Director for Athletic Facilities and Operations

Location: Hickory, North Carolina 

Position Summary

The director of athletic facilities and operations reports to a senior associate athletic director and is responsible for the comprehensive management and execution of athletic facilities, event operations and game-day logistics for Lenoir-Rhyne University. This position oversees the planning, coordination, and supervision of all home athletic events, facility scheduling and operational staffing. The director serves as the primary game manager for assigned contests and acts as the liaison to campus partners and external users. This highly visible role ensures safe, efficient, and championship-level environments for student-athletes, staff and spectators while supporting the mission and standards of Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Coordinate and oversee comprehensive event setup and breakdown for all on-campus varsity athletic events, including competition venues, practice facilities and ancillary event spaces.
• Manage and direct all game-day operations for home athletic events, including but not limited to parking, locker room assignments, ticketing operations, ushers, officials’ coordination, visiting team services and event security.
• Serve as the primary game manager and/or designated athletic administrator for home athletic contests as assigned by senior athletics leadership, ensuring compliance with institutional, conference and NCAA policies.
• Act as the on-site facilities coordinator for selected outside user groups and special events hosted within athletic facilities, ensuring contractual requirements and university standards are met.
• Assist with ticket sales operations and event-day ticketing logistics for selected home athletic events, including conference championships, NCAA postseason events and special ticketed contests.
• Oversee the recruitment, scheduling, supervision, and payment of student workers, event staff, and temporary personnel for all home athletic events.
• Manage game-day parking operations, including staffing, cashless payment systems, traffic flow, signage and coordination with campus safety and local authorities as needed.
• Serve as a liaison to campus divisions such as the President’s Office, Advancement, Student Affairs, Campus Safety and Facilities, as well as external rental groups, for the scheduling and operational use of athletic facilities.
• Utilize university and athletic department scheduling systems to ensure accurate reservation, communication and coordination of all athletic and event spaces.
• Conduct weekly facility walkthroughs and safety inspections of all athletic venues, identifying, documenting and prioritizing maintenance, safety and operational deficiencies requiring correction.
• Coordinate with facilities management and external vendors to address repairs, preventative maintenance and event readiness of athletic venues.
• Develop and implement event operations plans, policies, and procedures to enhance efficiency, safety and the overall game-day experience for student-athletes, staff, officials and spectators.
• Assist in budget planning and expense tracking related to event operations, staffing, facility usage and game-day services.
• Ensure all athletic events and facility operations adhere to NCAA, conference, institutional and local safety regulations and risk management standards.
• Provide leadership, training and evaluation for event operations staff and student workers to maintain high service standards and professionalism.

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Excellent relationship and external networking ability.
• Demonstrated excellence with interpersonal communications (written and oral) skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced team environment is necessary.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Customer service-oriented and able to establish and maintain positive working relationships with staff, coaches and student-athletes.
• Must be comfortable working in a team environment with a positive attitude and sense of humor.  
• Unwavering commitment to academic integrity, inclusion, gender equity, student-athlete welfare, knowledge of NCAA and Title IX compliance.
• Successful experience in event management preferred.
• Work diligently to encourage and create an atmosphere of sportsmanship, NCAA compliance, professionalism and respect among the staff, coaches and student-athletes within the department.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree preferred.
• Experience working in a college athletics department preferred. 

Work Schedule

• This position requires travel and variable work hours, including nights and weekends.

Behavioral Expectations

• Maintain high integrity, confidentiality and ethical standards.
• Maintain a healthy and safe environment.
• Maintain and contribute to a professional, respectful, courteous, diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment
• Treat other individuals with dignity, respect and kindness.
• Adhere to all university policies, procedures, standards, and values, and comply with all federal, state, and local laws.

Position requirements in the above mentioned role indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the job competently. Role descriptions are an overview of the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of the position and are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of the position. Employees may be required to perform other job-related assignments as requested and acquire new skills and responsibilities. Lenoir-Rhyne University reserves the right to modify, add, remove or waive the position's responsibilities, duties, and skills required.

Application Process

While completing the application, candidates will be prompted to submit a:

• Cover letter, specifically discussing how one’s professional experiences and perspectives relate to the needs of the position.
• Resume, including the names and emails of three references. References will only be contacted for finalists, and candidates will be notified in advance.

Lenoir-Rhyne University promotes a welcoming campus environment that is integral to the university's commitment to excellence in engagement and education. We are particularly interested in candidates who have demonstrated experience nurturing a welcoming community, working with faculty, staff and/or students from all walks of life and/or incorporating varied perspectives and traditions in their current or previous positions. This commitment is rooted in our Lutheran tradition of fostering wisdom, nurturing vocation and preparing students for lives of purpose while serving the common good. 

About Lenoir-Rhyne University  

Lenoir-Rhyne University is a co-educational, private, comprehensive liberal arts institution founded in 1891, with its traditional campus located in Hickory, North Carolina, a city of more than 40,000. The university has additional graduate centers in Asheville, N.C., and Columbia, S.C. Situated in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lenoir-Rhyne is less than an hour’s drive from Charlotte, and the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of about 365,000. The university now offers more than 45 undergraduate and 20 graduate degree programs to approximately 2,400 students. Lenoir-Rhyne University seeks to liberate mind and spirit, clarify personal faith, foster physical wholeness, build community, and promote responsible leadership for service to the world. Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lenoir-Rhyne is open to people from all religious and non-religious backgrounds. 

Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy

Lenoir-Rhyne University is committed to providing a workplace and educational environment, as well as other benefits, programs, and activities that are free from discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

LR is committed to creating a safe campus environment for all members of the LR community, including, but not limited to, those who identify as transgender and gender non-conforming. To that end, LR does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex (including sex stereotypes and sex characteristics), ethnicity, national origin, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, pregnancy or related conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran or military status or any other characteristic or status protected by applicable law.

To ensure compliance with federal and state civil rights laws and regulations and to affirm its commitment to promoting the goals of fairness and equity in all aspects of the educational program, activity and employment, LR has developed internal policies and procedures that provide a prompt, fair and impartial process for those involved in an allegation of discrimination or harassment, and for allegations of retaliation.

LR values and upholds the equal dignity of all members of its community and strives to balance the rights of the parties in the grievance process during what is often a difficult time for all those involved. 
 

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