Women's Head Soccer Coach

California State University, Bakersfield•Bakersfield, CA

About The Position

California State University, Bakersfield is hiring a full-time, temporary, 12-month Women's Soccer Head Coach for the 2026/2027 academic year, with the position available in Spring 2027. The Head Coach reports to the Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations and leads the university’s NCAA Division I women’s soccer program. The role encompasses program leadership and administration, coaching and athlete development, recruiting, budgeting, scheduling, fundraising, camps and clinics, and promoting the athletic program and university. The coach is responsible for setting and carrying out a strategic vision aligned with the University and Athletics Department, building an inclusive and student-centered team culture, and supporting student-athletes’ academic achievement, well-being, and competitive development. The position also involves supervising assistant coaches and support staff; managing scholarships, travel, equipment, and operational logistics; using performance and academic data to evaluate the program; and ensuring compliance with University, Conference, NCAA, Title IX, health and safety, and other applicable requirements. The role includes public and community representation of the program and University, and requires capacity to work evenings, weekends, travel extensively, and occasionally work holidays.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
Successful record of coaching women’s soccer.
Working knowledge of and commitment to following NCAA rules.
Demonstrated success recruiting players capable of academic, athletic, and social success.
Ability to establish positive and effective working relationships with student-athletes, administrators, faculty, staff, and the University community.
Demonstrated ability to lead and sustain a Division I women’s soccer program with competitive integrity, operational discipline, and a clear developmental philosophy.
Proven success recruiting, developing, and retaining academically and athletically qualified student-athletes in a regulated NCAA environment.
Working knowledge of NCAA, Conference, and institutional regulations, with sound judgment, proactive compliance, and collaboration with compliance staff.
Commitment to student-athlete academic success, including eligibility, progress toward degree, retention, and APR outcomes.
Ability to establish and maintain a positive, inclusive, high-accountability team culture that supports diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Leadership and management skills, including the ability to recruit, supervise, mentor, and evaluate assistant coaches and support staff.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills to represent the program and University professionally to internal and external stakeholders.
Organizational and operational effectiveness, including planning, budget management, scheduling, travel logistics, and program administration.
Ability to use data and performance metrics to inform coaching, recruiting, academic monitoring, and program assessment.
Willingness and capacity to meet the time demands of the role, including evenings, weekends, extensive travel, and occasional holidays.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
Experience coaching collegiate soccer at the NCAA Division I level.
Experience fundraising.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and administer the Women’s Soccer program at California State University, Bakersfield.
Establish and execute a program vision and strategic plan aligned with the mission, values, and competitive goals of the Athletics Department and University.
Represent the program to internal and external stakeholders, including faculty, staff, admissions, student services, alumni, donors, parents, fans, media, and the Bakersfield community.
Foster a positive, inclusive, student-centered, and high-accountability team culture emphasizing leadership, sportsmanship, and competitive excellence.
Plan and conduct practices and competitions, and teach sport-specific skills and strategies using effective coaching and performance-enhancement methods.
Collaborate with strength and conditioning, athletic training, medical, and sport performance personnel to support student-athlete development, health, and safety.
Support academic excellence, retention, progress toward degree, eligibility, graduation, and Academic Progress Rate outcomes in coordination with academic support staff.
Allocate and manage athletic scholarships in accordance with NCAA rules and departmental guidelines.
Use data and analytics to inform performance, training, competition strategy, recruiting, roster management, academic monitoring, and program assessment.
Provide accurate program data, reports, and assessments to department leadership as needed.
Develop and manage the program budget and monitor expenditures within approved budget parameters.
Oversee team travel, scheduling, equipment procurement, and operational logistics in coordination with department administration.
Participate in fundraising, donor engagement, camps, clinics, and revenue-generation activities.
Operate the program in compliance with University, Conference, NCAA, and departmental policies and regulations; collaborate with the Athletics Compliance Office on eligibility, recruiting, financial aid, CARA, and reporting.
Recruit, identify, and enroll academically and athletically qualified student-athletes.
Establish, communicate, and enforce team standards and discipline consistent with departmental policies, University conduct codes, and NCAA rules.
Recruit, supervise, mentor, develop, and evaluate assistant coaches and support staff.
Promote student-athletes’ leadership, academic achievement, personal growth, and engagement in campus life, while prioritizing their welfare.
Follow risk-management, injury-prevention, health and safety, concussion, return-to-play, and emergency-preparedness requirements; ensure staff and student-athletes are prepared to follow emergency action plans.
Report injuries, incidents, and safety concerns accurately and promptly.
Maintain knowledge of and comply with Title IX and institutional policies concerning gender equity, nondiscrimination, sexual misconduct prevention, and reporting obligations.
Attend to public-facing University representation and community outreach, including media engagements.
Meet the time demands of a Division I head coaching role, including evenings, weekends, extensive travel, and occasional holidays.