VP of School Relations

  • Full Time
  • Charleston, SC
  • September 30, 2026

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VP of School Relations

NCAA Olympic Sports League – Build the Foundation of Collegiate Sports’ Future

About Us

We are launching a revolutionary professional and youth sports league with $2.5 billion in equity capital being raised. Our mission is to transform Olympic sports in America by creating a sustainable ecosystem that spans professional competition, comprehensive youth development, and world-class infrastructure.

Our Scope & Scale:

  • School Partnerships: Licensing NCAA Division I brands from 50 schools in Year 1, scaling to 300 schools by Year 6
  • Sports Coverage: 12 Olympic sports (soccer, volleyball, lacrosse, hockey, baseball, softball, and more)
  • Geographic Reach: 4 regions, 200+ teams competing across the United States
  • Youth Development: Comprehensive programs from Grassroots (U10) through U23
  • Revenue Target: $3B in Year 1, scaling to $13B+ by Year 6
  • Infrastructure: $5B+ campus development, proprietary transportation, world-class facilities

The School Partnership Imperative:

  • Total Schools: 300 NCAA Division I institutions by Year 6
  • Year 1: 50 high-priority schools across all major conferences
  • Annual Expansion: Add 50 schools per year through Year 6
  • Conferences: SEC, Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12, Big 12, plus mid-majors
  • Sports per School: Teams in 12 Olympic sports (men’s and women’s)
  • Value Proposition: New revenue streams, enhanced visibility, athlete development pathways, reduced athletic department costs
  • Partnership Model: Long-term licensing agreements (10-20 years) with revenue sharing
  • Economic Impact: Hundreds of millions in new revenue for college athletics

This role is the cornerstone of our entire business model. Without strong school relationships and successful licensing agreements, nothing else matters.

Position Overview

The VP of School Relations will be the senior executive responsible for building, negotiating, and managing relationships with all 300 NCAA Division I partner schools. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (or CEO), you will be the primary interface between the league and university presidents, athletic directors, conference commissioners, and NCAA officials.

This role combines strategic relationship management, complex negotiations, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence to create mutually beneficial partnerships that transform college Olympic sports.

Compensation Package: $950,000 total compensation

  • Base Salary: $550,000
  • Performance Bonus: $200,000 (target, tied to school signings and relationship KPIs)
  • Equity Grant: $200,000 annually (vesting over 4 years)

Key Responsibilities

1. School Partnership Strategy & Roadmap

  • Strategic Planning: Develop and execute comprehensive strategy for acquiring 300 school partnerships over 6 years
  • School Prioritization: Lead school selection and prioritization based on:
    • Athletic program strength and Olympic sports success
    • Conference affiliation and rivalries
    • Geographic distribution and regional balance
    • Brand value and media market size
    • University leadership alignment
    • Facility quality and infrastructure
  • Expansion Roadmap:
    • Year 1: 50 schools (top-tier programs, major conferences, strong brands)
    • Year 2: 50 additional schools (100 total)
    • Year 3: 50 additional schools (150 total)
    • Year 4: 50 additional schools (200 total)
    • Year 5: 50 additional schools (250 total)
    • Year 6: 50 additional schools (300 total)
  • Conference Strategy: Develop conference-specific strategies (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, etc.) including potential conference-wide deals
  • Competitive Analysis: Monitor competitive threats and opportunities in college sports landscape

2. School Licensing Negotiations

  • Lead Negotiations: Conduct all licensing negotiations with universities for use of school brands, logos, colors, and intellectual property
  • Deal Structure: Structure licensing agreements including:
    • Brand Rights: Use of university name, logos, mascots, colors, trademarks
    • Term Length: 10-20 year agreements with renewal options
    • Sports Coverage: Rights across all 12 Olympic sports
    • Revenue Sharing: Percentage of revenue allocated to schools (tiered based on performance, brand value)
    • Minimum Guarantees: Annual minimum payments to schools regardless of performance
    • Performance Incentives: Bonuses tied to team success, championships, media exposure
    • Cost Offsets: How league operations reduce athletic department costs
    • Exclusivity: Exclusive professional league rights for Olympic sports
  • Financial Modeling: Work with Finance to create school-specific financial models showing revenue potential
  • Contract Terms: Partner with Legal on contract language, compliance clauses, termination provisions
  • Approval Process: Navigate university approval processes (presidents, boards of trustees, athletic boards)

