Career Strategies Professional III (Athletics)

Posting Number: req26181

Department: Administration and Athletics

Location: Tucson Campus

Address: 1 National Championship Drive, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA

Position Highlights

The Athletics Department is dedicated to excellence in collegiate sports, building a modern model of intercollegiate athletics fostering integrity, innovation, and student-athlete success.

The Career Strategies Professional III provides advanced professional expertise and independent leadership in the development, implementation, and evaluation of a comprehensive Division I student-athlete development program. The position exercises significant discretion and decision-making authority in designing strategic initiatives that support student-athlete personal development, leadership growth, career readiness, and post-graduate success. This role serves as a subject-matter expert, provides cross-functional guidance, and contributes to institutional and conference-level initiatives related to student-athlete development.

This position requires the ability to work a flexible schedule, including nights, weekends, and travel as needed. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead student-athlete development programs by independently designing, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive Division I development ecosystem aligned with institutional priorities.
• Serve as the primary subject matter expert on student-athlete development and NIL education, interpreting and applying complex NCAA, conference, and institutional regulations to create compliant educational programming and resources.
• Develop and manage leadership, career readiness, and experiential learning initiatives, including internship pipelines, employer partnerships, alumni engagement, and professional skill-building programs.
• Provide strategic oversight for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), guiding student leadership development, advocacy efforts, and institutional feedback processes.
• Manage program assessment and operational planning by developing metrics, analyzing data, and producing recommendations to improve program effectiveness and support long-term strategy.
• Lead high impact events and programming such as orientations, leadership initiatives, community engagement activities, recognition ceremonies, and career development workshops.
• Collaborate across C.A.T.S. units to support a holistic student-athlete development model and enhance cross-functional service delivery.
• Represent the department externally at conference, regional, and national meetings, contributing expertise to industry discussions and emerging best practices.
• Supervise staff and student employees, including hiring, training, performance evaluation, and professional development.
• Manage budgets and resources for assigned programs, ensuring responsible allocation and identifying opportunities for operational improvement.
• Serve on committees and working groups, providing strategic insight and professional expertise to support institutional priorities.
• Budget accountability.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to develop programs, coordinate resources, facilitate workshops, and create a positive environment at the collegiate level.
• Ability to interact diplomatically with individuals from various backgrounds.
• Ability to establish working relationships and interact collaboratively and effectively with staff, student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and the University of Arizona community.
• Excellent administrative, oral, and written communication skills, including skill in writing memos and reports.
• Ability to apply creative, organizational, and analytical skills with strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of institutional, conference, and NCAA rules.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and handle sensitive and confidential information with discretion and according to FERPA regulations.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through professional level experience required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Two (2) years of experience working in collegiate athletics, education, student development/services, or a career-related field in the public or private sectors.

FLSA: Exempt

Full Time/Part Time: Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week: 40 + nights and weekends

Job FTE: 1.0

Work Calendar: Fiscal

Job Category: Student Services

Benefits Eligible: Yes – Full Benefits

Rate of Pay: DOE

Compensation Type: salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade

8

Compensation Guidance

The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.

The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator.

Career Stream and Level

PC3

Job Family

Career Strategies

Job Function

Student Services

Type of criminal background check required: Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies: 1

Contact Information for Candidates

Rachel Blunt
Senior Associate Athletics Director, Strategic Operations
rblunt@arizona.edu

Open Until Filled: Yes

Documents Needed to Apply: Resume, Cover Letter, and One Additional Document

Special Instructions to Applicant

Please submit Resume, Cover Letter, and the answers to the following questions as the Additional Document. Thank You.

1. Describe your knowledge and understanding of NCAA and Big-12 rules and regulations, as they pertain to recruitment and regulations?

2. Please list below any experience you have had since 2015 with high school or college student-athletes. This includes working or volunteering in any capacity with a high school, AAU, sports club, junior college or 4-year institution student-athlete, athletics team or department.

3. Applicants for this position are subject to the following NCAA Bylaws 11.4.2, 11.4.2.1, 11.4.2.2, 11.4.3, 11.4.3.1, 11.4.3.2, 11.4.4, 11.4.4.1, and 11.4.4.2. You may be asked about these Bylaws in an interview, and you may be asked to sign a future affirmation confirming the same prior to or upon your employment by The University of Arizona, if you are selected for employment. Do you understand that by submitting your application for employment, you are affirming that you have read these Bylaws, and that such Bylaws would not preclude your employment by The University of Arizona?

4. Are you the parent, coach, relative or guardian of a prospective student-athlete (i.e., student in 9-12 grade or 7-12 grade for men’s basketball or junior college student) in the sport of men’s basketball, women’s basketball or football or have any other type of association with any prospective student-athlete in the sports of men’s basketball, women’s basketball or football? If yes, please explain.

5. Is your potential employment within the athletic department conditioned upon the enrollment of any prospective student-athlete (i.e., student in 9-12 grade, 7-12 grade for men’s basketball or junior college) in the sport of men’s basketball, women’s basketball or football? If Yes, please explain.

6. Do you understand that failure to disclose any information related to your affiliation with a prospective student-athlete (student in 9-12 grade, 7-12 grade for men’s basketball or junior college) in the sports of football, men’s basketball, or women’s basketball might render your application ineligible for consideration?

Notice of Availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report

In compliance with the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Act (Clery Act), each year the University of Arizona releases an Annual Security Report (ASR) for each of the University’s campuses. These reports disclose information including Clery crime statistics for the previous three calendar years and policies, procedures, and programs the University uses to keep students and employees safe, including how to report crimes or other emergencies and resources for crime victims. As a campus with residential housing facilities, the Main Campus ASR also includes a combined Annual Fire Safety report with information on fire statistics and fire safety systems, policies, and procedures.
Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at cleryact@arizona.edu.