Clemson University

Director of Athlete Compensation

Clemson University • $80K — $95K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's Degree required
  • 5+ years of experience in athlete compensation or related field
  • Strong analytical skills with a focus on financial analysis
  • Proven ability to develop negotiation strategies
  • Knowledge of NCAA regulations and collegiate athletics legislation
  • Experience in market intelligence and compensation benchmarking

Responsibilities

  • Develop and implement athlete negotiation strategies for recruitment and retention
  • Analyze compensation proposals and assess financial implications
  • Coordinate roster planning processes with coaches and administrators
  • Integrate NIL opportunities into athlete compensation strategies
  • Monitor compensation trends and develop benchmarking reports

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work in a dynamic collegiate athletics environment
  • Engagement with high-level decision-making and strategic planning
  • Collaboration with athletics leadership and sport administrators
  • Potential for professional growth in a rapidly evolving field
  • Involvement in shaping the future of athlete compensation strategies
Full Job Description
JOB SUMMARY:
Clemson University Athletics is looking for a Director of Athlete Compensation to fulfill the duties outlined below.

- The Director of Athlete Compensation position serves as a key member of the Athletics Central Front Office, providing strategic leadership and analytical support in the development, negotiation, and administration of student-athlete compensation strategies.

- This position partners closely with athletics leadership, sport administrators, coaches, and analytics to develop competitive and sustainable compensation models that support roster management, student-athlete retention, and long-term program success.

- The position is responsible for evaluating market trends, compensation data, and roster dynamics to inform negotiation strategies and institutional decision-making.

- Through financial analysis, market intelligence, and collaborative planning, this position contributes to Clemson Athletics' ability to recruit, retain, and support elite student-athletes while aligning with institutional priorities, NCAA regulations, and evolving collegiate athletics legislation.

- This position serves as the institution's subject matter expert in athlete negotiations and cap management, integrating player evaluation, market intelligence, compensation strategy, negotiation planning, financial analysis, and relationship management to support informed decision-making and maximize the institution's investment in student-athletes.

- Other duties as assigned.

JOB DUTIES:
20% - Athlete Negotiation Strategy and Contracts:
Serve as a strategic resource during athlete recruitment, retention, transfer portal, and renewal discussions. Support sport programs throughout the negotiation process with athletes and their representatives. Evaluate requests, competing offers, and market positioning to inform negotiation approaches. Develop comprehensive negotiation strategies for athlete recruitment, retention, transfer portal, and renewal discussions by identifying institutional objectives, market conditions, leverage points, timing considerations, concession strategies, walk-away positions, and long-term relationship implications. Prepare negotiation plans and briefing materials, including market analyses, comparable compensation data, valuation models, negotiation scenarios, and decision-support tools to assist coaches, administrators, and front office leadership. Develop negotiation analytics, success metrics, concession tracking, market comparisons, and outcome analyses to continuously improve negotiation effectiveness and institutional decision-making. Assist with drafting, documenting, administering, and tracking negotiated agreements while maintaining complete records of negotiation history, compensation commitments, amendments, renewals, and future obligations.20% - Athlete Compensation Structure & Development:
Assist in the development and structuring of athlete compensation offers ensuring alignment with roster priorities. Analyze compensation proposals and assess financial implications, risk factors, and long-term commitments. Support forecasting and planning for revenue-sharing distributions, roster allocations, and athlete retention initiatives.20% - Roster Strategy Operations:
Assist in coordinating roster planning processes in collaboration with coaches and sport administrators. Assist in analyzing roster composition, positional depth, retention rates, and recruiting priorities. Assist in forecasting roster turnover, transfer portal activity, recruiting class integration, and future compensation obligations.20% - Above-the-Cap NIL Integration & Strategy:
Develop strategies that integrate institutional compensation structures with external NIL opportunities. Evaluate the impact of third-party NIL opportunities on athlete recruitment, retention, and overall compensation packages. Assist athletics leadership in developing comprehensive athlete compensation strategies that combine revenue-sharing and NIL opportunities.20% - Market Intelligence & Compensation Analysis:
Monitor compensation trends across collegiate athletics, including revenue sharing, NIL activity, transfer portal movement, and peer institution strategies. Develop benchmarking reports comparing compensation practices against conference and national peers.

JOB CODE:
UH16

EMPLOYEE TYPE:
Time-Limited (TLP) Staff

Minimum Requirements:

  • Education - Bachelor's Degree


RESPONSIBILITIES:

JOB KNOWLEDGE
Comprehensive knowledge of theories, concepts and practices and ability to use in complex, difficult and/or unprecedented situations.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Not responsible for supervising employees.

BUDGETARY RESPONSIBILITIES
No fiscal responsibility for the department's budget.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Sit (stationary position) for prolonged period: 20%Recognize or inspect visually: 20%Communicate, converse, give direction, express oneself: 20%

WORKING CONDITIONS:
Overnight travel: 10%

WORK SCHEDULE:

Standard Hours:
40

COMPENSATION INFORMATION:

Expected Salary Range
Salary Commensurate with Experience - -
Salary is dependent upon several factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's previous experience, knowledge, skills and performance in accordance with Clemson's compensation guidelines.

ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL LEVEL:
Normal Operations - Required to follow emergency facility closure and modified operations directives, and not normally expected to work on-site during emergency situations.

JOB LOCATION:
Clemson, SC

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Open until filled.

MILITARY AND VETERAN:

Military Equivalency: Clemson University is proud to allow educational equivalency for military technical certifications and trainings that directly relate to the job duties.

Veteran Preference: South Carolina provides employment preference to eligible veterans for qualifying full-time permanent positions. To be considered, applicants must meet the minimum qualifications, have been discharged under honorable conditions, and indicate their veteran status in the application by uploading a DD-214 for confidential review. A request for Veteran Preference can be made via the application process. Please contact [redacted] with any questions or issues.

About Clemson University

Clemson University is a public research university in Clemson, South Carolina. It was founded in 1889 and offers over 80 undergraduate and 110 graduate degree programs. Clemson is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities ? Very high research activity" and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Learn more about Clemson University

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