3. Athletic Director & University Leadership Relationships

  • Primary Relationships: Build and maintain deep relationships with:
    • Athletic Directors: 300 ADs across all partner schools
    • University Presidents/Chancellors: Support AD in securing presidential approval
    • Senior Associate ADs: Build relationships with Olympic sports oversight leaders
    • Conference Commissioners: Engage with Power 5 and mid-major conference leadership
    • Faculty Athletics Representatives: Address academic and compliance concerns
    • Board Members: Present to boards of trustees when required
  • Regular Communication: Establish cadence of touchpoints (quarterly calls, annual visits, conference meetings)
  • Value Demonstration: Continuously demonstrate value of partnership through reporting and results
  • Issue Resolution: Serve as primary escalation point for school concerns or issues
  • Advisory Role: Serve as trusted advisor to ADs on Olympic sports strategy

4. NCAA Compliance & Governance

  • NCAA Relationship: Build strong relationships with NCAA leadership and compliance staff
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all partnerships comply with NCAA rules and regulations including:
    • Athlete eligibility requirements
    • Brand usage restrictions
    • Recruiting rules
    • Financial aid and scholarship implications
    • Transfer rules
    • Name, image, likeness (NIL) considerations
  • Rule Interpretation: Work with NCAA on interpretation of rules for professional/youth league model
  • Policy Advocacy: Advocate for rule changes that support league model while protecting college sports
  • Monitoring: Monitor NCAA regulatory changes and adapt partnerships accordingly
  • Reporting: Provide required reporting to NCAA and universities on compliance matters

5. School Onboarding & Activation

  • Onboarding Program: Develop comprehensive onboarding process for new partner schools
  • Onboarding Timeline: Manage 6-12 month onboarding from signing to launch including:
    • Brand integration (logos, colors, uniforms)
    • Facility assessment and preparation
    • Athlete recruitment and tryouts
    • Coaching staff selection (league coaches vs. university involvement)
    • Marketing and communications planning
    • Fan engagement strategy
    • Ticket sales and operations
    • Community activation
  • Launch Events: Coordinate launch events at partner schools (press conferences, fan events, open practices)
  • School Success Team: Build team to support school onboarding and ongoing operations
  • Best Practices: Document and share best practices across schools for continuous improvement

6. Revenue Sharing & Financial Reporting

  • Revenue Distribution: Oversee distribution of revenue to partner schools according to agreements
  • Revenue Categories:
    • Media Rights: Share of national and regional broadcast revenue
    • Sponsorships: Share of league and team sponsorship revenue
    • Ticket Sales: Revenue from professional games (may vary by agreement)
    • Merchandise: Share of school-branded merchandise sales
    • Youth Programs: Share of youth participation revenue (if applicable)
  • Financial Reporting: Provide schools with detailed quarterly financial reports including:
    • Revenue earned and distributed
    • Performance vs. projections
    • Comparison to peer schools
    • Forward-looking projections
  • Payment Processing: Ensure timely, accurate payments to all schools
  • Audit Support: Support school audits and financial reviews as needed

7. Conference Relations & Coordination

  • Conference Engagement: Build relationships with major conference commissioners and staff
  • Conference-Wide Deals: Explore opportunities for conference-wide licensing agreements
  • Target Conferences:
    • SEC (16 schools) – Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
    • Big Ten (18 schools) – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Washington, Wisconsin
    • ACC (17 schools) – Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
    • Big 12 (16 schools) – Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, BYU, Cincinnati, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, UCF, Utah, West Virginia
    • Pac-12 (remaining schools) and mid-major conferences
  • Scheduling Coordination: Work with conferences to avoid conflicts with other sports seasons
  • Rivalry Preservation: Ensure traditional rivalries are maintained in league competition structure

8. Athlete Pathway & Development Coordination

  • College-to-Pro Pipeline: Create clear pathways for college athletes to join professional teams
  • Eligibility Navigation: Help schools understand how athletes can maintain eligibility while participating in youth coaching/training roles
  • Recruiting Coordination: Ensure league operations complement (not compete with) university recruiting
  • Development Programs: Partner with schools on athlete development initiatives
  • Alumni Engagement: Create programs for former college athletes to stay engaged with their schools through league participation

9. School Marketing & Communications Support

  • Marketing Resources: Provide schools with marketing materials, templates, and resources to promote league participation
  • Communications Support: Support school communications teams with:
    • Press releases and media kits
    • Social media content
    • Video highlights and features
    • Photography and graphics
    • Crisis communications support
  • Fan Engagement: Help schools drive fan engagement and attendance for professional games
  • Student Engagement: Create programs to engage current students with professional teams
  • Alumni Relations: Support schools in engaging alumni through league participation

