Assistant Athletic Director for Revenue Generation

Canisius University•Buffalo, NY

About The Position

The Assistant Athletic Director for Revenue Generation leads the development and execution of ticket sales and corporate sponsorship strategies to generate revenue and grow support for Canisius University Athletics. The role oversees ticket operations and the corporate partner program, including sales, retention, agreements, account service, billing, and collections. The position works with the Assistant AD for Marketing, Promotions and Events to coordinate sales campaigns, promotional activity, and sponsor fulfillment, and reports to the Athletics Director. The role directly supervises the Ticket Manager and other assigned staff or consultants, including the Ticket Office graduate assistant and student employees. It provides leadership, sets annual goals, evaluates staff, and ensures supervised staff understand and comply with applicable University, conference, and NCAA requirements. The position also contributes to departmental planning and maintains campus and community relationships.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, Communications, or a related field.
At least three years of professional experience in ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, revenue generation, sales management, or a related field.
Demonstrated experience developing and implementing ticket sales strategies and corporate sponsorships, managing client relationships, and achieving revenue goals.
Experience with prospect development, sales presentations, contract negotiations, account retention, and partnership development.
Experience managing budgets, revenue projections, sales reporting, and account reconciliation.
Strong written and verbal communication, interpersonal, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to develop and execute revenue-generation strategies, establish sales goals, and achieve measurable financial objectives.
Ability to identify and cultivate prospective corporate partners, develop sponsorship proposals, negotiate agreements, and maintain long-term business relationships.
Knowledge of ticket sales strategies, including season-ticket packages, group sales, renewals, pricing, and customer retention.
Ability to manage sponsorship agreements, monitor contractual obligations, coordinate fulfillment, and maintain positive partner relationships.
Strong analytical and financial management skills, including revenue forecasting, budget oversight, sales pipeline management, billing, collections, and financial reporting.
Ability to evaluate sponsorship opportunities, develop partnership inventory, and communicate partnership value to prospective and existing sponsors.
Proficiency in sales reporting, CRM systems, ticketing platforms, and other tools used to manage sales pipelines and customer relationships.
Leadership and organizational skills, including the ability to supervise, motivate, and develop professional staff, graduate assistants, and student employees.
Ability to collaborate with marketing, communications, operations, ticketing, and other university departments to support revenue and attendance goals.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, resolve account concerns, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Must be eligible to work in the United States.
Ability to work evenings, weekends, and non-traditional hours as required by athletics competitions, sales activities, and special events.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Sports Management, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field.
Experience supervising staff, coordinating sales operations, or managing a team.
Experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, sponsorship sales, or sports and entertainment business operations.
Experience with ticketing systems, customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, or corporate partnership management.
Familiarity with applicable NCAA, conference, and institutional policies and regulations.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement annual revenue plans, including sales goals, prospecting strategies, timelines, and revenue projections for ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.
Establish ticket programs and sales plans for basketball and hockey, including season-ticket packages, individual tickets, game packs, and group sales.
Develop pricing recommendations, renewal strategies, and sales goals, and present revenue plans to the Athletics Director.
Direct the Ticket Manager in implementing ticket programs and coordinate promotional support with Marketing, Promotions and Events.
Oversee Ticket Office operations, including customer service, renewals, sales reporting, and ticket revenue reconciliation.
Build relationships with ticket holders, groups, and prospective buyers to increase sales and retention.
Coordinate fulfillment of group sales experiences with the Ticket Office or Game Presentation staff.
Manage the corporate partner program, including prospect qualification, sales pipeline development, discovery meetings, proposals, and partnership sales.
Negotiate new and renewal sponsorship agreements and develop relationships with business decisionmakers to retain partners and increase their investment.
Manage corporate partner agreements and coordinate invoicing, collections, and account reconciliation with the Assistant AD for Operations.
Monitor outreach, pending revenue, projections, billing, and overdue payments; provide monthly sales, collections, and prospecting reports to the Athletics Director.
Serve as the primary corporate partner contact and ensure contractual commitments are fulfilled; communicate commitments and deadlines, collect fulfillment documentation, and resolve account concerns.
Develop and manage sponsorship inventory across broadcasts, websites, social media, signage, print, email, promotional items, fan experiences, and events in cooperation with Marketing, Promotions and Events.
Manage ticketing and sponsorship expenses within approved budgets and assess partnership value for sponsors and the University.
Coordinate promotion of ticket offers, group sales content, and other revenue opportunities with Marketing, Promotions and Events.
Coordinate departmental merchandising sales and revenue efforts on campus, at home events, and through the University’s designated online merchandise platform.
Execute the Blue & Gold Golf Tournament with the Ticket Manager/Golf Coach, focusing on increased sponsor revenue.
Provide leadership, annual goals, and performance evaluations for direct reports and ensure supervised staff understand and comply with applicable University, conference, and NCAA requirements.
Serve on the Athletics Director’s staff, contribute to departmental planning, maintain positive campus and community relationships, and perform other duties as assigned.
Directly supervise the Ticket Manager, establish Ticket Office priorities and sales goals, and oversee implementation of ticket programs and plans.
Supervise other staff or external consultants assigned to ticket sales, ticket operations, and corporate sponsorship sales and account management.
Hire, train, and supervise the Ticket Office graduate assistant and assigned student employees; prepare annual goals and performance evaluations.