Senior Associate AD​/Team Makers Executive Director

Senior Associate AD/Team Makers Executive Director

The Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development / Team Makers Executive Director position is critical and essential to the daily operation of the Athletic Department as he/she will assist in the administration and management of the Team Makers organization, whose mission is to ‘inspire Bison Nation to support the NDSU student-athletes in their pursuit of athletic and academic excellence’. This is accomplished by the development of external financial resources for the NDSU intercollegiate program.

Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Serve as the chief fundraising officer for NDSU Athletics, partnering with Athletics, Team Makers and NDSU Foundation leadership to shape and execute strategy.
• Serve as ex-officio member of the Team Makers Investment Committee, Finance Committee, Gaming Committee and Nominating Committee.
• Manage a high-level donor portfolio, focused on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual and corporate prospects.
• Lead all campaign and annual fundraising efforts, including annual fund, leadership gifts, major gifts, and principal gifts.
• Lead and develop the Athletics Development team by providing leadership, mentoring, and performance oversight; setting and evaluating individual goals; supporting professional growth through coaching and development; assigning and monitoring coverage of primary areas of focus.
• Oversee operational Team Makers budget, ensuring strategic use of resources and alignment with NDSU Athletic Department priorities.
• Act as the primary liaison between NDSU Athletics and the Team Makers Board of Directors to ensure consistency in messaging, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Engage regularly with head coaches, Athletics staff, and internal partners to build trust, understand priorities, and align fundraising strategies with programmatic needs.
• Establish annual fundraising goals in consultation with the Deputy Director of Athletics; track performance and adjust tactics to ensure success.
• Provide regular reporting, data analysis, and strategic advancement efforts to both the Deputy Athletic Director and Team Makers Board of Directors.
• Participate as a member of the senior leadership team.
• Participate in public relations activities for the athletic department.
• Recruit, coordinate and oversee Transportation Team members.
• Other duties as assigned.

Hiring Range:

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Pay is based on several factors, including budget, labor market, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and/or certification and other business considerations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3 years fundraising, marketing and/or sales experience
• Experience supervising employees
• Experience with budget planning and management

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5 years fundraising, marketing and/or sales experience
• Strong understanding of NCAA rules
• Experience working in a collegiate athletic department
• Experience working with a non-profit board of directors

Core Competencies:

• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with multiple audiences.
• Attention to detail, organization, problem solving and decision‑making abilities
• Ability to work collaboratively with administrators, faculty, staff, students and the public.
• Strong relationship building skills.
• Ability to use and maintain a CRM tool

Applicant Materials

Required:

• Formal letter of application (cover letter)
• Resume
• Names, telephone numbers and email addresses of three professional references

Our commitment to caring for our employees isn’t just words—it’s proven. In NDSU’s most recent Gallup Engagement Survey, our strengths centered on care and development.“My supervisor, or someone at work, cares about me as a person
and“I have the opportunities to learn and grow”,were noted as top drivers. This reflects the culture you’ll experience here.

Join a workplace that invests in your well‑being, your future, and your success.

Full‑time employees are eligible for the following benefits:

• 100% employer‑paid health insurance…