The Athletic Director (AD) will lead and manage Marshall University’s Athletic Department. The AD will report to the President and serve as a member of the university Cabinet. Effective collaboration with all academic areas and departments across campus will be paramount. They will direct the eight men’s and 10 women’s intercollegiate athletic programs and the various internal and external Athletic Department units. The AD must possess a strong commitment to NCAA compliance and to fostering an environment that is welcoming to all. The Athletic Director must appreciate and embrace The Marshall Creed and support both the student-athletes and the general student population.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Understands and appreciates the “Marshall for All, Marshall Forever” strategic vision of Marshall University and provides leadership in the development of comprehensive programs for intercollegiate athletics within the context of this vision and its student-athlete development philosophy.
Plans, implements, administers, monitors, coordinates, and evaluates the services and functions of the Athletic Department, including policies and procedures. Develops and modifies programs, systems, and facilities in accordance with institutional objectives and the needs of students and other university constituencies.
Maintains compliance with all NCAA, Sun Belt Conference, and State and university regulations. Effectively represents the university with the NCAA and conference leadership and other activities.
Understands the dynamic changes in the NCAA environment. Provides overall leadership and collaboration while navigating the opportunities and challenges of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL); the House settlement; and the transfer portal, while focusing on graduating student-athletes.
Leads the development and execution of innovative, forward-thinking strategies to significantly grow and diversify revenue streams, including but not limited to media rights, digital content, corporate partnerships, Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities, and fan engagement initiatives.
Collaborates with Marshall’s Title IX Coordinator to ensure all requirements are met regarding equal opportunities for males and females in athletics, while educating Athletic staff and student-athletes regarding this important subject.
Exercises strategic leadership in establishing and implementing short- and long-term organizational goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures; monitors and evaluates operational effectiveness; and effects changes required for improvements.
Promotes and prioritizes the academic success, student-athlete well-being and holistic development of student-athletes including career preparation while actively supporting their integration into the broader campus community.
Works closely with the university budget office in preparing and managing the Athletic Department budget to achieve fiscal responsibility.
Designs, establishes, and maintains an organizational structure and staffing to effectively accomplish the university’s goals and objectives; recruits, employs, onboards, supervises, evaluates and retains staff and coaches. Supports professional development of the staff.
Utilizes the Mission, Vision and Creed to establish and enhance a culture that is welcoming to all members of the Athletic Department and provides them the opportunity to succeed in their respective roles.
Oversees all personnel to ensure the efficient and productive operation of all administrative and operational functions of the Athletic Department.
Oversees and directs athletic facilities operations and develops long-range plans in collaboration with campus leadership to determine need and feasibility of constructing and/or upgrading athletic facilities.
Develops collaborative and effective partnerships with various campus stakeholders to optimize and ensure success in the recruitment and retention of student-athletes, their success as campus community members, and engagement as alumni.
Effectively communicates with both internal and external constituents while serving as the point-person for departmental communications and collaborates with the Office of University Communications regarding marketing, branding, and internal and external communications for the Athletic Department.
Provides leadership for athletic marketing, promoting an outstanding fan experience; and partners with the Marshall Alumni Association and the Marshall University Foundation Inc. to implement effective fundraising, alumni events, community outreach, associated activities, and marketing in support of athletic programs.
Assists the Office of Admissions and the Division of Student Affairs to support activities in support of prospective and current students.
Collaborates with all segments of the university community to provide positive experiences to all students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders.
Contributes to the overall success of the university by performing other duties as designated by the President.
About Marshall University Athletics With 18 varsity sports—eight men’s and 10 women’s—the Thundering Herd annually ranks among the top performers in the Sun Belt Conference athletically and academically. With an annual athletics budget of approximately $39 million, major recent high-lights include the Men’s Soccer program finishing as the national runners-up in the 2024 NCAA College Cup—a tournament in which they were seeded No. 13 going in and knocked off No. 1 Ohio State in the semifinals enroute to an NCAA Championship appearance. In a similar Cinderella story, Men’s Soccer brought home the 2020 College Cup following an amazing tournament run.
Other notable accomplishments in 2024 included a Women’s Basketball Sun Belt Conference Championship, Football going 10-3 and earning the Sun Belt Conference Championship, and Women’s Cross Country senior Kylee Mastin winning the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Thundering Herd student-athletes also regularly distinguish themselves academically, with all 16 teams finishing the fall 2024 semester with GPAs above 3.0. Ten teams finished with a 3.4 GPA or above. Women's Golf led all programs with a 3.93 GPA, followed by Swimming and Diving with 3.77.
A sign of Marshall’s commitment to the health, safety, well-being, and performance of its 515 student-athletes is the Chris Cline Athletic Facility, which includes the state-of-the-art Marshall.
As the Thundering Herd, the university participates in the NCAA Division I, Sun Belt Conference. Marshall University is situated in a region of great natural beauty. Huntington is nestled in the heart of the Appalachian Mountain region, bordered by the Ohio River to the north and located close to a variety of state and national forests and parks.
Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree is required, Master’s degree is preferred. Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in senior management of all aspects of intercollegiate athletic administration, preferably at the Division I level.
Proven leadership and management skills, particularly those related to establishing and communicating priorities, advancing innovative practices, building strategic partnerships, and solving problems, while using data-driven assessment to inform decision-making, evaluate impact, and continuously improve strategies and outcomes.
A collaborative management approach with relationship-building skills, experience building a team, and leading and/or supervising the work of others.
Significant experience in recruiting, hiring, supervising, evaluating, and professionally developing coaches and staff members.
Substantial experience in developing and implementing athletic department budgets and demonstrated ability to partner effectively with university budget office in developing and managing the Athletic Department budget.
Proven track record of fundraising and revenue generation from a variety of sources and the ability to effectively promote the Athletic Department.
Demonstrated and successful experience with recruitment, retention, and holistic development of student-athletes.
Extensive network of relationships among NCAA Division I institutions and conference leadership.
Highly effective written and oral communication skills with the ability to deliver information in a concise and articulate manner to multiple stakeholder groups.
Knowledge of and ability to implement and enforce NCAA, Sun Belt Conference, state, and university rules and regulations, policies and procedures.
Application Process: Candidates should include a cover letter describing relevant experiences and interest in this position and a curriculum vitae/resume. Please include names, titles and contact information for five (5) professional references. To assure full consideration, application materials should be received by June 19, 2025, and the applicant portal will remain open until the hiring process is completed.
Compensation is competitive and will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
Marshall University and the Marshall University Research Corporation are committed to providing equal opportunities to all prospective and current candidates. We do not condone discrimination, in particular based on race, color sex, religion, age, sexual orientation, disability, or national origin. Our commitment also applies to all educational programs and activities covered under Title IX which prohibits sex discrimination in higher education. We neither affiliate with nor grant recognition to any individual, group or organization having policies that discriminate.
Marshall University is a public comprehensive research university with a rich history as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in West Virginia. Marshall advances the public good through innovative, accredited educational programs. The university is located in Huntington, West Virginia, with additional campuses in South Charleston, Point Pleasant, Teays Valley, and Beckley. Marshall is classified as an R2 institution, Carnegie Doctoral University: High Research Activity. The university enrolls 11,064 students – 8,025 undergraduate and 3,039 graduate–and offers more than 150 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs organized into seven academic colleges and two schools. As the Thundering Herd, the university currently participates in the NCAA Division I, Conference USA. Marshall University is situated in a region of great natural beauty; Huntington is nestled in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, with the Ohio River creating the perimeter of the city.
