Director of Athletics

About Haverford College

Haverford College is a distinguished liberal arts undergraduate institution located just outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, renowned for its rigorous academics, values-centered community, and nearly 200-year history of ethical leadership. Founded in 1833, the College combines intellectual ambition with a commitment to social responsibility, preparing students to be thoughtful scholars, engaged citizens, and purposeful practitioners. With a 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and nearly 98% of students living on campus, Haverford fosters close mentorship, vibrant residential life, and a supportive community grounded in mutual respect, inclusion, and collaboration.

Academically, Haverford offers a broad range of majors across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary fields, including programs in Anthropology, Biochemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Studies, and more. Students engage deeply with their chosen fields through senior theses, capstone projects, and experiential learning opportunities, often connecting classroom inquiry with real-world impact. The College’s mission—“better learning for broader impact”—guides its academic philosophy, emphasizing critical inquiry, ethical practice, and an inclusive intellectual environment where students can explore diverse perspectives and prepare for meaningful careers and graduate study. Aligned with the Haverford 2030 Strategic Vision, the College is expanding interdisciplinary programs, strengthening community engagement, and enhancing student wellness initiatives, ensuring graduates are equipped to navigate complex social and professional challenges.

At the heart of Haverford life is its student-governed Honor Code, which fosters trust, responsibility, and shared governance in academics and campus life. The College celebrates longstanding traditions such as Plenary, Customs Week, Dorm Olympics, Pinwheel Day, and seasonal events, cultivating connection and school spirit. Through the Haverford 2030 framework, the College continues to prioritize academic excellence, ethical leadership, inclusion, and sustainability, preparing students to be adaptable, innovative, and capable of making a meaningful difference in their communities and the broader world.

About Haverford Athletics

Haverford College Athletics plays a central role in the College’s mission to cultivate academic excellence, personal growth, and ethical leadership. With 23 NCAA Division III varsity programs competing in the Centennial Conference, the department provides student-athletes the opportunity to pursue competitive success while fully engaging in Haverford’s rigorous academic environment. Approximately 40 percent of the student body participates in varsity athletics, reflecting the significant role athletics plays in shaping the student experience and fostering a strong sense of community on campus.

Guided by the College’s values of integrity, respect, and shared responsibility, Haverford Athletics emphasizes the development of the whole student-athlete. Through their participation in athletics, students build leadership skills, resilience, teamwork, and a deep appreciation for the balance between academic and athletic pursuits. Coaches and staff work closely with campus partners to ensure that student-athletes thrive not only in competition, but also as scholars, leaders, and engaged members of the Haverford community.

The department is guided by the Haverford Athletics Action Plan, which outlines strategic priorities focused on enhancing the student-athlete experience, strengthening coaching and staff support, expanding wellness and leadership development initiatives, and investing in facilities that support both competitive excellence and community engagement. These efforts align closely with the College’s broader Haverford 2030 strategic vision, particularly the Aspire, Connect, Transform framework that emphasizes student development, community collaboration, and ethical leadership.

Haverford Athletics has a proud tradition of competitive success and individual achievement, including conference championships, NCAA All-Americans, and a historic Division III national championship in men’s cross country and track & field. At the same time, the department continues to evolve, working to enhance resources, strengthen operational structures, and expand opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level of Division III athletics.

Looking ahead, Haverford Athletics is well positioned to build on its momentum. With strong alumni engagement, growing institutional alignment, and meaningful external partnerships—including longstanding relationships within the region’s athletics community—the department has a unique opportunity to further elevate its visibility, strengthen its resources, and continue advancing a student-centered model of excellence.

At Haverford, athletics is not separate from the educational mission—it is an integral part of the College’s commitment to developing thoughtful leaders who compete with integrity and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Vice President and Dean of the College, the Director of Athletics at Haverford College is responsible for providing visionary leadership for the Athletics Department, fostering a culture in which coaches and staff exemplify and instill the College’s core values of sportsmanship, integrity, and personal responsibility in student-athletes, both on the field and in the broader campus community.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as a visible campus leader who strengthens connections between athletics, faculty, students, and staff, reinforcing the role of athletics as an integral part of the Haverford educational experience.

• Support and promote the College’s commitment to the full intellectual growth, personal development, health, and wellbeing of student athletes and all Haverford students, recognizing that student-athletes must balance success in a rigorous academic setting and in their athletic endeavors.

• Demonstrate core competencies in the areas of leadership and vision, strategic planning, and effective and efficient management of an Athletics Department, including oversight and preparation of annual budget proposals and participation in assessment activities as directed by the Dean of the College. 

• Lead the continued implementation and refinement of the Haverford Athletics Action Plan, aligning departmental priorities, resource development, and operational strategy with the long-term goals of the program.

