Posting Text Position Summary South Dakota Mines is seeking qualified candidates for the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Operations opening. SD Mines is located in Rapid City, South Dakota and is a NCAA Division II institution and member of the highly competitive Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The Hardrockers support 13 competitive NCAA DII sports. The Senior Associate AD will serve on the athletic leadership team and will advise the Athletic Director on departmental matters. Hardrocker Athletics is looking for a confident, dynamic, energetic, highly organized, dedicated servant leader to join the Hardrocker Athletic family.

This position is responsible for leading external relations efforts, including major gifts and annual giving fundraising (40%), corporate sponsorship sales (30%), marketing and promotions (20%) and, facility rental (10%). This position will help increase revenue through philanthropic support, corporate sponsorship sales, promotion and sales of ticketed events and facility rental to the South Dakota Mines and Hardrocker Athletics by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors and clients. This position will employ a relationship-oriented approach to secure new, renewed, and upgraded gifts and sponsorships from a portfolio of individuals, corporations, and foundations. Collaboratively with other advancement and alumni engagement team members, this position will help advance philanthropy and facilitate positive alumni relations and donor management.

The role reports directly to the Athletics Director, with a dotted line of responsibilities to the South Dakota Mines Center for Alumni Relations & Advancement (CARA). The Senior Associate Athletics Director will play a pivotal role in increasing philanthropic support, fostering donor engagement, and driving revenue growth to enhance the success of Hardrocker Athletics and South Dakota Mines.

Key Responsibilities: Philanthropy, Major Gifts, and Annual Giving (40%) Develop and implement strategic fundraising initiatives to enhance philanthropic support for Hardrocker Athletics and South Dakota Mines.

Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward donors, including alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations.

Manage a portfolio of leadership and major gift prospects, ensuring effective moves management and relationship development.

Collaborate with the CARA team to develop and execute fundraising strategies for athletic scholarships, facilities, and program operations and enhancements. Corporate Sponsorship Sales (30%) Develop and implement corporate sponsorship programs to generate revenue and enhance partnerships for Hardrocker Athletics.

Identify, cultivate, and secure corporate sponsorships that align with the university’s values and branding.

Marketing and promotions and Letterwinner Engagement (20%) Plan and execute fundraising, donor stewardship, and engagement events for Hardrocker Athletics and South Dakota Mines.

Oversee the marketing, promotion and sales of our four ticketed sports

Oversee athletics-focused letter winner and alumni events, networking receptions, and recognition ceremonies.

Facility rental (10%) Work closely with the Director of Athletics and each Head Coach in renting Hardrockers Athletics facilities when not in use by our teams or student-athletes.

Work closely with the Athletics Director, CARA leadership, and university administration on external affairs strategy.

Other duties assigned by Athletic Director

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred. Minimum of 3-5 years of experience is required in fundraising, corporate sales, marketing and promotions, athletics development, external relations, sales, or a related field or transferable skills. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Candidates without a bachelor’s degree may be considered if they have at least 5 years of related experience that clearly demonstrates their ability to perform the responsibilities of the role successfully.

Preferred proven ability to cultivate, solicit, and steward donors and secure philanthropic contributions.

Preferred Proven ability to sell or market corporate sponsorships, ticket sales and/or facility rentals.

Strong understanding of donor motivation and fundraising principles and/or strong track record of sales experience.

Demonstrated success in corporate sponsorship sales and relationship management.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to craft persuasive messaging.

Experience in event planning, facility rentals, donor engagement, and alumni relations.

High level of personal integrity and high standard for personal conduct

Demonstrated ability to collaborate, inspire and lead others

Demonstrated professional judgment and discretion

Capacity to make thorough decisions and take accountability for those decisions

Demonstrated flexibility, time management, initiative, organizational skills and daily multi-tasking

Ability to delegate and empower staff

Outstanding work ethic

Knowledge of NCAA compliance

Strong oral and communication skills

To Apply: