Associate Athletics Director

Associate Athletics Director

McMaster University

Location: Hamilton, Ontario

Department: Athletics & Recreation (Student Affairs)

Supervisor: Director, Athletics and Recreation

Reference #: MG-17365

Founded in 1887, McMaster University is a research-intensive, student-centered university dedicated to advancing human and societal health and well-being and has achieved an international reputation as a center of excellence for teaching and learning, innovation, and creativity. Currently, McMaster is home to over 37,000 students, 13,000 staff and 1,000 full-time faculty. McMaster is committed to creating a brighter world for all. This starts at home as McMaster University is one of 27 Canadian Institutions who have signed the Okanagan Charter, signifying a commitment to integrating health and well-being into all aspects of campus life. McMaster has been selected as a Hamilton-Niagara Top Employer for the past five years in a row and has also been recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the past five years.

Athletics and Recreation at McMaster

Home of the McMaster Marauders, McMaster University  Athletics provides a wide range of sports and recreational activities to students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the greater community with the opportunity to pursue athletic excellence.  McMaster’s Athletics department is home to various well-equipped sports facilities, including a comprehensive fitness center, indoor and outdoor sports fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, tennis courts, and more. McMaster University has a strong tradition of intercollegiate athletics and is home to several varsity sports teams that competed in various leagues. Varsity teams at McMaster include basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, cross country, track and field, rugby, swimming, and many other OUA and club teams.

The Department of Athletics & Recreation at McMaster University is dedicated to fostering an environment of equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism, guided by the principles of inclusive excellence. Our commitment is to create a safe, accessible, and welcoming space where we celebrate the diverse identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences that enrich our community. We actively promote anti-racism, challenge discrimination, and work to eliminate all forms of bias. We believe that embracing the multitude of human differences surrounding us is essential for our collective success. We invite and encourage all members of our community to actively engage in nurturing this spirit, ensuring that everyone feels welcomed, valued, and empowered to participate fully.

Associate Athletics Director

Reporting to the Director, Athletics and Recreation, the Associate Athletics Director is responsible for the leadership, direction, and implementation of comprehensive annual and long-range sport-specific performance plans that are athlete-focused, sport-centered, and outcome-based. This role is crucial in ensuring optimum performance for McMaster varsity teams with a primary focus on creating operational efficiencies, equity & inclusion, and aiming to achieve provincial and national prominence. Simultaneously, the Associate Athletics Director contributes to enhancing the mission, image, and reputation of McMaster University and its Sports programs and events.

The Associate Athletic Director will provide leadership and direction to the high-performance sport unit, fostering a culture and environment that supports coaches, athletes, and teams. This will involve managing change, championing the department’s EDI strategy, thinking & acting strategically while developing programs and services, and ensuring a supportive atmosphere. The position requires extensive collaboration both internally and externally, necessitating emotional intelligence, as the incumbent will be engaging with Sr. leadership, coaches, student-athletes, alumni, all Athletics and Recreation (A&R) personnel, as well as key campus and community stakeholders. Additionally, the incumbent will serve as the primary liaison for MAC with athletic program peers at other educational institutions and represent the university in appropriate association meetings (OUA, CIAU). This role will directly oversee the sports program strategy, management and continuous improvement of all sports programs, financial and administrative operations to ensure compliance and enable impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitates the development of annual and long-term strategic plans and operational budgets spanning the various Varsity programs and functional areas of the unit.
• Establishes appropriate performance targets and KPls and ensures there is accountability across the entire unit via frequent check-ins to assess performance, adjust accordingly, and deliver added supports if/when required.
• Responsible for creating team and athlete programming, and developing strategies that achieve the goals of the Department.
• Provides leadership in the vision, values, and direction inherent in a high-performance sport structure that includes the development of dynamic and high-quality programs and services where coaches, athletes and teams are fully and consistently supported.
• In collaboration with the varsity team head coaches, develops annual and long-term sport performance plan conductive with the sport model, identifying department wide financial, resource and integrated athlete support requirements, determining annual performance targets, developing mechanisms for planning, implementation and evaluation of programs and services, creating a reporting framework to monitor and provide feedback on program progress, financial tracking, personnel evaluations.
• Plans and oversees all aspects of the interuniversity sports program and personnel (coaches and integrated athlete support service team).
• Assumes responsibility for the effective management, direction, resource planning, recruitment, training, development and performance management of full and part time coaches and employees.
• Plans, prioritizes, and manages the work of employees, providing strategic and tactical advice, guidance, and coaching. Identifies the need for staff resources, participates on staffing committees, and makes effective recommendations regarding employee selection.
• Manages performance by establishing performance standards, reviewing, and evaluating performance and conducting formal performance reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Assesses staff training and development needs and ensures that employees receive training required to improve and sustain successful performance.
• Investigates, addresses, and resolves employee/labour relations issues, including making decisions regarding disciplinary and discharge matters.
• Serves as the primary liaison and advisor to the OUA, USPORTS and other institutions. Represents the university at league meetings. Where applicable, assumes voluntary positions on committees/executives within the Ontario and Canadian sport scenes.
• Makes recommendations for action to assure the continued financial health and performance of A&R
• Acts on behalf of A&R, serving on committees, working groups and task forces as required.
• Responds to inquiries and prepares and presents reports as necessary.
• Acts for the Director, Athletics & Recreation in their absence.
• Direct supervision of nine (9) staff members and coaches with extensive indirect oversight of temporary/casual staff and student staff.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher; or equivalent experience in sport administration leadership, sport management leadership, or a sport business professional leadership position.
• A minimum of 7-10 years’ experience in staff leadership.

