External Operations Associate

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description:

This is a 12-month, grant-funded position offered through the NCAA’s Pathway to Excellence Grant. The External Operations Associate supports the sports information coverage of Berea College’s intercollegiate athletic teams and management of home athletic events. The External Operations Associate will also aid in athletic advancement initiatives.

**If selected for one of the Pathway to Excellence Internship grants, Berea College will immediately post the available internship on the NCAA Market Site, the NACDA Job Site, the Women Leaders in College Sports job listing, and our own Human Resources Page.

Your Key Responsibilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Assist with managing home athletic events.
• Provide oversight of concessions operations, ticket operations, greeting the visiting team and officials, supervising sports information staff, event staff and the game broadcast on the Berea College Sports Network;
• Support statistical generation and reporting.
• Support the Coordinator of External Operations with Sports Information and Athletic Event functions and initiatives.
• Strategically plan and develop a Game Day the DIII Way training for the Athletic department and campus community;
• Work with our campus SAAC to promote DIII Week;
• Assist with managing the sports information budget and process payroll requests for athletic event contract workers;
• Assist with hiring, training and managing student workers to assist in sports information and event operations;
• Distribute the Visitor’s Guide and serve as the department’s primary point of contact for visiting sports information directors, teams and media;
• Nominate student-athletes and coaches for conference, regional and national awards;
• Develop human interest stories for the department, conference website and other various publications;
• Manage content on the departmental website;
• Oversee and provide athletics social media content.
• Help strategically plan and execute programming designed to increase charitable giving and corporate sponsorships for athletics in cooperation with personnel in College Relations;
• Serve as a liaison between the athletic department and staff in College Relations on all advancement activities;
• Work with the individual sport coaches to develop a comprehensive advancement plan inclusive of constituent engagement, communications, events, solicitation and stewardship for each sport;
• Foster relationships with alumni and potential corporate sponsors;
• Coordinate major athletic fundraising efforts, including golf tournaments or other initiatives and events;
• Related duties as assigned by the Director or other administrators.
• In support of Berea College’s great commitments this position requires student supervision. The fourth great commitment is to promote learning and serving in community through the student labor program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. The Supervision would include scheduling, assigning and approving work performed. Developing students about common workplace acumen and giving them tangible work experience is an expected outcome. To learn more about the student labor program and requirements on this position see: Labor Program Goals

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students.What You'll Bring:

Education preferred to ensure success in this position:

• Bachelor’s degree in athletic administration, sport management, journalism, communications or a related field preferred.

Experience preferred to ensure success in this position:

• On-deadline writing experience, with 1-3 years of professional athletic communications experience preferred;
• Experience with website platforms (e.g., Sidearm, PrestoSports or similar) preferred.
• Knowledge of and experience in the sports information field.
• Experience with game or event management.

Special skills, knowledge and abilities:

• Familiarity with statistical software (e.g., NCAA Genius Sports/LiveStats, StatCrew, etc.), as well as Adobe Creative Suite and Microsoft Office;
• Photo and video editing experience, or experience with Synergy, preferred;
• Familiarity with livestreaming options and services.
• Understanding and agreement with the mission and Great Commitments of Berea College;
• Ability to meet time-sensitive deadlines;
• Superior communication (oral, written and interpersonal) skills;
• Demonstrated organizational, leadership and time management skills;
• Ability to work with and relate well to students, faculty, staff, coaches, alumni and potential business partners.
• Must be willing to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends and holidays as needed.
• Strong interest in intercollegiate athletics administration and familiarity with the NCAA Division III philosophy.

License, certification, or registration necessary:

• CPR/AED/First Aid;
• Driver’s license.
• For any certifications or licenses not possessed upon hire, certifications or licenses must be promptly attained and regularly maintained.

Physical requirements:

• Some heavy lifting, occasionally lifting up to 50 lbs;
• Ability to move freely throughout a four-floor, 106,996 square foot athletic and recreation facility, as well as all outdoor athletic facilities.
• It is expected that the individual in this position will work at times other than, or in addition to, normal business hours and days, including attendance at numerous evening and weekend events. This is especially true from August to May.

Environmental conditions:

• Indoor and outdoor.

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:

• Video camera equipment;
• Scoreboards and sound equipment;
• Standard computer hardware and software applications;
• Be able to drive a 12-passenger van and golf carts.

Benefits

Our Benefits:

Berea College offers a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees and their families including health care, dental, vision, retirement, health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability and an Employee Assistance Program. The benefit package also includes access to the Child Development Laboratory for children of College Staff, ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Seabury Center Membership, Staff Development Funds and Tuition Reimbursement.

Eligible staff employees also receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.

Part-time employees who work an average of twenty-four hours per week over the course of a year, receive benefits on a pro-rated basis.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page at https://www.berea.edu/human-resources/employee-benefits.

Our Unique Culture:

Berea College strives to be a place where people with various Christian interpretations, different religious traditions, and no religious traditions work together in support of Berea's Great Commitments.

Over the past century, various leaders of the College have applied the College’s inclusive scriptural foundation and spirit to their expanding world and welcomed those whose beliefs were consistent with the Christian gospel of impartial love. Therefore, Berea College today affirms its inclusive Christian tradition even as it respects the traditions of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus, as well as other faiths, and those holding no religious beliefs. We strive not to ignore our differences, but rather seek to understand each other honestly and respectfully, and together create a climate where anyone can openly discuss what they believe without fear of sanction. To that end, all persons who are willing to share in the spirit and the work of the Great Commitments as shaped by its preamble are welcome to study, to teach, and to work at Berea

Labor Supervision:

In support of Berea College’s great commitments, staff and faculty serve as labor supervisors. Our fourth great commitment, The Dignity of Labor, promotes learning and serving in community through the student Labor Program, honoring the dignity and utility of all work, mental and manual, and taking pride in work well done. Student Labor Supervision includes scheduling, assigning, and approving student work, developing students' workplace acumen, and providing tangible work experience. To learn more about the labor program office please see the following link Labor Program Office.Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 44 states and U.S. territories and more than 60 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides every enrolled student with a fully funded degree that covers 100% of tuition, housing, food, supplies, and fees without loans, for all four years. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only 10 federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus, building professional skills in a real-world learning environment. Washington Monthly ranked Berea College the #1 Best College for your Tuition and Tax Dollars, 2025. Berea also ranks #1 in educational access by The New York Times, 2023 and #1 for lowest educational debt by U.S. News and World Report, 2025 and 2026. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2026.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 17,000) lies 40 miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.