This post provides detailed information of the athletic business manager job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.
(You will be able to download the athletic business manager job description template in pdf below.)
It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the athletic business manager role by most employers.
What Does an Athletic Business Manager Do?
An athletic business manager oversees the financial, administrative, and operational aspects of an athletic team or department.
The athletic business manager job description entails managing budgets, running contracts, supporting the overall business functions of the organization, and ensuring compliance with regulations.
It may also involve participating in the professional management and strategic leadership of all aspects of the athletic department’s business and finance operations, including organizational supervision of business office personnel.
Athletic business managers can work strictly with athletes, coaches, and other staff to ensure smooth operations and well-organized resource management.
Their responsibilities can be as simple as performing administrative tasks, such as carrying out basic record-keeping functions, coordinating logistics, and performing scheduling tasks.
It can also be as complex as carrying out financial management and strategic planning duties, including player development, budget management, navigating legal and ethical considerations, contract negotiation, and fundraising.
Athletic business managers are also expected to ensure compliance with all University and NCAA policies and procedures, and directly manage the daily functions of the athletic division related to its financial operations.
They commonly apply various tools and technologies in managing teams, facilities, and events, and other aspects of their job successfully, including project management tools, software for event tools, facility management software, data analytics software, sales and marketing tools, and communication platforms.
Athletic business managers may also be asked to handle travel and budgetary expenditures for the team or organization they work for, and procurement of goods and services, including securing bids/quotes and development of request for proposal documents.
Depending on the size and structure of the athletic program run by their organization, most athletic business managers normally report to the athletic director, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the athletic department, or a similar senior-level administrator within the organization.
In larger sports operations, athletic business managers usually report to the athletic director who then supervises the whole athletic department and its operations.
Where Athletic Business Managers Work
The workplaces for athletic business managers are often lively, involving event attendance, client meetings, and negotiation activities, broad cooperation with the media, educational and governmental bodies, and travel to venues.
Athletic business managers work in various environments, such as professional and amateur sports teams for operations, sports agencies for athlete representation, non-profit organizations for sports development, and corporate offices for marketing and event management.
Some athletic business managers may serve as consultants, offering professional advice on market trends, branding, and business strategies to sports organizations.
In highly sporting countries with major investment in sports, strong professional leagues, and a focus on sports as a commercial industry, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and China, athletic business managers are in high demand.
These countries are aware of the financial and strategic importance of professional sports, which drives demand for skilled managers who can take care of operations, marketing, and revenue generation within their huge sports industries.
Employers often seek the services of a technical athletic business manager who has a passion for sports.
Exceptional communication skills, organizational and time management skills, and the ability to work well with others in a fast-paced environment, are highly recognized and attractive to employers.
Athletic Business Manager Training
Formal education is very important in the athletic business management career. You will need to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in either Sports Management or Business Management, and also a Master of Sports Management or MBA for higher-level roles.
Diplomas in Sports Management and the Masters of Science in Sports Business Management degree are awarded by a number of Universities and colleges.
Athletic Business Manager Job Description Example/Sample/Template
The athletic business manager job description may consist of the following duties, tasks, and responsibilities:
- Manage personnel and student assistants, including recruitment, selection, training, work assignment, evaluation, and termination
- Coordinate and negotiate pricing contracts with different vendors, including bid preparation, financial reports, and examination of team and post season travel reports
- Promote athletes and all the athletic organizations, and ensure that all financial aspects meet requirements and run smoothly
- Develop sports travel requests and inspection of transportation, and housing and meals per state, as well as organizational policies
- Manage the daily business and financial operations of the athletic team or department, including handling of budgets, payroll, and travel, ensuring that the team or department follows any guidelines or regulations established by the organization
- Examine and report on the financial performance of the department, providing regular updates to senior administration and stakeholders
- Supervise and coordinate some aspects of the sports information program, the use of facilities, equipment, and supplies as required to smooth the progress of programs
- Work together with coaches, administrative staff, and university officials to estimate financial requirements and plan for forthcoming seasons and events
- Collaborate with the administrative and coaching staff to determine the manager process purchase requisitions, travel needs, and consent to payment of invoices
- Oversee financial data and analysis, and the processing of financial transactions associated with all athletic programs
- Build up advanced data analytic tools to generate short and long-term financial projections concerning operating revenues and expenses
- Provide the overall administrative assistance to the athletic department, including communication, record keeping, and scheduling
- Manage the procurement and contracting procedure for athletic equipment, facilities, and services across all sports programs
- Collect and maintain information to support special reports, recognition of records and accomplishments, and state and national honors
- Evaluate, settle, and track the division’s purchase requisitions, vendor payments, and credit card transactions, maintaining accurate records of outstanding balances, and ensuring proper documentation for final approval by athletic management
- Work expansively with several campus partners on exact reporting and financial projections, such as Business and Finance Office, ticket office, and other business units
- Direct the growth of financial strategies to increase revenue streams, such as fundraising schemes, sponsorships, merchandise, and ticket sales.
