Assistant Director for Sport Clubs (UREC)

Working Title: Assistant Director for Sport Clubs (UREC)

State Role Title: Administrative and Professional Faculty

Position Type: Administrative & Professional (Non-teaching Faculty)

Position Status: Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt: Not Eligible for Overtime

 

College/Division: Health and Wellbeing

Department: 300034 - University Recreation (UREC)

 

Pay Band: 

Pay Rate: Pay Range

Specify Range or Amount: $60,000 - $64,000 

 

Is this a JMU only position? No

Is this a grant-funded position? No

Is this a Conflict of Interest designated position? No

 

Beginning Review Date: 04/13/2026

 

About JMU:

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Situated in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is a vibrant community with a population of approximately 52,000. Harrisonburg is conveniently located approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA.

JMU is a selective, public institution with a growing national reputation for offering experiences that lead to an outstanding education and supportive environment for students, faculty and staff. The student body includes approximately 21,000 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students, with over 1,000 full-time instructional faculty.

JMU offers thriving programs in the liberal arts, science and technology, and professional disciplines at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. JMU has achieved national recognition for the high quality of its academic programs, focus on maintaining strong student/faculty interaction, and innovative faculty research.

 

General Information:

University Recreation (UREC) is currently seeking applicants for the Assistant Director for Sport Clubs to provide strategic leadership and oversight for JMU's comprehensive sport club program. As a Student Affairs Health & Well‑being department, UREC promotes healthy lifestyles through promoting and advancing healthy lifestyles through educational programs, participation opportunities and supportive services. Our professional staff are dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where students are supported, challenged, and empowered to succeed.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

#1 Staff and Student Leadership:
Provide strategic leadership, supervision, and mentoring to all Sport Club staff including a full-time coordinator, graduate assistant, 12-15 student sport club specialists, and a Sport Club Leadership Council.
Develop and implement a leadership model for sport club student staff and club leaders.
Conducts meetings, online resources, and strategic communication for all club officers, with special attention to high-risk and off-site clubs for compliance with JMU and state policy.
Supports clubs in their relationship with volunteer/paid coaches and advisors.
Utilizes judgement in addressing student leaders, parents, and external constituents.
Responsible for recruiting, training, and evaluating all sport club staff to ensure the growth and success of JMU Sport clubs.

#2 Sport Club Programming:
Plan and implement a comprehensive sport club program consistent with University Recreation program values and university expectations. 
Responsible for the coordination of all practices, home and away competitions and performances for all sport clubs.
Establishes a shared supervision and support schedule between Assistant Director, Coordinator, and Graduate Assistant for weekend competitions.
Ensure quality game day experiences for all sport club events. Provides the staff schedule for Athletic Trainers, Emergency Responders and game day operations staff as required.
Responsible for creating a strategic fundraising plan for all sport clubs to engage alumni, participants, and families.
Provide oversight of all sport club scholarship awards, JMU Foundation accounts and endowments.

#3 Risk Management & Facilities:
Conduct regular visits to all facilities used for/by sport clubs and recommend changes and upgrades to facilities as appropriate.
Responsible for ensuring the preparation and safety of facilities and the reporting of any damaged equipment that would pose a risk or negatively impact the participant/spectator experience. 
Implement and propose improvements to risk management protocols for sport club programs.
Coordinates and communicates as needed with JMU OSARP Organizational Accountability staff.
Manage all appropriate documents including assumption of risk forms and medical information consistent with JMU policies and procedures.
Maintains education and knowledge of best practices in Sport Club administration.

#4 Assessment:
Establish an assessment and evaluation plan to measure the achievement of outcomes for selected sport club programs annually. 
Develop and assess learning outcomes for all program leaders and staff training.
Conduct periodic evaluations to measure customer service, satisfaction and risk management issues. 
Conduct needs assessment as necessary to measure the need for new programs and services, maintain club membership records and participation reports of current programs.

#5 Administration and Collaboration:
Cultivates relationships within the department, division, and across campus to advocate for the Sport Club experience.
Work with the UREC Services Team to ensure accurate and timely information is provided to the JMU community. 
Serve on the Camp UREC Leadership team to contribute their expertise to summer camp programming and serve as a member of the Camp UREC supervision team.
Maintain a filing and record keeping system for the area, including reports of special events, participation and demographic data. 
Prepare budget proposals and manage fiscal resources, recommend and/or requisition purchases for equipment, services and supplies.
Responsible for preparing equipment/supply orders, league/vendor payments and travel reimbursements.  Approves sport club staff payroll. 
Maintain +/- margin within 5% for all student employee budgets. 
Participate in departmental and divisional functions and represent the department on appropriate committees.
Serve as an active member of the Professional Staff Evening Facility and Program Supervision Team.
Other duties as assigned.

 

Qualifications:

Required:  
Bachelor’s degree  
Minimum of three years of relevant professional experience (Two years of Graduate Assistant experience may count as one year of professional experience)
Strong leadership and communication skills
Budgeting and resource management skills
Risk management expertise in a sport or recreation setting

Preferred:  
Master’s Degree in a related field  
Professional experience managing sport clubs in a collegiate setting
Experience advising student organizations in a higher education setting
Experience collaborating within a team and with external partners
Experience leading and supervising staff

 

Additional Posting Information:

JMU’s Dual Career and Community Resources Program is available for candidates that will be relocating to the area. For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2OTF1NG.

 

Conditions of Employment:  

Employment is contingent upon the successful completion of a criminal background check.

E-Verify Notice: After accepting employment, new hires are required to complete an I-9 form and present documentation of their identity and eligibility to work in the United States. James Madison University uses the E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

 

EEO Statement:

James Madison University is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.

We promote access, inclusion and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. The university is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Anyone having questions concerning discrimination should contact the Office for Equal Opportunity: (540) 568-6991.

 

Reasonable Accommodation:

If you are an individual with a disability and need assistance searching or applying for jobs please contact us at (540) 568-3597 or jobs@jmu.edu. You may also visit the JMU Human Resource Office, located at 752 Ott Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 and we will be happy to assist you.