Athletic Director

Saint Patrick Academy•Portsmouth, NH

About The Position

Saint Patrick Academy seeks a highly motivated Athletic Director to join a thriving Catholic school community who knows the value of a vibrant sports program in young lives. This is a 12-month position, beginning July 1, 2026 (or earlier). The Athletic Director/Teacher will be an inspiring, compassionate leader, who is a detail-oriented proactive communication manager who promotes an exciting vision for SPA athletics. Saint Patrick Academy currently fields teams in six interscholastic sports, along with several clubs, and sport clinic programs. We are a member of the Private Schools Athletic League (PSAL). For a school small in numbers, our teams and individual athletes have accomplished remarkable things. The Director of Athletics, as a member of the Admin team reporting to the Director of Student Activities, is responsible for organizing and overseeing athletics programs, personnel, and equipment. Saint Patrick Academy is enjoying remarkable growth. The next AD will be expected to support and sustain this momentum by establishing ambitious new program goals, creating a cohesive athletic department philosophy, hiring and developing outstanding coaches, communicating effectively with all stakeholders, and expanding and maintaining sports offerings and facilities. The Athletic Director position could also entail some teaching duties, and preference will be given to candidates who enjoy designing physical education curriculum and collaborating with others. The AD will work closely with the Director of Student Activities and teaching faculty to develop instruction and activities strategically aligned to foster lifelong health and wellness, the prosocial values of teamwork, persistence, resilience, good sportsmanship, and prepare student-athletes for competitive opportunities in 5th through 8th grades. As leader, ambassador, and spokesman for all school athletics, the Athletic Director develops coaching standards, supervises and supports coaches in meeting those standards, supports the hiring of faculty who can coach, develops training and conditioning programs for student-athletes and oversees facilities and field maintenance. Saint Patrick Academy's interscholastic athletic program features Middle School teams in Soccer (Boys and Girls), Cross Country and Track (Coed), Volleyball (Girls), Basketball (Boys and Girls) and Baseball (Coed). The MS Athletic Club program features Golf, Rock Climbing, Floor Hockey, Ski Club, and Softball Club. Interest often drives which clubs are offered annually. The LS Athletic Club program features Golf, Rock Climbing, Ski Club, Cheer Club and Tennis Club. Interest often drives which clubs are offered annually. The LS athletics program also features Shamrock clinics that teach the fundamentals to our early childhood students in various sports. The LS intramural program features several different sports, teaching the basic skills and rules to expand the athletic knowledge and exposing the younger athletes in 1st-4th grades to different sports. Most importantly, the AD models the highest level of sportsmanship and school spirit to rally support in the school and local community. The school seeks candidates with vision, ambition, integrity, and strong work ethic, who are program builders; and want to grow as leaders while contributing to the establishment of Saint Patrick Academy. Candidates may hold post-secondary and/or graduate degrees in various fields of education, leadership, sports management, physical education, and/or similar fields. They must have substantial records of success as coaches and at least three years of experience in athletic administration and leadership. Character and Philosophy Leadership - personal attributes that produce respect, trust and an enjoyable working environment that result in employees and student-athletes wanting to demonstrate excellence to meet the expectations of the athletics department Values and Principles– ethical standards and ways of working create feelings of pride, dignity and honor in one's work Knowledge – a mastery of the subject matter of educational sport and administration coupled with critical thinking skills that enable the AD to be a wise decision-maker and problem solver Administrative Philosophy – beliefs about how people best work together to produce a desired outcome that creates an efficient and productive team of workers Teaching Commitment – creation of an athletic department culture of shared learning that affirms the value of each employee's knowledge and contributions to the success of each student's skills and to the team Skills Communication Skills- The ability to effectively communicate clearly with all parties. AD must be able to form long-term vision for the athletic program and then communicate that vision to administration, students, parents, donors and the public Organizational Skills - Able to manage the many facets of the program participants in a compassionate, reasonable and effective manner. Create fair and manageable program schedules, prepare budgets, handle effective promotion and manage staff Problem Solving Skills - The ability to maintain composure and develop creative solutions when problems arise. Collaboration Skills - Able to work collaboratively with coaches, school athletic directors, school administrators, parents, students, referees; demonstrating a cooperative attitude and effective administration. Financial Acumen: Experience in budgeting and financial resource allocation. Strategic Planning: Developing and implementing plans for the long-term success of the athletic program.

