Senior Associate Athletic Director, Ticket Operations, Sales, & Service

Position Summary

The Senior Associate Athletic Director for Ticket Operations, Sales & Service serves as the leader responsible for the strategic oversight and performance of the Athletics Ticket Office, including ticket sales, customer service and retention, ticket operations, and related revenue-generating initiatives. Reporting directly to the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief Revenue Officer, this position provides leadership and direction for the department's ticketing functions while ensuring alignment with the broader revenue objectives of Houston Athletics.

As a member of the Athletics Department's senior leadership team will foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and customer-centric service.  This position collaborates closely with development, marketing, communications, sponsorships, business operations, and facilities and game operations management to align revenue-generation efforts and deliver exceptional experiences for Houston Athletics supporters.

The Senior Associate AD will play a critical role in advancing the University's strategic priorities and positioning Houston Athletics as a national leader in fan engagement and revenue generation within the Big 12 Conference.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for all ticket sales, service, retention, and operations functions.

• Establish departmental goals, priorities, and performance expectations aligned with Houston Athletics' annual revenue objectives.

• Evaluate and monitor ticket revenue performance, attendance trends, customer retention metrics, and operational effectiveness.

• Partner with the Chief Revenue Officer on forecasting, budgeting, inventory strategy, and long-term revenue planning.

• Identify opportunities to enhance ticket revenue, improve customer retention, and optimize inventory utilization.

• Identify new revenue opportunities through dynamic pricing, ticket packaging, premium products, and innovative sales initiatives.

• Provide leadership and oversight for all ticket sales and operations staff and sales initiatives.

• Oversee all aspects of ticket operations, including event builds, inventory management, pricing implementation, ticket distribution, reporting, and system administration; Ensure accurate setup and management of ticketing systems and platforms.

• Manage ticket audits, reconciliations, financial reporting, and compliance with NCAA, Big 12, and University regulations.

• Coordinate ticketing logistics for postseason events, special events, and championship competitions.

• Collaborate with Cougar Pride to maximize revenue from premium seat sales, upgrades and new business initiatives.

• Work closely with Cougar Pride and development staff on annual giving programs connected to seating and ticket benefits.

• Partner with marketing and fan engagement staff to create integrated campaigns that increase attendance and drive revenue.

• Collaborate with communications, creative services, digital media, and sponsorship teams on promotional strategies and fan initiatives.

• Lead efforts to improve the customer journey from purchase through game-day experience.

• Utilize data analytics and reporting tools to evaluate performance and inform strategic decisions.

• Provide regular revenue forecasts and attendance projections to senior leadership.

• Review and analyze ticket sales performance, customer behavior, and attendance data to inform strategic decision-making.

• Monitor and evaluate customer feedback to identify opportunities for service enhancements.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, ticket sales, ticket operations, or related revenue-generation fields.

• Experience managing ticketing systems, CRM platforms, and sales analytics.

• Experience supervising full-time staff and managing budgets.

• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree.

• Ten (10)+ years of experience in collegiate athletics or professional sports.

• Experience at the NCAA Division I or Power Conference level.

• Experience with Paciolan, Salesforce, or similar ticketing and CRM platforms.

• Experience overseeing both ticket sales and ticket operations functions.

Application Process

The University of Houston invites resumes, expressions of interest, or additional questions to be submitted to the hiring manager.

Contact:

Alvin Franklin

Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director / CRO

arfrank4@Central.UH.EDU