Director II-Fixed-Acad Staff

MSU Careers Details•East Lansing, MI

About The Position

The Assistant Athletics Director for Player Strategy and Contract Management supports athlete compensation strategy, revenue-sharing administration, roster valuation, and data-driven decisions for Michigan State University Athletics’ Football and Men’s Basketball programs. The role applies expertise in athlete representation, contract negotiation, player evaluation, and advanced analytics to support recruitment, retention, and roster planning. The position serves as the primary department contact for football and men’s basketball student-athlete agents, advisors, attorneys, and authorized representatives on compensation discussions and roster retention initiatives. It facilitates financial negotiations through agreement-in-principle in partnership with athletics legal counsel, who handles contract drafting, legal review, redlining, and final execution. The role works with the Football and Men’s Basketball General Managers to develop athlete compensation frameworks that balance competitive objectives, roster needs, budget constraints, and long-term sustainability. It also leads analytics initiatives and uses market intelligence and performance data to evaluate athlete value, compensation investments, roster decisions, and return on investment. The position advises coaches and athletics leadership on market conditions, compensation trends, negotiation and representation dynamics, and roster strategy. It coordinates with athletics leadership, finance, and legal counsel to align negotiated terms with institutional policies and applicable regulations; maintains records of compensation commitments, negotiations, and market analyses; and manages day-to-day Dropback administration while coordinating with legal counsel on the CAPS system and accurate digital updates and reporting across both systems.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, Finance, Business Analytics, Statistics, or a related field.
3–5 years of progressively responsible experience in professional sports representation, athlete contract negotiation, sports analytics, front-office operations, roster management, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience building financial models, valuation frameworks, or compensation analyses.
Strong analytical and quantitative skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience as a certified player agent or senior employee at a professional sports agency working with football and/or basketball athletes.
Experience with salary cap management, roster construction, player personnel, or professional team operations.
Advanced degree in Business Administration, Sports Administration, Law, Economics, Data Analytics, or a related discipline.
Familiarity with NCAA, NIL, revenue sharing, and intercollegiate athletics governance frameworks.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary athletics department contact for men’s basketball and football student-athlete agents, advisors, attorneys, and authorized representatives regarding compensation discussions and roster retention initiatives.
Facilitate financial negotiations through agreement-in-principle in partnership with athletics legal counsel, which is responsible for contract drafting, legal review, redlining, and final document execution.
Collaborate with the Football General Manager and Men’s Basketball General Manager to develop athlete compensation frameworks balancing competitive objectives, roster needs, budget limitations, and long-term program sustainability.
Use analytics, market intelligence, and performance data to evaluate athlete value, compensation investments, roster construction decisions, and return on investment.
Monitor football and men’s basketball athlete markets for compensation trends and emerging talent valuation benchmarks.
Lead advanced analytics initiatives focused on roster construction, athlete acquisition, retention, performance forecasting, and resource allocation.
Build and maintain relationships with agents and industry stakeholders.
Advise coaches and athletics leadership on marketplace dynamics, compensation trends, and roster strategy.
Advise coaches and athletics leadership on athlete market conditions, negotiation trends, and representation dynamics affecting recruiting, retention, and transfer decisions.
Coordinate with athletics leadership, finance, and legal counsel to ensure negotiated terms align with institutional policies and applicable regulations.
Maintain records of compensation commitments, negotiations, and market analyses, and support long-term athlete compensation and roster investment strategies.
Manage day-to-day administration for Dropback as the primary lead and coordinate with athletics legal counsel on the CAPS system to maintain accurate digital updates and reporting mechanisms across both systems.