• Ensure Athletics remains aligned with the College’s Haverford 2030 strategic vision, advancing the Aspire, Connect, Transform framework through student development, community engagement, and inclusive excellence.

• Manage all fiscal operations of the Athletics Department in accordance with College regulations and establish procedures to assure adherence to these regulations by all departmental coaches and staff members.

• Lead efforts within the Athletics Department to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism, including through recruitment efforts, ongoing professional development for staff, and social justice education for student-athletes.

• Provide organizational leadership that strengthens operational clarity, accountability, and collaboration across the department, including the development of effective sport administration structures and staff leadership pathways.

• Work in close partnership with Institutional Advancement to cultivate alumni, parents, and friends of the College while identifying new external partnership opportunities that strengthen resources, visibility, and long-term sustainability for Haverford Athletics.

• Demonstrate awareness of and alignment with the Quaker values upon which Haverford was founded, including consensus driven decision-making, seeing the value of every individual, and personal accountability within the community.

• Maintain proficient working knowledge and ability to comply with all College, Centennial Conference and NCAA rules and regulations, especially those governing Division III, as well as those of other athletic groups to which the College belongs.

• Select, recruit, motivate, inspire, mentor, and retain high performing professional staff (e.g. coaches and administrators), with an emphasis on racial and gender equity and advocacy for underrepresented groups.

• Effectively and efficiently communicate and disseminate pertinent information on relevant topics at the College, Conference and NCAA levels.

• Provide supervision and oversight to the Sports Medicine/Athletic Training operation and ensure members of that team liaise with the College's Health Services as to policies and practices related to student-athlete health and wellness, within the normal limits of confidentiality.

• Provide oversight and supervision to the Sports Information operation with responsibility to ensure effective communications with internal and external constituencies, including maintaining the athletics portion of the College website.

• Partner with College leadership in the development and implementation of a comprehensive athletics facilities strategy, including capital planning, renovations, and long-term improvements that support competitive excellence and student-athlete wellbeing.

• Develop and maintain an effective partnership with Auxiliary Services and campus leadership to align athletics and recreation facility usage with the needs of varsity and club programs while supporting the College’s broader goals related to external partnerships, community engagement, and responsible revenue generation.

• Partner with the Admission Office to ensure a cohesive and collaborative relationship. Organize and monitor recruitment efforts of the coaching staff to continue the College’s successful enrollment of academically qualified student-athletes.

• Proactively maintain open lines of communication with members of the Faculty, particularly the Faculty Athletics Representative to receive input from duly constituted faculty bodies, to communicate the goals and policies of the program and to help mediate any academic/athletic conflicts.

• Accept responsibility for the development and continuance of good sportsmanship, leadership, and ethical behavior of athletes, coaches, staff, and spectators.

• Seek opportunities to take leadership in Conference, regional and national athletic associations and remain in close contact to engage in mutual communication on major developments with the Directors of Athletics at Haverford’s TriCo partners, Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore Colleges.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

• A thorough knowledge of athletic administration at the collegiate level and a demonstrated record of successful athletic administrative experience or equivalent management experience.

• Commitment to excellence in academics and athletics.

• Demonstrated ability to develop an athletics vision and strategy that supports the College’s overall mission and strategic plan.               

• Demonstrated track record of success in designing and implementing diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism initiatives within an intercollegiate athletics context.                              

• Experience in campus master planning as well as athletics facilities renovation and/or construction projects.

• Effective interpersonal and communication skills with both internal and external constituencies. 

• Demonstrated ability to promote the intercollegiate athletic program throughout the College community through successful fundraising, creation of external partnerships, fiscal management, and sport supervision.

• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and operations, with the ability to work with admissions and coaches in the appropriate recruitment of student-athletes.

Application Process

Haverford College invites nominations and applications or expressions of interest to be submitted to the search firm assisting the College. Applications must include a cover letter, resume or curriculum vitae, and list of references. For full consideration, application materials should be submitted to Parker Executive Search’s website by April 1st, 2026. Confidential review of materials will begin immediately and continue until the appointment is made.

For additional information, please contact:

Daniel Parker, Vice President and Managing Director

DeLaina Sarden, Principal

Khristian Carr, Executive Recruiting Coordinator

Dsarden@parkersearch.com | kcarr@parkersearch.com  

Parker Executive Search

 770-804-1996 ext. 119 | 770.804.1996 x 134

Haverford College is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, and providing equal opportunities and access to all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. Women, non-binary and transgender individuals, people of color, Indigenous people, and those with other or multiple historically marginalized and/or underrepresented identities are especially encouraged to apply. Haverford College and our consortial partners are located on Lenape lands.