Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance - Tennessee Athletics - UTK

University of Tennessee•Knoxville, TN

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Performance is responsible for conducting rigorous athletic evaluations, formulating individualized exercise prescriptions, and ensuring strict weight room supervision and safety compliance. This role utilizes advanced sports science methodologies to manage internal and external load monitoring systems, optimizing athlete readiness and mitigating injury risk. The Assistant Director will also partner with sport coaching staffs during official and unofficial visits to present the university's high-performance capabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in a related field and certification in at least one: CSCS-NSCA, SCCC/MSCCC-CSCCA, or USAW-USA Weightlifting.
Minimum of 1 year experience working as a sports performance coach.
Proven ability to work seamlessly within a multi-disciplinary high-performance team, establishing strong lines of communication with the Sports Medicine/Athletic Training staff.
Skilled in executing progressive, post-therapy reconditioning programs designed by medical staff to safely transition student-athletes from injury back to peak competition.
Strong verbal and written communication skills necessary to command the training floor, effectively instruct elite student-athletes, and align with sport coaches on performance goals.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in a related field.
Experience working on a Power 4 collegiate sports performance staff, professional sports performance staff, or directly with Olympic sport performance for athletes.
Demonstrated proficiency in utilizing, analyzing, and interpreting data from force plate technology to evaluate athlete asymmetries, neuromuscular status, and power production.
Skilled in the operational setup and data collection of elite electronic timing devices and velocity-based training (VBT) hardware for speed and acceleration tracking.
Proficient in leveraging Microsoft Office Suite (advanced Excel formulas and data visualization), Google Workspace, and industry-standard athlete management systems (AMS) to synthesize performance data.
Expert-level capability in utilizing specialized computerized strength and conditioning software (e.g., TeamBuildr or equivalent) to build, track, and distribute complex periodized training regimens.

Responsibilities

Conduct rigorous, data-driven athlete evaluations to establish baseline metrics for strength, power, mobility, and metabolic conditioning.
Design, implement, and oversee comprehensive annual periodized training cycles (macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles) tailored specifically to the physiological demands of assigned varsity sports.
Develop evidence-based exercise prescriptions that optimize athletic performance, address individual biomechanical deficiencies, and support long-term injury-mitigation strategies.
Utilize advanced sports science technologies—including GPS tracking, accelerometers, heart rate monitors to track, analyze, and report internal and external student-athlete training loads.
Translate load-monitoring data into actionable insights to adjust daily training volumes, optimize athlete readiness, and manage fatigue.
Instruct, coach, and evaluate proper exercise mechanics, Olympic lifting variations, speed/agility techniques, and energy system development.
Provide active, vigilant supervision of athletic performance facilities, ensuring strict adherence to safety protocols, lifting techniques, and a high-energy, disciplined training environment.
Assist with the training and supervision of any varsity sport utilizing the athletic performance facilities as needed, fostering a collaborative departmental culture.
Partner closely with sport coaching staffs during official and unofficial visits to serve as a presenter of the university's high-performance capabilities.
Articulate the Olympic Performance Science philosophy, data-driven training methodologies, and technological advantages directly to prospective elite student-athletes and their families.
Support and actively participate in institutional and sport-specific camps throughout the year, delivering high-performance training instruction, athlete evaluations, and mentorship while promoting the university’s performance culture to prospective student-athletes.
Other duties as assigned.