Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs

CSU Careers • Sacramento, CA

1d

About The Position

The Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs is a senior leader in Sacramento State Athletics, responsible for strategic leadership, integration, and performance across external operations. These areas include ticket sales and service, marketing and branding, corporate partnerships, fan engagement, athletics advancement collaboration, donor engagement, and NIL initiatives. The role provides executive oversight of multiple revenue-generating units and develops a unified external affairs strategy to increase revenue, grow audience engagement, and enhance the visibility and reputation of Sacramento State Athletics.

Reporting directly to the Director of Athletics, the incumbent leads through subordinate managers, sets direction and performance expectations, and ensures accountability across external units. The position aligns ticketing, marketing, donor engagement, and partnerships to increase attendance, strengthen fan and donor experiences, and support long-term financial sustainability. It represents Athletics in a highly visible NCAA Division I environment with campus leadership, corporate partners, donors, alumni, and the community. Strategies and initiatives must align with institutional priorities, brand standards, and NCAA and conference regulations while supporting the mission and competitive success of Sacramento State Athletics.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education or equivalent work experience.
• Five to seven years of progressively responsible leadership experience in intercollegiate athletics, external relations, revenue generation, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing multiple revenue-generating functions, including ticketing, marketing, corporate partnerships, and/or development.
• Experience supervising professional staff and managing through subordinate leadership structures, including setting expectations and driving accountability.
• Ability to provide executive-level leadership and strategic oversight of integrated external affairs operations.
• Knowledge of comprehensive revenue-generation models, including ticketing, marketing, partnerships, and donor engagement.
• Ability to develop and execute long-term strategic plans using data-informed decision-making.
• Ability to lead and influence teams through subordinate managers and drive performance outcomes across multiple units.
• Strong understanding of fan engagement, brand strategy, and revenue alignment.
• Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-management skills, with the ability to engage campus leadership, donors, and external partners.
• Strong executive communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and independent decision-making in complex environments.
• Knowledge of NCAA regulations and NIL frameworks relevant to external operations.
• Ability to manage complex operations, competing priorities, and organizational change.
• Commitment to maintaining a welcoming and inclusive work environment with diverse colleagues and constituents.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and travel as required.
• Satisfactory completion of the background check process.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in sport management, business administration, higher education, or a related field.
• Experience working in or with NCAA Division I athletics or a comparable environment.
• Demonstrated success leading comprehensive external affairs or revenue-generating operations at the NCAA Division I level or in a comparable environment.
• Proven track record of developing and executing integrated revenue strategies, including ticketing, marketing, partnerships, and advancement.
• Experience overseeing ticket sales operations and fan engagement strategies, including pricing and revenue optimization.
• Demonstrated success managing large-scale budgets, revenue goals, and financial performance metrics.
• Experience building and leading high-performing teams through subordinate managers.
• Proven success securing and managing high-value corporate partnerships.
• Experience collaborating with campus leadership and advancement units to align revenue and engagement strategies.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and executive oversight for external operations, including ticket sales and service, marketing and branding, corporate partnerships, fan engagement, donor engagement, advancement collaboration, and NIL initiatives.
• Develop and execute an integrated external affairs strategy to increase revenue, audience engagement, attendance, and the visibility and reputation of Sacramento State Athletics.
• Lead through subordinate managers by setting direction and performance expectations and ensuring accountability across external units.
• Align ticketing, marketing, donor engagement, and partnership efforts to strengthen fan and donor experiences and support long-term financial sustainability.
• Represent the Athletics Department with campus leadership, corporate partners, donors, alumni, and the broader community.
• Ensure external strategies and initiatives align with institutional priorities, brand standards, and NCAA and conference regulations.
• Support the overall mission and competitive success of Sacramento State Athletics.

Benefits

• Best-in-class benefits are offered; details are provided through the CSU Total Compensation information.
• Available bonus incentives will be discussed with selected candidates during the interview process.

What This Job Offers

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