10. School Performance & Satisfaction

  • Performance Monitoring: Track key performance indicators for each school partnership:
    • Revenue generated and distributed
    • Team performance (wins, championships)
    • Fan attendance and engagement
    • Media exposure and impressions
    • Youth program enrollment from school’s region
    • Partnership satisfaction scores
  • School Surveys: Conduct annual satisfaction surveys with ADs and key stakeholders
  • Benchmarking: Benchmark school performance against peers and league averages
  • Improvement Plans: Work with underperforming schools to improve results
  • Retention: Achieve 95%+ partnership retention rate through excellent service and results
  • Advocacy: Ensure school voice is heard in league decisions and strategic planning

11. Team Building & Leadership

  • Build School Relations Team: Recruit and lead comprehensive school relations organization
  • Team Structure:
    • Year 1: 12-15 professionals (directors, managers, coordinators)
    • Year 3: 25-30 professionals
    • Year 6: 40-50 professionals
  • Regional Structure: Deploy regional school relations directors to support local schools
  • Team Roles:
    • Director of School Partnerships (recruitment and negotiation)
    • Regional School Relations Directors (4 regions)
    • School Success Managers (ongoing relationship management)
    • Compliance Manager
    • Contract Manager
    • School Communications Coordinator
    • Financial Reporting Analyst
  • Team Development: Develop high-performing team with clear goals and career paths

Required Qualifications

Experience:

  • 15+ years of progressive experience in college athletics administration, conference management, or college sports business
  • 7+ years in senior leadership roles working with multiple athletic departments
  • Proven track record building and managing complex partnerships with universities
  • Deep experience navigating NCAA rules, regulations, and compliance
  • Demonstrated success in high-stakes negotiations with university leadership

College Sports Expertise:

  • Comprehensive knowledge of NCAA Division I athletics operations and governance
  • Strong understanding of Olympic sports landscape in college athletics
  • Deep knowledge of conference structures, rivalries, and competitive dynamics
  • Experience with athletic department budgets, revenue models, and financial pressures
  • Understanding of athletic director priorities and challenges

Relationship & Negotiation Skills:

  • Exceptional relationship-building skills with senior university leaders (presidents, ADs, commissioners)
  • Outstanding negotiation skills with track record of win-win outcomes
  • Proven ability to build trust and credibility across diverse stakeholders
  • Strong executive presence and communication skills (written and verbal)
  • Political acumen to navigate complex university and conference politics

Business & Strategic Acumen:

  • Strategic thinker who connects school partnerships to broader business objectives
  • Strong financial acumen and ability to create compelling business cases
  • Data-driven decision maker who uses analytics to inform strategy
  • Change management experience leading transformational initiatives
  • Ability to think creatively about new partnership models

Education:

  • Bachelor’s degree required (Sports Management, Business Administration, or related field)
  • Master’s degree strongly preferred (MBA, Sports Management, or related field)

Preferred Qualifications

  • Athletic Director Experience: Previous experience as Division I athletic director or senior associate AD
  • Conference Experience: Work experience at NCAA conference office (SEC, Big Ten, ACC, etc.)
  • NCAA Experience: Direct experience working with NCAA national office
  • Olympic Sports: Deep expertise in Olympic sports operations and economics
  • Multi-School Management: Experience overseeing relationships with 20+ athletic departments simultaneously
  • Legal/Compliance Background: JD or significant legal/compliance experience in college sports
  • Startup Experience: Experience launching new college sports initiatives or leagues
  • Media Rights: Understanding of media rights negotiations in college sports context
  • Sponsorship: Experience with college sports sponsorships and licensing

Success Metrics – First 18 Months

First 90 Days:

  • Complete school partnership strategy and prioritization (identify all 300 target schools)
  • Build core school relations team (8-10 initial hires including regional directors)
  • Develop standardized licensing agreement templates
  • Create financial models showing school revenue potential
  • Begin outreach to Year 1 target schools (50 schools)
  • Establish relationships with conference commissioners
  • Meet with NCAA leadership on compliance framework
  • Create school onboarding playbook

Months 4-6 (Q2):

