Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs

California State University, Sacramento • Sacramento, CA

2d • $6,891 - $22,119 • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs is a senior leader in Sacramento State’s Athletics Department, responsible for strategic leadership, integration, and performance across external operations. These 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 revenue-generating units and establishes an integrated external affairs strategy to grow revenue, expand audience engagement, and strengthen the visibility and reputation of Sacramento State Athletics.

Reporting directly to the Director of Athletics, the incumbent leads through subordinate managers, setting direction and performance expectations and ensuring accountability across external units. The position aligns ticketing, marketing, donor engagement, and partnership efforts to drive attendance, strengthen the fan and donor experience, and support long-term financial sustainability.

The position works in a highly visible NCAA Division I environment and represents the Athletics Department to campus leadership, corporate partners, donors, alumni, and the broader community. External 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, including 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, integration, and executive oversight of external affairs operations, including ticketing, marketing, branding, fan engagement, corporate partnerships, donor engagement, advancement collaboration, and NIL initiatives.
• Lead external operations through subordinate managers, setting direction and performance expectations and ensuring accountability across units.
• Develop and execute integrated strategies to grow revenue and engagement, elevate the Hornet brand, and strengthen campus and community partnerships.
• Align ticketing, marketing, donor engagement, and partnership efforts to drive attendance and improve the fan and donor experience.
• Support the long-term financial sustainability and competitive success of Sacramento State Athletics.
• 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.
• Manage complex operations, competing priorities, organizational change, and performance outcomes across multiple units.

Benefits

• Best-in-class benefits are offered; details are linked in the posting.
• Available bonus incentives, to be discussed with selected candidates during the interview process.

What This Job Offers

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