Position: Assistant Athletic Director for Program

Reports to: Wade Ransom, Athletic Director

Date Written: January 2025

Status: Exempt (Salaried)

Pay Scale: $65,000 – $70,000

Contact: Troy Shapiro, Dean for Faculty, troy_shapiro@cate.org

805-684-4127 ext. 260

School Overview

Cate School is committed to attracting and retaining a highly talented and diverse community.  We seek applications from candidates who are eager to live among and teach young people from all over the world. A small co-educational boarding school on the Central Coast of California, Cate School offers a career opportunity for educators whose priorities and purposes mirror the four pillars of our mission statement–commitment, scholarship, companionship, and service.

Cate School is committed to a policy of Equal Opportunity Employment and nondiscrimination in the treatment of employees or applicants for employment without consideration of race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, gender or gender identity. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

Cate’s hiring process seeks to minimize bias by focusing on the candidate’s core competencies for each role. Candidates are encouraged to target application materials (cover letters, interview responses) on experiences that illuminate their proficiency in and/or aptitude for acquiring these core competencies.

Job Description 

The Assistant Athletic Director for Program fosters the growth and success of the athletic program. This position is responsible for supporting program development, enhancing coaching excellence, cultivating student leadership, and providing guidance for college-bound athletes. By building authentic relationships and driving innovative strategies, the Assistant Athletic Director for Program ensures the department’s alignment with school values and its commitment to ensuring the greatest growth possible.

This position may be housing-eligible. If housed, this position would be integrated into all aspects of school life from coaching to serving as a dorm parent, advisor, and member of the faculty.

All Cate Employees live up to the following Essential Expectations: 

Overtly support and act according to the school’s mission and values.
Foster a safe, predictable, and supportive environment for employees and students.
Interact with colleagues in a respectful and collegial manner that fosters a healthy culture for living, learning, and working together.
Demonstrate commitment and courage in service of building our school culture where diversity is affirmed and supported.
Demonstrate appropriate planning and preparation to meet the complex and evolving needs of your role.
Uphold professional standards of predictable presence, reliable responses, and relational trust.
Appropriately steward strategic and special projects associated with role or team.
Honor the confidentiality of School, student, and family information.
Comply with policies and procedures as articulated in the School’s Employee Handbook.
Authentically engage in self-reflection in service to professional growth and adapting to the evolving needs of the school.

As Assistant Athletic Director for Program, these essential expectations manifest in the following job responsibilities

Program and Coach Development
Stay engaged in national conversations regarding youth sports to identify trends, DEIJ programming, and sports-specific continuing education opportunities.
Ensure consistency within and between sports programs, enabling student-athletes to grow and thrive across seasons and experience levels.
Develop a comprehensive curriculum for coach development at all experience levels, emphasizing predictability and support for coaches and players.
Partner with Director of Athletics, Dean for Faculty and Cate’s Institutional Researcher to create and implement coach/team evaluations and surveys.
Provide feedback and support to coaches based on surveys, player feedback, and observations.
Serve as the primary point of contact for all on- and off-campus coaches, providing regular logistical updates and addressing needs and concerns.
Coordinate with the Communications Department and Director of Parent Engagement to facilitate regular communication from coaches to players, parents, outside media, and faculty.
Lead coach recruitment and hiring efforts in collaboration with the Director of Athletics.
Work with the Dean for Faculty and Director of Athletics to assign coaching roles and onboard new faculty coaches.
Update the Coaching Handbook to reflect current best practices.
Student Athletic Leadership
Establish and direct the Athletic Leadership Council for team captains, focusing on leadership development programming.
Use the Council to gather feedback on student-athlete experiences and explore programmatic opportunities.
Collaborate with the Dean’s office to integrate school-wide leadership development programming.
College-Bound Athlete Program (CBAP)
Develop curriculum and programming for CBAP in partnership with the College Counseling team.
Identify CBAP participants with the skills and ambition to pursue collegiate athletics and engage in the recruiting process.
Collaborate with players’ coaches to create participation pathways that align with school guidelines and support additional skill development opportunities.
Assist CBAP students in creating athletic resumes and recruiting videos.
Engage with CBAP coaches and parents, tracking conversations and next steps.
Support College Counselors as CBAP students progress through the application process.
Independent Athletics Coordination
Work with the Director of Parent Engagement to provide necessary training to parents.
Serve as an advisor and liaison for students participating in club sports, coordinating logistics, Cate requirements, and communication.
Track attendance for all students involved in Independent Athletics.
Support the work of the Athletics Department including:
Supervising and administering athletics contests
Supporting logistics including some scheduling and equipment management when needed

Additional responsibilities:

Coach two seasons in the afternoon program
Assist with the supervision and administration of athletic contests
The Candidate

Successful candidates will demonstrate their ability to meet these expectations through the following core competencies:

Developing Others: Effectively supports the growth and development of athletes and coaches.
Innovation: Advances the program’s strategic objectives through new approaches and diverse perspectives.
Project Management: Leads and executes complex projects by prioritizing activities, assigning responsibilities, monitoring progress, and evaluating impact.
Relationship Management: Builds authentic, appropriate, and trusting relationships with athletes, coaches, and families through empathy and curiosity.
Quality Results: Demonstrates accountability for high-quality outcomes, ensuring tasks and projects are completed with meticulous attention to detail and minimal oversight.
Cultural competence: the ability to communicate with, understand, and foster a sense of belonging for students of various different cultural backgrounds, values, world views and behaviors.

Minimum Qualifications

Undergraduate degree
Sustained coaching experience – ideally in 2 or more different sports
Managerial experience – ideally including supervision of other coaches
Demonstrated commitment to / love for working with teenagers as a role model and coach

Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to Wade Ransom, Director of Athletics, wade_ransom@cate.org, and the hiring team, hirng@cate.org.