Roanoke College is a nationally ranked residential liberal arts college located in Salem, Virginia. The Roanoke College experience is enhanced by its setting on a breathtakingly beautiful campus only minutes away from the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains and the city of Roanoke. The college celebrates a welcoming environment that has served the local region and beyond for nearly 200 years. Roanoke College is a place where every student who works hard has the opportunity to succeed. At Roanoke, you will find a community that champions potential, providing essential learning and leadership through innovative academic programs and transformative educational experiences, giving students the mettle, mindset, and empathy to pursue lives of purpose, build meaningful careers, and meet society's most pressing needs. Roanoke College is building on its momentum, adding new undergraduate and graduate programs, always enhancing the student experience, and continuing its success with Division III athletics. Roanoke College is a charter member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)—the Roanoke Maroons athletics program has 21 intercollegiate sports.
Reporting to the president and serving as a member of the president’s cabinet, the director of athletics provides visionary, strategic, and student-centered leadership for Roanoke College’s comprehensive NCAA Division III athletics program.
Working closely with the president, board of trustees, and other senior leaders, the director is responsible for charting the future of Roanoke College athletics to enhance competitiveness, support institutional goals, elevate the institution’s reach and reputation, and meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s students. This entails developing and deploying a multi-faceted strategy for program development, resource allocation, and revenue growth--including potential near-term additions of football and pickleball programs, which are currently under evaluation. Acting as an institutional champion for access, diversity, and inclusion, the director nurtures a culture of well-being and character development as a distinctive Roanoke College approach to athletics and ensures that student-athletes have a holistic educational experience supported by coaches, faculty, and staff. The director is a strategic partner for the vice president for enrollment management and colleagues in academic affairs and student success to increase recruitment, retention, and graduation rates across all sports. The director also champions school spirit by collaborating with campus partners to boost student, alumni, and community engagement in Roanoke athletics and partnering with the office of advancement to assist and support the maroon club—a loyal group of alumni, parents, and friends of the college. The director leads and manages a dynamic department of over 65 full-time and part-time coaches and administrative staff, 21 intercollegiate sports, over 525 student-athletes, and an operating budget of over $1.2 million. The successful candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of intercollegiate athletics administration, student-athlete development, and NCAA compliance within a Division III environment. A bachelor's degree and significant, progressive experience leading a complex, dynamic, and diverse organization are required; a master's degree and experience coaching or competing at the collegiate level are preferred. The next director should have demonstrated experience leading teams, overseeing budgets, managing facilities, and strategic planning, as well as familiarity with athletic program development and assessment.
Candidates will have outstanding interpersonal and communication skills; a collaborative and highly relational management approach; and the ability to lead, mentor, and inspire the professional development of coaches and athletics administrators. The next director will understand fundraising strategies supporting strategic and operational objectives and best practices in a rapidly evolving student-athlete recruitment, retention, and success landscape. A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging is essential, as is an abiding love for students and their learning.
Review of applications will begin March 31, 2023, and continue until the position is filled. A resume with an accompanying cover letter may be submitted via the Spelman Johnson website at www.spelmanjohnson.com/open-positions. Nominations for this position may be emailed to Dell Robinson at ddr@spelmanjohnson.com or Anne-Marie Kenney at amk@spelmanjohnson.com. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at 413-529-2895 or email info@spelmanjohnson.com.
The Commonwealth of Virginia does not require public salary disclosure. For more information, please contact the search consultants above.
Visit the Roanoke College website at http://www.roanoke.edu.
Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students; women and members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply.
Roanoke College values diversity in its community. Any form of discrimination, lack of respect, or act of intolerance against any person or organization based on race, religion, ethnic background, gender, gender orientation, or disability is in contradiction with college principles and unacceptable. Roanoke College does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants based on race, color, gender, creed, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, national or ethnic origin, disability, or veteran status.
