant’s suitability, eligibility, and qualifications for employment, and to otherwise support recruitment activities. This information will be provided to participating members of the recruitment process. Questions regarding the collection of your personal information may be directed to the Director, HR Services, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9 or human_resources@uwinnipeg.ca. #J-18808-Ljbffr

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