POSITION FUNCTION:

Are you a strategic leader passionate about intercollegiate athletics and looking for a high-impact role in governance and executive operations at the conference level? Join us at the Big 12 Conference, where we are dedicated to providing our institutions with excellent support as they ensure the best athletic and academic experience for their student-athletes.

As the Director of Administration, you will serve as a senior strategic and operational partner to the Commissioner, ensuring alignment, execution, and communication across the entire conference office.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Proxy & Liaison: Serve as a trusted advisor and representative for the Commissioner in meetings with the Board of Directors, Athletics Directors, and other key stakeholders.
• Strategic Planning: Lead the annual business planning process and oversee special projects that fall outside standard departmental operations.
• Executive Focus: Manage the Commissioner's critical information requirements, ensuring they are briefed with tailored "talking points" and visuals for all high-level meetings.
• Meeting Orchestration: Plan and execute the full cycle of in-person and virtual Board, AD, and Committee meetings ensuring all content is strategically aligned with conference goals.
• Accountability Tracking: Act as the central coordinator for senior staff, tracking the execution of follow-up items from all leadership, board, AD, and committee meetings to ensure organizational momentum.
• Policy Management: Oversee the Conference’s Sportsmanship Policy, including the management of inquiries, decisions, and penalty processes.
• Digital & Internal Ops: Lead the development of a centralized digital hub (portals/calendars) for institutional data and office policies to improve staff cohesion.

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:

• Collegiate Athletics Leadership: 5+ years of progressive experience in Division I NCAA athletics administration, conference office operations, or professional sports management.
• The ideal candidate will have broad-based campus experience in college athletic departments with a working knowledge of administrative functions, communications, competitions, and marketing.
• Executive Support & Proxy: A proven track record of supporting C-suite executives or senior leadership teams, with the ability to act as a definitive voice and proxy in high-stakes environments.
• Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated success in managing complex relationships with diverse groups, including University Presidents, Athletic Directors, Board members, and media partners.
• Strategic Project Oversight: Experience leading cross-functional, large-scale initiatives from initiation to completion, such as strategic plan development or organizational restructuring.
• Governance & Compliance: Familiarity with NCAA governance structures, legislative processes, and compliance standards for FBS-level institutions

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s or advanced degree in Sports Management or Business highly preferred

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Office environment. Frequent sitting, standing, walking bending, listening, speaking, and use of office equipment. Some requirements for lifting, pushing, or pulling items less than 30 pounds. Ability to work long non-standard hours, including holidays, nights, weekends, games days or other event dates.

 ABOUT THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE

The Big 12 enters its 30th year as one of the nation’s premier conferences in college athletics under the leadership of Commissioner Brett Yormark. Since joining the Conference in August 2022, Yormark has elevated the Big 12 to new heights, emphasizing marketing, brand building and instilling an innovative strategy that has resonated across the college athletics landscape.  Starting Aug. 2, 2024, the Conference is composed of 16 universities spanning 10 states and four time zones. The Big 12 members include Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah and West Virginia. The Big 12 began play in 1996 and is the home of 87 team NCAA national championships, and 764 individual national champions. The Big 12 Conference office is located in Irving, Texas.

The Big 12 Conference, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.  All employees are hired, compensated, promoted, disciplined and evaluated without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other protected characteristic as established by law. The Big 12 Conference, Inc. strictly prohibits any and all discrimination and harassment based upon an individual’s race, color, religion, creed, gender, sex, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, genetic information, status as a qualified individual with a disability, military status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.