Requirements

Candidates may hold post-secondary and/or graduate degrees in various fields of education, leadership, sports management, physical education, and/or similar fields.
They must have substantial records of success as coaches and at least three years of experience in athletic administration and leadership.
Communication Skills- The ability to effectively communicate clearly with all parties. AD must be able to form long-term vision for the athletic program and then communicate that vision to administration, students, parents, donors and the public
Organizational Skills - Able to manage the many facets of the program participants in a compassionate, reasonable and effective manner. Create fair and manageable program schedules, prepare budgets, handle effective promotion and manage staff
Problem Solving Skills - The ability to maintain composure and develop creative solutions when problems arise.
Collaboration Skills - Able to work collaboratively with coaches, school athletic directors, school administrators, parents, students, referees; demonstrating a cooperative attitude and effective administration.
Financial Acumen: Experience in budgeting and financial resource allocation.
Strategic Planning: Developing and implementing plans for the long-term success of the athletic program.

Responsibilities

Provide direction, leadership, support and guidance for the athletic program
Lead by activity and example in developing, organizing, supervising, and evaluating all aspects of the school's intramural, Shamrock, club and interscholastic athletic programs.
Go to league meetings
Scheduling of events / practices / competitions
Ensure the school remains in compliance with athletic rules and regulations
Set up and maintain TeamSnap
Substitute coach if necessary
Be present or have a designated representative at each home game
Communicate expectations to visiting teams, parents, coaches
Communicate expectations to SPA athletes, parents and coaches
Establish standards that unify coaches and support the school's educational mission through the development of students as scholar-athletes.
Supervise, train, and mentor coaches from all athletic programs who are committed to the highest levels of professionalism.
Hire, schedule and submit for payment for all referees and umpires
Terminate athletic staff if necessary
Create, distribute and collect Coach's contracts and required paperwork
Conduct Coaches Training meetings at least 1 per season
Coordinate with school administration to provide CPR, First Aid training for coaches
Discuss student eligibility with SPA administrators
Resolve disputes between player/coaches/parents
Organize rides for teams without bus transportation
Communicate any changes to schedules to SPA, coaches, parents and students
Notify the Activities Director any students that have not registered
Take the lead in creating and carrying out a long-term plan that makes being a well-rounded-student-athlete a central, visible part of student life and the school's culture, encompassing all aspects of the student body; PreK3 - 8th grade.
Assist the Director of Student Activities in faculty hiring to include excellent coaches.
Communicate regularly and effectively with all necessary parties via writing, speaking, text, etc.
Submit regular sports updates and information to the activities director, communication team and front office for publication.
Schedule athletic contests, arrange for transportation, and hire officials.
Help the admission office in attracting prospective students for enrollment.
Represent the school in various athletic situations.
Maintain team and individual sports records and share them with the Director of Student Activities, the Director of Advancement and the Communications team for historical purposes.
Help coaches develop athletes' seasonal goals with documentation, statistics, and records.
Create a coaches' manual in collaboration with the Director of Student Activities.
Revise the coaches' manual as needed each year and meet either annually or seasonally with coaches to review information and standards in detail.
Create the athletic parent handbook in collaboration with the Director of Student Activities.
Revise the athletic parent handbook as needed each year and meet with families to set expectations and review information in detail.
Take responsibility for the health and safety of all students in the athletic program.
Prepare all financial agreements and invoices for the Athletics program and submit them to the Director of Student Activities according to established financial procedures and policies.
Work with the Director of Student Activities to ensure program success and growth.
Purchase and maintain athletic equipment
Oversee distribution, collection, cleaning, repair, and storage of uniforms and equipment.
Order uniforms and equipment if necessary
Work with team coaches to distribute uniforms and equipment
Ensure coaches log distributed uniforms and equipment
Ensure that coaches collect uniforms and equipment
Follow up with families that didn't turn in their uniforms and equipment
Ensure that families that didn't turn in uniforms or equipment are invoiced by the Director of Student Activities.
Maintain athletic facilities
Work with the Director of Student Activities to manage facility scheduling and usage.
Schedule buses with Activities Director
Ensure fields are ready competitions
Make sure nets on outside goals are maintained and safe
Keep the shed organized and stocked with equipment
Ensure athletic equipment is in good working order and put away appropriately, and organize that the necessary equipment is out for the upcoming seasons
Ensure buses are gassed up, inspected and in good working order
Make sure coaches and teams are keeping the buses clean
With Operations staff, oversee sports equipment and facilities maintenance, security, planning, and rental opportunities.
Set up for games and competitions
Perform other duties as assigned by the Director of Student Activities and support the school's leadership.