Assistant Athletics Director & Director of Stewardship, Signature Events and Engagement

Requisition Number:

69555

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

View Full Description

Requisition Number:

69555

Location:

Boulder, Colorado

City

Boulder

State

Colorado

Employment Type:

University Staff

Schedule:

Full-Time

Posting Close Date:

02-Feb-2026

Date Posted:

16-Jan-2026

Close All

Job Summary

Advancement at CU Boulder encourages applications for an Assistant Athletics Director & Director of Stewardship, Signature Events and Engagement! This role plays a significant role in strategizing, leading and implementing programmatic donor relations and alumni engagement efforts for the Buff Club. This position is critical to the engagement efforts for the Office of Advancement at CU Boulder and manages a team of 2 full-time staff responsible for donor relations, compliance, alumni engagement, and signature events.

Reporting to the Sr. Associate AD/Assistant Vice Chancellor for Advancement, this position and its team are tasked with stewarding donors, engaging alumni and other constituents, promoting the reputation of the Colorado Athletics, and increasing overall philanthropic support for CU Boulder. This position will successfully navigate the substantial complexity of working with various internal and external constituents and balancing the needs of separate entities while still fulfilling the strategic needs of the unit and the Office of Advancement.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

At CU Boulder Advancement , we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone matters and all can thrive. This dedication is rooted in our core values and our mission to drive impactful fundraising and engagement. Our team actively engages in learning, reflection, and the transformation of systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate oppressive ideologies—including racism, sexism, ableism, and heterosexism. We recognize our responsibility to lead by example in building a supportive and inclusive culture for both internal colleagues and external partners. We hold ourselves accountable through individual and divisional goals that continuously assess our progress, growth, and outcomes—ensuring alignment with our mission and values every step of the way.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Strategy and Execution

• Lead central and critical initiative planning for programs that enhance donor stewardship, engagement and signature events, as well as alumni engagement and events.
• Lead implementation of programmatic strategy to engage and cultivate donors in ways that support the unit’s vision and strategic direction.

• Supervise the development of team goals and metrics to:

  • Increase and measure donor retention, satisfaction, and engagement.
  • Increase and measure alumni engagement.

• Create strategy for {10-15} high-impact annual events for donor stewardship and alumni engagement. Oversee events to ensure they are consistently providing an excellent experience for our donors and alumni.

• Develops and implements a systematic stewardship plan for Flatirons Society and Buff Club members, including donor specific stewardship touchpoints tailored to the unique engagement needs of Flatirons Society donors.

• Regularly collaborate with senior leadership team to develop strategies, processes and procedures that will evolve our engagement activities to better demonstrate outcomes and produce results to move the organization forward.

Team Management and Leadership

• Complete all aspects of managing and leading a team of employees responsible for donor relations, events, compliance, and alumni engagement. Examples include:

  • Provide coaching and mentorship, especially to new team members.
  • Carry out administrative personnel actions (performance management, hiring, training, onboarding, offboarding, etc.).

• Serve as a member of the Advancement Management Team. Attend scheduled meetings and collaborate with colleagues on a regular basis.

• Develop, manage and supervise budget.

• Is responsible for the strategy, content, and delivery of donor impact reports to ensure consistent, compelling storytelling that enhances stewardship and donor retention.

• Set the overall direction for the team engagement activities annually. This includes defining success metrics, setting goals and developing processes for metrics reporting. Keys to success include leading the team to develop priorities and schedules prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year, being clear on roles, responsibilities and expectations, setting overall timelines and providing the needed processes to support the staff work.

• Develop a team culture which encourages innovative ideas for engagement and develops a sense of confidence in trying new activities without the fear of consequences from failure.

Other Engagement Duties as Assigned

• Partner with CU system, CU Foundation and CU Boulder Advancement staff to engage, steward and manage important donors, volunteers and allies to the Buff Club.
• Attend and be an influential member of the monthly meetings with athletics coaches and staff.
• Attend and be an influential member of monthly meetings with alumni directors and donor relations staff across campus to share information, discuss standard processes and collaboration opportunities.
• Work with CU system, CU Foundation and CU Boulder Advancement staff to assist with the effective identification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of donors to CU Boulder Athletics.
• Meet annual contact metrics.

What You Should Know

• This position may require local, regional, and out-of-state travel to engage with university constituents.
• This position works on campus 5 days a week.
• This position will occasionally be required to work evenings/weekends.

What We Can Offer

The salary range is $100,000 - $120,000 annually. Relocation assistance is available within Advancement guidelines.

• Athletic Event Tickets: Per Athletic Department Policy and NCAA regulations,
• Nike Elite Employee Benefit. Per Nike Elite Policy.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder, we are committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be authentic. Be engaged. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Experience: 4+ years of professional, job related experience including 1+ years of team lead or supervision experience.

  • Experience developing, planning and rolling out strategy.
  • Program and event management experience.

What You Will Need

• Ability to strategize plans for employee retention and satisfaction.
• Ability to practice situational leadership and discover what motivates individual team members to achieve goals.
• Ability to establish and enhance interpersonal relationships, including ability to coordinate and manage volunteers.
• Solid knowledge of fundraising, donor relations, and alumni relations standard processes.
• Expert communication skills including the ability to participate in public events and represent Advancement and the university in a professional manner.
• Solid ability to analyze information/situations and solve problems.
• Ability to exercise a high degree of tact, discretion, and collaboration in working with a diverse range of constituents including employees, students, volunteers, alumni, donors, and campus colleagues.
• Solid ability to organize and manage multiple projects/tasks simultaneously; ability to work independently and on a team and adapt to changing priorities.
• Solid knowledge of current issues facing public universities and interests of assigned school, students, faculty, and alumni.
• Solid knowledge of annual giving standard processes.
• Strong attention to detail and to visual appeal of presentation materials.
• Growth mindset, resilience and perseverance.
• Ability to champion the shared values of the Office of Advancement.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Software Used: Microsoft Office products, database management and data manipulation, Salesforce, Zoom, Teams, Academic Impressions, Trello, LinkedIn, Marketing Cloud, Marketplace, Google docs/sheets, Cvent.
• Experience in donor relations and/or development/fundraising environment.
• Experience in constituent relations/relationship management.
• Experience in a higher education environment.
• Previous participation in Donor Relations Guru Four Pillars Conference.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials:

1. A current resume.
2. A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by February 2, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Apply Now

View Less Description