Career Center

USC Student Affairs is seeking a creative, experienced, and visionary leader for the position of Director, Recreational Sports.  Reporting to the Assistant Vice Provost, Student Engagement Operations, the Director, Recreational Sports leads a team of dedicated and talented recreation professionals in providing high-quality, engaging fitness and recreation services and programs for members of the USC community. 

USC Student Affairs

Student Affairs at the University of Southern California works to provide its 50,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students the opportunity to reach their educational, personal, and professional aspirations. The mission of USC Student Affairs is to strengthen a culture driven by student well-being. To do this, Student Affairs:

• Supports the individual student and student communities through the development of environments, services, and policies that reinforce shared strengths.
• Educates students to discover a deeper understanding of themselves and become change agents in the world.
• Engages students in transformative experiences to challenge their perspectives and become global citizens.

USC Recreational Sports

USC Recreational Sports operates three fitness/recreation centers on two campuses, a state-of-the-art outdoor aquatics center, and several outdoor recreation spaces.  Fitness programs offered include an extensive array of group classes, individual fitness programs, and personal training.  Strong intramural and club sports programs involve thousands of students each year, and provide opportunities for participants to develop leadership skills and connect with other students through a competitive sports experience.  Recreational Sports also sponsors numerous large-scale recreation-based events each year to offer engagement opportunities and to promote wellbeing. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides leadership for strategic planning and goal setting for USC Recreational Sports, in alignment with mission and goals established by Student Affairs and university leadership.
• Supervises members of the department’s leadership team, and provides overall management of a team of 16 professional staff and approximately 200 student staff, providing senior direction of all hiring, training, and professional development activities of the department.
• Provides direction and oversight for the management of all Recreational Sports facilities and venues on USC’s campuses.
• Ensures that the department conducts comprehensive assessment of its programs and services to ensure that offerings are responsive to the needs of a large and diverse university community.
• Manages all aspects of the departmental budget, including preparation of annual budget proposals, oversight of expense and revenue forecasts, and planning for future needs.
• Develops, assesses, and revises policies and procedures to ensure Recreational Sports’ programs and services are compliant with university policies and other local, state and federal regulations.
• Responsible for Recreational Sports’ involvement in safety and risk management planning, in association with key university partners.
• Partners with other leaders across Student Affairs and USC to contribute to institution-wide wellbeing initiatives.
• Maintains currency in the field of student recreation, and seeks opportunities to refine and improve policies, services, and facilities to grow and strengthen USC’s recreational programs.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships with units/leaders across the university focused on health, safety, student engagement and experience, and facility management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s or doctorate degree in student personnel administration, education, or a recreation-related field.
• A minimum of 7-10 years of progressively responsible experience in a college/university recreation setting, with preference for leadership and supervision of staff teams and complex operations.
• Prior experience leading strategic planning efforts, and setting/measuring goals for a campus recreation department.
• Thorough understanding of the field of collegiate recreation, including operation of fitness, intramurals, club sports, aquatics, and other recreational programs.
• Demonstrated prior success in fostering strong, cohesive, diverse and inclusive teams.
• Experience leading the creation of new and innovative programs and services, especially in a university recreation setting.
• Experience managing facility development projects, with preference for prior management of indoor and outdoor recreation spaces, including upgrades/renovations and new facility projects.
• Prior record of successfully leading an organization’s revenue generation process.
• Broad understanding of student life issues and student development, with experience connecting recreation services and programs to overall wellbeing and student success initiatives in higher education.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Application Information

Please include your resume/CV and cover letter describing your interest and qualifications for this position.

The annual base salary range for this position is $92,761.97 -$115,000.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

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About University of Southern California (USC)

USC is the leading private research university in Los Angeles—a global center for arts, technology and international business. With more than 47,500 students, we are located primarily in Los Angeles but also in various US and global satellite locations. As the largest private employer in Los Angeles, responsible for $8 billion annually in economic activity in the region, we offer the opportunity to work in a dynamic and diverse environment, in careers that span a broad spectrum of talents and skills across a variety of academic and professional schools and administrative units. As a USC employee and member of the Trojan Family—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni who make USC a great place to work—you will enjoy excellent benefits, including a variety of well-being programs designed to help individuals achieve work-life balance.

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