Assistant Director of Student Engagement

University of Oklahoma•Norman, OK

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Student Engagement develops and leads Oklahoma Athletics’ strategy for building meaningful relationships with OU students and increasing engagement across all sports. The position serves as Athletics’ primary liaison to student-facing campus departments and organizations, identifying opportunities to connect students with Oklahoma Athletics throughout their college experience. A key measure of success is increasing student attendance at Athletics events, particularly in sports outside of football. The role is the department’s expert and advocate for the student audience, using knowledge of student interests, behaviors, and barriers to shape strategies, partnerships, and engagement opportunities. The position works with external operations colleagues assigned to individual sports, managing overall relationships with campus stakeholders and involving sport-specific staff in execution as appropriate. The role leads a year-round student engagement strategy, establishes measurable goals for attendance, participation, and affinity, and develops ways to introduce students to new teams and experiences. It builds campus partnerships, advises BoomSquad, gathers and applies student feedback and participation data, and leads attendance, loyalty, and incentive initiatives. The position also develops engagement for incoming students in partnership with New Sooner Orientation, Camp Crimson, and other programs, and collaborates across Athletics to coordinate student-focused efforts. The position requires a bachelor’s degree and two years of experience in branding, campaign strategy, performance marketing, or a related field. Relevant experience or a combination of education and experience may substitute for the degree using a one-to-one ratio. A background check is required. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and may include some weekends; nights, weekends, and Athletics events may be required. Travel is not required. Pay is negotiable based on education and experience, and the position is benefits eligible.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree; relevant experience or a combination of education and related experience may be considered in lieu of the degree using a one-to-one ratio.
Two years of experience in branding, campaign strategy, performance marketing, or a related field; the stated experience requirement may be met in lieu of a degree as described in the posting.
Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders.
Strong strategic thinking and ability to translate broad objectives into actionable initiatives.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational and project-management abilities.
Ability to collaborate and influence across departments without direct supervisory authority.
Ability to understand audience needs and develop programs designed around those needs.
Willingness and ability to work nights, weekends, and Athletics events as required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in collegiate athletics.
Experience working directly with college students or student organizations.
Familiarity with university student affairs, orientation, student government, or campus programming structures.
Experience developing strategies designed to increase attendance or participation.
Experience using audience, attendance, or engagement data to inform strategy.
Master’s degree in business administration, marketing, sport management, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Develop and lead a comprehensive, year-round strategy for engaging OU students with Oklahoma Athletics across all sports.
Set measurable objectives for student attendance, participation, and affinity, with particular emphasis on increasing attendance outside of football.
Serve as the department’s subject-matter expert on the OU student audience and advocate for the student perspective in Athletics planning.
Develop strategies that introduce students to new teams and experiences and encourage sustained engagement.
Serve as Athletics’ primary liaison to student-facing campus departments, programs, and organizations.
Build and maintain relationships with Student Affairs, Fraternity and Sorority Programs and Services, Student Government Association, Registered Student Organizations, Fitness & Recreation, University Experiences, and other campus partners.
Advise BoomSquad and provide strategic direction for the student-led organization.
Establish consistent ways to gather student feedback and understand student motivations, interests, and participation barriers.
Translate campus relationships, student feedback, and participation data into actionable opportunities and recommendations for Athletics leadership.
Lead department-wide efforts to increase student attendance, particularly at sports outside of football.
Develop student-focused promotions, programs, and experiences that incentivize attendance and reduce barriers.
Lead the strategy and operations of the student loyalty program designed to encourage and reward attendance across multiple sports.
Use attendance and participation data to identify trends, growth opportunities, and highly engaged students or student organizations.
Develop a strategy to introduce incoming students to Oklahoma Athletics before and during their transition to campus.
Partner with New Sooner Orientation, Camp Crimson, and other programs to deliver mutually beneficial programming for incoming students.
Create opportunities to introduce students to Athletics traditions, teams, venues, and experiences early in their OU journey.
Develop programming that makes Athletics participation part of the OU student experience.
Collaborate with the external operations team, sport programs, and Athletics leadership, providing insights and recommendations for engaging students and involving specialists in campus opportunities as appropriate.
Maintain visibility into student-focused efforts across Athletics to encourage coordination and consistency.
Perform other duties as assigned.