Director of Student Athlete Endorsements, Brand Development and Activation

Position Summary

Under director supervision of the Deputy Athletic Director of External Affairs and Revenue Generation with a secondary line of oversight by the Deputy Athletic Director for Compliance and Legal Affairs, the Director Student Athlete Brand Development & Activation will lead strategies with Kansas student athletes to help further their brand and coordinate their schedules related to corporate endorsement opportunities. 

Duties and Responsibilities of this Position

1. Oversee day to day functions of the Kansas Athletics student athlete corporate endorsement platform, conceptualizing, coordinate programming and resources for current University of Kansas student athletes;

2. Lead external engagement to support brand building and business development initiatives for the corporate endorsement platform with defined goal outcomes;

3. Steer internal working group discussions and collaborating with specific sport program contacts including head coaches, GM’s and Director of Operations;
4. Spearhead consistent communication of athletics stakeholders including but not limited to sport programs, licensing, Learfield and operations for scheduling various activities throughout the year;

5. Help educate and communicate with key internal and external leaders regarding the latest corporate endorsement trends and opportunities for Kansas student athletes;

6. Develop and manage presentation materials for student-athletes, recruits, coaches, and staff while tracking ongoing content needs for corporate endorsement opportunities;

7. Work closely with the Kansas Athletics Multimedia Rights partner Learfield, Opendorse and outside agencies related to corporate endorsement opportunities for Kansas Athletics’ student athletes;

8. Partner closely with the Kansas compliance team in monitoring, and ensuring adherence to KAI and NCAA policies, and with KU’s licensing director on NIL licensing merchandise initiatives and coordinate with the Collegiate Licensing Company on these initiatives; 

9. Lead communication with student athletes, brands and agencies related to NILGo approvals and updates that may be required in order to ensure compliance and timely approvals;

10. Other duties, as assigned by the Director of Athletics or their designee.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Sports Management, Communications, or related field;
• Minimum five (5) years of progressive experience in corporate sponsorships, NIL, brand partnerships, sports marketing, endorsements, or related field;
• Proven experience managing endorsement or sponsorship activations, ideally within collegiate or professional athletics;
• Demonstrated success working with high-profile stakeholders such as athletic administrators, head coaches, CEOs, and agency executives;
• Strong awareness and working knowledge of compliance education, rules and regulations;
• Exceptional organizational skills with the ability to handle multiple projects and deadlines;
• Able to communicate well in written, oral and interpersonal communication and build rapport quickly with student athletes, coaches and staff;
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite;
• Ability to respect confidentiality and practice discretion.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Marketing, Business Administration, Sports Management, Communications, or related field;
• Experience in student-athlete engagement, education, and NIL brand development;
• Five (5) years increasingly responsible experience in athletics administration;
• Former NCAA collegiate student athlete.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptop computers and various digital devices, including, but not limited to:  cell phone, printer, copy machine, and other related devices. This job requires flexibility and adaptability in schedule and the ability to perform job related duties on short notice.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. This position may require frequent bending, moving, lifting, and carrying material weighing up to 25 pounds; standing up to eight hours each day; and working in all weather conditions.

Travel

Travel is not expected for this position.

Hours of Work

This is a full-time position.  Days and hours of work will vary based on the needs of the position. Early morning, evening and weekend work maybe required.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.