Post job

What does an athletic director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does an athletic director do

An athletics director is an administrative professional who is responsible for managing all activities related to the athletic program of a school, university, or college. The director must ensure that the school follows athletic rules and regulations as well as provide direction and guidance for its athletic program. This director must work with coaches to file reports on the progress of each of the athletic teams. The director must also assist in hiring coaches and athletic staff and should mediate disputes between coaches and athletes.

On this page

Athletic director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real athletic director resumes:

  • Develop and manage an athletic page on facebook.
  • Manage student transcripts, GPA, and credit verification according to school and CIF rules and regulations.
  • Manage facility schedules and oversee activities including league basketball and indoor soccer.
  • Lead project management team in development/execution of conferences and enduring CME -accredite programs.
  • Develop strategy to revamp locker rooms and improve high school athletic facilities including a new softball field and scoreboard for gym.
  • Provide athletes with injury prevention information: maintenance exercises, nutrition plans and resources, and develop rehabilitation and treatment protocols.
  • Implemented/Creat rehabilitation programs and supervised/educate student interns and volunteers.
  • Up to date first aid and CPR for staff and volunteers15.
  • Supervise and guide coaches of state playoff and state championship programs.
  • Organize and oversee all IM sporting events, games and facilities.
  • Provide update CPR certification training for coaches, staff, and community.
  • Instruct k-8 gift and talent students in a creative and unique environment.
  • Schedule, staff and recruit all IM sports student staff and participants.
  • Program content ranges from pre-K to graduate level astrophysics, and teacher training programs.
  • Develop curriculum for the mathematics department, as well as the economics and speech classes.

Athletic director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Athletic Directors are proficient in Student Athletes, NCAA, and Physical Education. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Athletic Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Student Athletes, 15%

    Administered and enforced compliance to entire athletic department while monitoring and evaluating academic progress of student athletes.

  • NCAA, 9%

    Guided department through NCAA certification process, gender equity review, minority enhancement plan and accreditation review.

  • Physical Education, 7%

    Maintained Physical Education Department's daily office activities and processed all routine paper work requirements.

  • Oversight, 6%

    Provide administrative direction and oversight for the athletic program and activities.

  • Athletic Events, 5%

    Executed all organization and scheduling requirements of all athletic events, including the appropriation of accommodations and transportation for athletic participants.

  • Varsity Sports, 4%

    Produce facts sheets, feature information, media guides and programs and various other publicity vehicles on all varsity sports.

Common skills that an athletic director uses to do their job include "student athletes," "ncaa," and "physical education." You can find details on the most important athletic director responsibilities below.

Computer skills. One of the key soft skills for an athletic director to have is computer skills. You can see how this relates to what athletic directors do because "postsecondary education administrators need to be comfortable working with computers so they can use software to manage student and school records." Additionally, an athletic director resume shows how athletic directors use computer skills: "developed and implemented physical education, athletics, and computer technology programs. "

Organizational skills. Many athletic director duties rely on organizational skills. "administrators need to be organized so they can manage records, prioritize tasks, and coordinate activities with their staff.," so an athletic director will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways athletic director responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "redefine organizational structure, oversight of operational overhaul, and perform ongoing evaluation of systems, personnel and results. "

Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for athletic directors to perform their duties. For an example of how athletic director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "administrators need to react calmly when a difficult situation arises and develop creative solutions." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an athletic director: "utilized skills of conflict resolution and mediating to improve relationships with parents of student athletes and students. ".

Interpersonal skills. A big part of what athletic directors do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to athletic director responsibilities because "postsecondary education administrators need to build good relationships with colleagues, students, and parents." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical athletic director tasks: "advanced professionally by demonstrating strong interpersonal, organizational, and leadership skills. "

See the full list of athletic director skills

The three companies that hire the most athletic directors are:

Choose from 10+ customizable athletic director resume templates

Build a professional athletic director resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your athletic director resume.
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume
Athletic Director Resume

Compare different athletic directors

Athletic director vs. Dean

A dean is responsible for overseeing the educational operations of the assigned department, enforcing school policies, and monitoring the students' progress by coordinating with the teachers and setting up procedures to improve teaching methods. Deans administer educational training and programs for the students, as well as extra-curricular activities to develop the students' social behavior, maximize their potentials, and increase their self-confidence. They also handle the department's budget, accurately allocating resources and funds to different activities and educational materials.

The annual salary of deans is $15,007 higher than the average salary of athletic directors.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both athletic director and dean positions are skilled in oversight, cpr, and strategic plan.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, athletic director responsibilities require skills like "student athletes," "ncaa," "physical education," and "athletic events." Meanwhile a typical dean has skills in areas such as "curriculum development," "scholarship," "human resources," and "colleges." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Deans tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $78,533. In contrast, athletic directors make the biggest average salary, $87,960, in the insurance industry.deans tend to reach similar levels of education than athletic directors. In fact, deans are 3.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.6% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Athletic director vs. Admissions officer

An admissions officer is responsible for recruiting new students from various venues and channels. You will connect with students and answer their questions about the college or university, and conduct interviews to better understand the students' objectives and background. As an admissions officer, it is your duty to evaluate potential applicants, and advise and guide students about the admission procedure, programs offered, costs, and eligibility. Other duties include reviewing and evaluating student applications, arranging orientation programs for new students, and developing innovative recruitment and communication strategies.

A career as a admissions officer brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an athletic director. In fact, admissions officers salary is $37,478 lower than the salary of athletic directors per year.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, athletic director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "student athletes," "ncaa," "physical education," and "oversight." Meanwhile, an admissions officer has duties that require skills in areas such as "admissions process," "recruitment efforts," "student recruitment," and "powerpoint." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, admissions officers earn a lower salary than athletic directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, admissions officers earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $43,309. Whereas athletic directors have higher pay in the insurance industry, with an average salary of $87,960.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Admissions officers tend to reach similar levels of education than athletic directors. In fact, they're 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Athletic director vs. Registrar

A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information. In schools, a registrar is in charge of keeping a student or educator's academic, personal, and financial records. They also have the task of arranging a student's course and class schedules. Furthermore, a registrar may also have other administrative tasks such as responding to calls and other forms of correspondence, producing reports, and process requirements.

On average scale, registrars bring in lower salaries than athletic directors. In fact, they earn a $30,679 lower salary per year.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an athletic director is likely to be skilled in "student athletes," "ncaa," "physical education," and "oversight," while a typical registrar is skilled in "patients," "customer service," "medical terminology," and "patient registration."

Registrars make a very good living in the health care industry with an average annual salary of $36,641. On the other hand, athletic directors are paid the highest salary in the insurance industry, with average annual pay of $87,960.When it comes to education, registrars tend to earn lower degree levels compared to athletic directors. In fact, they're 11.8% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Athletic director vs. Co-chair

A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization. They handle fundraising events, marketing campaigns for promotional programs, audit reports, and evaluating the committee's suggestions and recommendations for its success. A co-chair must have excellent communication and leadership skills and critical-thinking on developing strategies to supervise meetings and events alongside the chair.

Co-chairs average a higher salary than the annual salary of athletic directors. The difference is about $18,063 per year.While their salaries may vary, athletic directors and co-chairs both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "professional development," "student body," and "leadership. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. An athletic director uses "student athletes," "ncaa," "physical education," and "oversight." Co-chairs are more likely to have duties that require skills in "community outreach," "alumni," "plan events," and "facebook. "co-chairs reach lower levels of education compared to athletic directors, in general. The difference is that they're 5.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of athletic director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse executive management jobs