Director II-Fixed-Acad Staff

Michigan State University; East Lansing (MI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Michigan State University seeks an Assistant Athletics Director for Player Strategy to drive athlete compensation strategies and roster planning for Football and Men’s Basketball. You will lead negotiations, analytics, and policy coordination to optimize recruitment, retention, and program sustainability.

The role requires experience in athlete representation, contract negotiation, and advanced analytics, with strong financial modeling and leadership capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Sports Management, Finance, Business Analytics, Statistics, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in professional sports representation, athlete contract negotiation, sports analytics, front-office operations, roster management, or related field.
• Experience building financial models, valuation frameworks, or compensation analyses.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary contact for athlete agents and representatives regarding compensation discussions and roster retention.
• Facilitate financial negotiations with athletics legal counsel for contract drafting and execution.
• Collaborate with football and basketball leaders to develop athlete compensation frameworks balancing objectives and budget.
• Leverage analytics and market intelligence to evaluate athlete value and roster investments.
• Monitor athlete markets to identify compensation trends and talent benchmarks.
• Lead analytics initiatives focused on roster construction, athlete acquisition, retention, and forecasting.
• Advise coaches and leadership on market conditions and negotiation trends affecting recruiting and transfers.
• Coordinate with leadership, finance, and legal counsel to ensure terms align with policies and regulations.
• Maintain records of compensation commitments and market analyses for long-term planning.
• Manage day-to-day administration for Drops Back and CAPS system updates.

Skills

Analytical skills

Contract negotiation

Data analytics

Roster management

Financial modeling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Sports Management/Finance/Analytics

Tools

Excel

Financial software

Job description

Working/Functional Title

Assistant Athletic Director, Player Strategy

Position Summary

The Assistant Athletics Director for Player Strategy and Contract Management supports the athlete compensation strategy, revenue sharing administration, roster valuation, and data-driven decision-making for MSU Athletics’ Football and Men’s Basketball programs. This position leverages expertise gained from athlete representation, contract negotiation, player evaluation, and advanced analytics to support recruitment, retention and roster planning. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as the primary athletics department point of contact for men’s basketball and football student-athlete agents, advisors, attorneys, and authorized representatives regarding compensation discussions and roster retention initiatives.
• Facilitate financial negotiations through agreement-in-principle while partnering with athletics legal counsel responsible for contract drafting, legal review, redlining, and final document execution.
• Collaborate with Football GM and Men’s Basketball GM to develop athlete compensation frameworks that balance competitive objectives, roster needs, budget limitations, and long-term program sustainability.
• Leverage analytics, market intelligence, and performance data to evaluate athlete value, compensation investments, roster construction decisions, and return on investment.
• Monitor football and men's basketball athlete markets to identify compensation trends and emerging talent valuation benchmarks.
• Lead advanced analytics initiatives focused on roster construction, athlete acquisition, retention, performance forecasting, and resource allocation.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with agents and industry stakeholders while advising coaches and athletics leadership on marketplace dynamics, compensation trends, and roster strategy.
• Advise coaches and athletics leadership regarding athlete market conditions, negotiation trends, and representation dynamics affecting recruiting, retention, and transfer decisions.
• Coordinate with athletics leadership, finance, and legal counsel to ensure negotiated terms align with institutional policies and applicable regulations.
• Maintain records of compensation commitments, negotiations, and market analyses while supporting long-term athlete compensation and roster investment strategies.
• Manage day-to-day administration for Dropback as primary lead, while coordinating closely with athletics legal counsel on the CAPS system, to maintain accurate digital updates and reporting mechanisms across both systems.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Required Degree

Bachelors -Sports Management, Finance, Business Analytics, Statistics, or related field.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Sports Management, Finance, Business Analytics, Statistics, or related field.
• 3-5 years of progressively responsible experience in professional sports representation, athlete contract negotiation, sports analytics, front-office operations, roster management, or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience building financial models, valuation frameworks, or compensation analyses.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience as a certified player agent or senior employee within a professional sports agency working with football and/or basketball athletes.
• Experience with salary cap management, roster construction, player personnel, or professional team operations.
• Advanced degree in Business Administration, Sports Administration, Law, Economics, Data Analytics, or related discipline.
• Familiarity with NCAA, NIL, revenue sharing, and intercollegiate athletics governance frameworks.

Website

www.msuspartans.com

MSU Statement

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 160 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.