Director of Football Student Services

University of Wisconsin Madison • Madison, WI

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Student Services for Football manages the comprehensive academic, personal, and professional development programs for all student-athletes within the football program. Working directly under the athletic department's executive staff and in lockstep with the Head Football Coach, this role establishes a culture of high academic achievement. The Director proactively monitors athletic eligibility, coordinates intensive tutorial support, and coordinates life-skills programs to prepare athletes for long-term career success both on and off the gridiron.

Requirements

• Minimum of 2–3 years of progressive experience advising or counseling student-athletes within a collegiate athletic department
• Proven, in-depth understanding of complex NCAA eligibility rules, transfer portals, and academic progress bylaws.
• Willingness and ability to work highly irregular hours, including early mornings, late nights, and mandatory weekends.
• Superior verbal and written communication skills to effectively translate academic challenges to coaching staffs, university professors, and 18-to-22-year-old athletes.
• Extreme level of professionalism and discretion when managing sensitive, confidential academic or personal student-athlete information.
• Bachelor’s degree required

Nice To Haves

• Minimum of 2–3 years of progressive experience advising or counseling student-athletes within a collegiate athletic department, ideally with football program exposure.
• Master’s degree in Sports Administration, Higher Education, Counseling, or a related field is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and track real-time academic progress, cumulative GPA, and progress-towards-degree requirements to ensure strict alignment with NCAA, conference, and institutional rules.
• Provide timely, transparent updates, class attendance reports, and grade checks directly to the Head Coach and position coaches.
• Identify at-risk student-athletes early in the semester and construct rigorous individual academic improvement contracts.
• Guide football student-athletes through class registration, ensuring course loads balance practice schedules and meet degree compliance.
• Coordinate the assignment of specialized tutors, mentors, and learning specialists to support individual athlete needs.
• Design and execute tailored onboarding and orientation programs specifically for incoming freshmen and transfer football players.
• Act as the primary point of contact between the football department, university faculty, campus advisors, and student support networks.
• Serve a touch point for parents in terms of housing, financial aid, etc. in the orientation process.
• Coordinate and implement critical programming around financial literacy, media training, mental health awareness, and leadership.
• Coordinate career development initiatives, interview prep workshops, and resume-building opportunities for life after football.
• Evaluate high school transcripts and transfer portals of prospective student-athletes to determine preliminary NCAA eligibility and admissibility.
• Meet with prospective student-athletes and their families during official and unofficial recruiting visits to present the program's academic philosophy and support systems.
• Responsible for selection, training, and scheduling of student office support.
• Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures to comply with regulations, institutional policies, and academic program objectives.
• Evaluates existing academic program strategy and makes recommendations to unit leadership for program enhancement.
• May manage the unit budget and approve unit expenditures.
• Assists stakeholders with preparing and/or maintaining documentation, financial management, and/or reporting requirements related to sponsored grants, contracts, or agreements.
• Provides full service advising resources and services, provides information about educational options and academic requirements, and communicates directly with students regarding all aspects of the advising process.
• Manages degree programs and/or certificates, high impact practice programming and events, and curriculum development and implementation.
• Leads the development and implementation of academic program initiatives.
• May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees.
• Serves as the liaison to internal and external stakeholder groups to identify and maintain academic program-related partnerships.

Benefits

• Generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off
• Competitive insurances and savings accounts
• retirement benefits
• Badger gear & season tickets for Badger football, men's basketball and men's hockey, and/or the varsity sports pass

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level