- Perform revenue resolution for Athletics Department income streams to ensure exact financial reporting
- Execute all transaction forms for full-time, part-time, and graduate assistants, as well as special event staff members
- Carry out thorough financial analysis and organize comprehensive reports to aid in decision-making and strategic planning
- Prepare financial reports, track expenses, and process invoices and budgets.
Athletic Business Manager Requirements: Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success
The athletic business manager requires certain technical skills, industry knowledge, and a number of personal attributes to be successful on the career and to qualify for hiring by most recruiters/employers, including:
- Job experience: Outstanding job experience with budget and finance management, leading marketing schemes and handling of human resources responsibilities. These are often gained through entry-level positions and internships in sports management or related fields.
- Communication: It’s essential that athletic business manages possess excellent verbal and written communication skills for the ability to interact effectively with athletes, staff, sponsors, the public, and other stakeholders. Their communication skills must be clear, concise, and adaptable so as to communicate their ideas in a way that will ignite the interest of others and also encourage them to attend all sport events.
- Leadership: For athletic business managers to display good leadership skills, they have to truly show proven ability to guide the teams effectively by motivating athletes and staff, and promoting positive change and teamwork to achieve short-term and long-term goals.
- Business Acumen: Athletic business managers need to understand financial, marketing, and strategic aspects of the sports business. This will help them examine marketing concepts as they apply to sports organizations. There are topics to cover, including strategic market planning and sponsorship, sports consumer behavior, and public relations. With business acumen, they will also understand sports media, marketing research, live events, and revenue generation.
- Networking: Building a network of professional relationships is very important in an athletic business manager career. They should be able to build career growth and success, and have access to new job opportunities, valuable industry success, and help from mentors.
- Strategic Thinking: This involves the ability to think long-term, identify opportunities, and plan well for the organization’s financial and overall achievement. That means athletic business managers must be innovative and creative to face challenges and solve problems. This will help them foresee market trends and identify gaps to push a business forward in the sports industry.
- Problem-Solving: Athletic business managers need to understand and have the knowledge of the fact that sudden challenges and obstacles must show up in their job career. Therefore, they must be capable of solving problems by making quick decisions to ensure the smooth running of events.
- Knowledge of Sports: This involves having to understand the sports market, rules, and regulations guiding the industry. Understanding trends is very important to navigate the unique challenges and requirement of managing sports facilities and events.
- Motivation: Athletic business managers have to lead by example and build a persuasive vision, and clearly communicate it to the team members. It’s important to understand what drives different teams and team members and determine how these can be integrated into motivational strategies. Athletic business managers have to be active in listening and delegate tasks to others when necessary.
- Time Management: For athletic business managers to ensure projects are completed on time and resources used effectively, they need excellent time management skills to achieve this. They must learn to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and drive company objectives effectively so as to maintain productivity and achieve long-term success.
- Conflict Resolution: To maintain team synchronization and promote teamwork, athletic business managers first need to possess conflict resolution ability. The skill helps them address disputes and manage conflicts effectively using strategic thinking and active listening to ensure employee satisfaction and productive workplace culture.
- Emotional Intelligence: Athletic business managers must recognize, understand, and manage their emotions and the emotions of others. This will promote a positive work culture and help them make strategic decisions efficiently. They can easily perceive happenings around them and listen actively when necessary.
- Negotiation: Since athletic business managers have the responsibility of negotiating contracts and making deals that benefit the organization, they need to possess this skill. Relying often on negotiation skills will secure favorable deals and achieve company’s goals. With this skill, athletic business managers will be able to achieve strategic decisions and promote strong professional networks in the workplace.
- Financial Intelligence: Having financial concepts is very crucial in an athletic business manager career. This involves the ability to evaluate and interpret financial data, using the information to make business decisions. The skill will help you stand out as a competitive candidate for a multitude of roles, create and manage budgets, and forecast finances.
- Organization: Athletic business managers need to successfully manage multiple and complex schedules, event logistics, tasks, projects, travel arrangements, deadlines, and other operational responsibilities. Getting organized is part of their career; therefore, they need to possess the skill for career success.
Download athletic business manager job description template (pdf).
Athletic Business Manager Job Description for Resume
If you have worked before as an athletic business manager or are presently working in that role and are making a resume or CV for a new job, then you can create a compelling Professional Experience for your resume by applying the sample athletic business manager job description provided above.
You can express the duties and responsibilities you have carried out as an athletic business manager in your resume’s Professional Experience by utilizing the ones provided in the above athletic business manager job description example.
This will show to the recruiter/employer that you have been successful working as an athletic business manager, which can boost your chances of getting the new job, especially if it requires someone with some athletic business manager work experience.
Conclusion
This post has provided detailed coverage of the athletic business manager job description, highlighting the major responsibilities and duties that they typically perform.
Individuals interested in the athletic business manager career will find this post helpful in learning about what they do, and so be able to decide if it’s the right career for them.
Also, employers needing to hire competent people for the athletic business manager role will find this post beneficial in creating effective job description for the position.
They can apply the athletic business manager job description template provided on this page in making one for their organization.