  • Sign first 10 school partnerships (early adopters, high-profile brands)
  • Achieve 25+ schools in active negotiations (signed LOIs or term sheets)
  • Present to 40+ athletic directors and university presidents
  • Secure buy-in from at least 2 major conferences (informal or formal)
  • Finalize all contract templates and legal frameworks
  • Launch school marketing and communications toolkit
  • Begin school onboarding for early signings

Months 7-12 (Q3-Q4):

  • Complete Year 1 Goal: Sign all 50 target schools
  • Successfully onboard first wave of schools (brand integration, facility prep, athlete recruitment)
  • Achieve 90%+ satisfaction scores from partner ADs
  • Complete first revenue distribution to schools (if applicable to timing)
  • Launch professional teams at all partner schools
  • Establish quarterly AD council or advisory board
  • Build pipeline of 50+ schools for Year 2
  • Achieve zero compliance violations or NCAA issues

Months 13-18 (Year 2, Q1-Q2):

  • Sign 30+ additional school partnerships (toward 100 total target)
  • Maintain 95%+ retention of Year 1 schools
  • Demonstrate revenue delivery: distribute $XX million to schools
  • Expand school relations team to 20-25 professionals
  • Create school performance benchmarking system
  • Launch enhanced school support programs
  • Prepare for Year 3 expansion (regional expansion strategy)
  • Establish 2-3 conference-wide partnership pilots

Why This Role is Exceptional

Shape the Future of College Sports:

  • This is the most significant transformation of college Olympic sports in NCAA history
  • You’ll build partnerships that create new revenue streams for 300 athletic departments
  • Opportunity to solve one of college athletics’ biggest challenges: Olympic sports sustainability

Unprecedented Scope:

  • Manage 300 university partnerships (largest portfolio in college sports)
  • Negotiate licensing agreements worth hundreds of millions to schools
  • Build relationships with every major athletic director in Division I
  • Influence the future of NCAA Olympic sports

Impact on Higher Education:

  • Help preserve Olympic sports programs at universities nationwide
  • Create new revenue for athletic departments facing budget pressures
  • Support athlete development from youth through professional level
  • Strengthen university brands through successful professional teams

Resources & Support:

  • $2.5B in equity funding demonstrates financial strength to universities
  • Compelling value proposition: new revenue, reduced costs, enhanced visibility
  • Strong executive support for school-first culture
  • Autonomy to design partnership model with flexibility

Compensation & Upside:

  • Highly competitive compensation package ($950K total)
  • Significant performance bonus tied to school signings ($200K target)
  • Substantial equity upside as league grows
  • Potential for advancement to Chief Partnerships Officer or COO role

Professional Growth:

  • Build the most comprehensive network of ADs and university leaders in the country
  • Navigate career-defining negotiations with major universities
  • Position yourself as thought leader in college sports transformation
  • Expand expertise across athletics administration, compliance, and league operations

Legacy:

  • Be remembered as the architect who transformed college Olympic sports
  • Create sustainable model that supports 300+ athletic departments
  • Build pathways for thousands of college athletes
  • Preserve Olympic sports for future generations

Application Process

Timeline:

  • Applications Reviewed: Rolling basis, priority given to early applications
  • First Round: Virtual interviews with COO and Chief Legal Officer (1 hour)
  • Second Round: Full-day onsite with executive team including CEO, CFO, CRO
  • Third Round (if applicable): Meetings with board members or key investors
  • Final Round: Case presentation on Year 1 school partnership strategy including:
    • Prioritized list of target schools with rationale
    • Negotiation strategy and messaging for athletic directors
    • Addressing common objections or concerns
    • Timeline for achieving 50 school signings
    • Organizational structure for school relations team
    • Key risks and mitigation strategies
  • Offer: Anticipated in Q3 2026

What to Include:

  • Resume highlighting college athletics experience and relationship portfolio
  • Cover letter addressing:
    • Your most significant accomplishments in college athletics
    • Your network and relationships with athletic directors and university leaders
    • Your approach to building 300 school partnerships from scratch
    • Your understanding of NCAA compliance and regulatory considerations
    • Why you’re passionate about Olympic sports and this opportunity
  • 3-5 professional references including athletic directors (please do not contact without permission)
  • Optional: Brief POV (1-2 pages) on partnership strategy, key selling points, or addressing potential concerns from athletic directors

Confidentiality: Please indicate in your cover letter if you require discretion during the interview process given your current role in college athletics.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization that reflects the communities we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

 

This is a once-in-a-career opportunity to transform college Olympic sports. Let’s build something extraordinary together.

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