Inclusivity Experience:

• Experience working with diverse groups (e.g. gender, race, religion, and ethnicity). Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Demonstrates participation in diversity and inclusion programs and/or activities.
• Experience developing and implementing programs, services, and/or initiatives that are designed to meet the needs of the increasingly diverse university community.
• Experience mentoring diverse groups. Demonstrates ability to support and enhance a sense of belonging and success of students, from the full range of diverse populations.
• Demonstrates strong experience in their ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, staff and community partners.

Knowledge and Skills:

• A true leader who inspires and motivates others to be their best through demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to influence outcomes.
• Passionate and personable with a proven ability to elicit and foster trust, develop positive working relationships, and work effectively with coaches and athletes.
• Expertise in planning and financial management duties, including the ability to analyse and present financial data, ability to forecast short- and long-range expense and revenue projections.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; must have the ability to interact effectively with a wide variety of people from every level of the University structure and in many situations with outside groups (students, staff, coaches, senior administration, faculty, alumni, media, community, business leaders).
• Proven leadership skills, including coaching, teambuilding, and supervisory skills.
• Self-motivated and a total team player.
• Innovative with the ability to exercise good judgment in making independent decisions.
• Advanced administrative and computer skills for data and statistical analysis and word processing, spreadsheet, and database management. Ability to adapt to and implement new technologies.
• Expertise in high performance sport models and the implementation of same.
• Comprehensive knowledge of related legislation, managing risk in a sport, compliance & eligibility.
• Understanding health and safety needs of employees and participants.
• Solid relationship building, influencing, and change management skills.
• Ability to be flexible, work in a fast-paced environment and deal with multiple priorities.
• Ability to effectively deal with sensitive issues in diverse populations and cultivate respectful and reciprocal relationships with racialized and equity-deserving communities.

*Please note that this role will require flexible work hours, including evenings and weekends as necessary.

If you are intrigued and invigorated by the details of this opportunity to bring your experience to a new, important, and key role with McMaster University, we would love to have a conversation.

To express interest in this opportunity please apply online by clicking the "Apply Now" button below.

For more information about this exciting opportunity please contact Mark Gillis, Partner, at mgillis@kbrs.ca or Natalie Lagace, Recruitment Specialist, at nlagace@kbrs.ca. If you require accommodation to participate in the recruitment process, please let Mark or Natalie know.

Meridia Recruitment and McMaster University invite applications from all qualified individuals; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. As one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, McMaster is committed to advancing inclusive excellence and employment equity in the workplace. We especially encourage qualified candidates from the Indigenous (First Nations, Métis or Inuit), Black and racialized communities, persons with disabilities, women, persons who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and others who reflect the diversity of Canadian society.