Senior Associate AD/Team Makers Executive Director

csasearch; Fargo (ND); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Employer retirement contributions

Generous leave and holidays

Tuition waivers

Job summary

North Dakota State University seeks a Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development / Team Makers Executive Director to lead fundraising and development for NDSU Athletics. You will manage donor portfolios, guide annual campaigns, and supervise the Athletics Development team to align strategy with departmental priorities.

Engage with the Team Makers Board and external partners, reporting progress and ensuring ethical, compliant fundraising across campaigns and major gifts.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a Bachelor's degree with demonstrated fundraising experience.
• Ability to lead a development team and manage donor portfolios.
• Experience setting fundraising goals and reporting results.

Responsibilities

• Serve as chief fundraising officer for NDSU Athletics and shape strategy.
• Lead all campaign and annual fundraising efforts, including leadership gifts.
• Oversee an Athletics Development team and budget, ensuring alignment with priorities.
• Maintain relationships with Team Makers Board and external partners.

Skills

Fundraising

Donor relations

Budget management

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Job description

Senior Associate AD/Team Makers Executive Director

The Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Development / Team Makers Executive Director position is critical and essential to the daily operation of the Athletic Department as he/she will assist in the administration and management of the Team Makers organization, whose mission is to ‘inspire Bison Nation to support the NDSU student-athletes in their pursuit of athletic and academic excellence’. This is accomplished by the development of external financial resources for the NDSU intercollegiate program. Responsibilities include but not limited to:

• Serve as the chief fundraising officer for NDSU Athletics, partnering with Athletics, Team Makers and NDSU Foundation leadership to shape and execute strategy.
• Serve as ex-officio member of the Team Makers Investment Committee, Finance Committee, Gaming Committee and Nominating Committee.
• Manage a high-level donor portfolio, focused on identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding individual and corporate prospects.
• Lead all campaign and annual fundraising efforts, including annual fund, leadership gifts, major gifts, and principal gifts.
• Lead and develop the Athletics Development team by providing leadership, mentoring, and performance oversight; setting and evaluating individual goals; supporting professional growth through coaching and development; assigning and monitoring coverage of primary areas of focus.
• Oversee operational Team Makers budget, ensuring strategic use of resources and alignment with NDSU Athletic Department priorities.
• Act as the primary liaison between NDSU Athletics and the Team Makers Board of Directors to ensure consistency in messaging, compliance, and operational excellence.
• Engage regularly with head coaches, Athletics staff, and internal partners to build trust, understand priorities, and align fundraising strategies with programmatic needs.
• Establish annual fundraising goals in consultation with the Deputy Director of Athletics; track performance and adjust tactics to ensure success.
• Provide regular reporting, data analysis, and strategic advancement efforts to both the Deputy Athletic Director and Team Makers Board of Directors.
• Participate as a member of the senior leadership team.
• Participate in public relations activities for the athletic department.
• Recruit, coordinate and oversee Transportation Team members.
• Other duties as assigned.

Hiring Range:

Salary commensurate with qualifications and experience.Pay is based on several factors, including budget, labor market, prior experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and/or certification and other business considerations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 3 years fundraising, marketing and/or sales experience
• Experience supervising employees
• Experience with budget planning and management

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5 years fundraising, marketing and/or sales experience
• Strong understanding of NCAA rules
• Experience working in a collegiate athletic department
• Experience working with a non-profit board of directors

Core Competencies:

• Excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with multiple audiences.
• Attention to detail, organization, problem solving and decision‑making abilities
• Ability to work collaboratively with administrators, faculty, staff, students and the public.
• Strong relationship building skills.
• Ability to use and maintain a CRM tool

Applicant Materials Required:

• Formal letter of application (cover letter)
• Resume
• Names, telephone numbers and email addresses of three professional references

Our commitment to caring for our employees isn’t just words—it’s proven. In NDSU’s most recent Gallup Engagement Survey, our strengths centered on care and development.“My supervisor, or someone at work, cares about me as a personand“I have the opportunities to learn and grow”,were noted as top drivers. This reflects the culture you’ll experience here.

NDSU OFFERS OUTSTANDING BENEFITS!

Join a workplace that invests in your well‑being, your future, and your success.

Full‑time employees are eligible for the following benefits:

• 100% employer‑paid health insurance premiumsforsingle and familycoverage
• Choice ofPPO/BasicorHigh Deductible Health Plan with HSA
• Coverage beginsthe first of the month after your hire date
• Wellness incentivesfor healthy lifestyle participation

Exceptional Retirement Plan

• Employer retirement contributions ranging from 7.5% up to an impressive 12.26%, depending on position
  (One of the strongest retirement packages in the region!) –Your future is a priority, and it shows.

Time Away & Support

• Generous annual leave,sick leave, and10 paid holidays
• Employee Assistance Program for confidential support
• Supportive work‑life balance

Education Benefits That Grow With You

• Tuition waiversfor employees (up to three classes per calendar year)
• 50% tuition waiverfor spouse/partner and dependents

Additional Optional Benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts (Health & Dependent Care)

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land‑grant, research university.We educate leaders who solve national and global challenges by providing affordable access to an excellent education that combines teaching and research in a rich learning environment.

NDSU is in the highest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, R1, granted to the top research institutions in the country.

NDSU has offices across the state of North Dakota, and the main campus is in Fargo, on the Minnesota border.Along with Moorhead, Minnesota, Fargo forms one of the largest metropolitan centers between Minneapolis and Seattle.The community is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live.

NDSU is committed to fostering a community where differences are recognized as strengths.Rooted in our land‑grant mission, we work together to meet the needs of North Dakota and its communities through education, research and outreach.

Equal Opportunity Statement:

NDSU does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off‑campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable.Direct inquiries to:Vice Provost, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, Old Main 201, NDSU Main Campus, Fargo, ND, 58108, 701-231-7708, [e-mail].

No Smoking Notice:

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.

Veteran’s Preference Notice:

This position is subject to North Dakota Veteran’s Preference requirements.

Reasonable Accommodation Information:

North Dakota State University is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, please contact Human Resources at 701-231-8961 [e-mail] .