OFFICIAL JOB TITLE: Fitness Center Assistant/Strength and Conditioning Coach
DIVISION: Administration & Facilities
DEPARTMENT: Athletics
BARGAINING UNIT STATUS: ESU, Cat. 12
FLSA STATUS: Exempt
REPORTS TO: Associate Director of Athletics for Recreation and Sports Performance
SUPERVISES: Provides direct supervision of up to 4 students employees
SUMMARY PURPOSE OF POSITION: The Fitness Center Assistant/Strength and Conditioning Coach supports the day-to-day operations of the University Fitness Center, supervises student staff, and provides direct instruction to individual members and groups. The incumbent designs and delivers strength and conditioning programs for intercollegiate teams and student-athletes, ensuring compliance with NCAA regulations and best practices in sports performance. In addition, the incumbent promotes wellness and engagement by leading group exercise classes, developing fitness programs for the broader campus community, and contributing to outreach and educational initiatives. Through these efforts, the Fitness Center Assistant/Strength and Conditioning Coach advances the University’s commitment to student success, health, and well-being.
In carrying out these responsibilities, the incumbent follows the University’s best practices to build and/or support student academic success and retention, and assist in meeting strategic objectives for persistence and timely graduation of all the student population.
EXAMPLES OF PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Fitness Center Operations, Community Wellness & Engagement
- Delivers courteous, professional, and responsive customer service to all Fitness Center users
- Oversees daily Fitness Center operations including supervising assigned work-study students
- Ensures a clean, safe, and supportive environment for all Fitness Center users
- Provides instruction and guidance to Fitness Center members on safe and effective use of equipment
- Assists in developing and distributing educational materials to promote wellness and fitness within the campus community
- Creates and promotes special programs designed to engage students and increase participation in Fitness Center offerings
- Develops and leads training and fitness programs tailored to students, faculty, and university staff
- Leads group exercise classes, as needed, to promote fitness, wellness, and engagement among participants
- Collaborates with athletics staff to plan, promote, and deliver quality programs in recreation, intramurals, and instructional fitness
- Assists in developing community outreach initiatives and fosters volunteerism by recruiting and participating in related activities
Strength & Conditioning Programming
- Designs, implements, and evaluates strength and conditioning programs for intercollegiate teams and student-athletes
- Contributes to the development of educational resources for student-athletes and coaches on sport-specific training, injury prevention, nutrition, rest, recovery, and overall wellness
- Ensures all interactions with student-athlete comply with NCAA rules and regulations
- Maintains current knowledge of trends, research and best practices in sports performance and athletic training
- Actively participates in staff meetings, departmental functions, and campus events
- Serves on committees and participates in special projects, as assigned
- Performs other job-related duties that may be assigned and/or the job description changed periodically to reflect changing organization needs
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
- EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in sports management, physical education, recreation, athletic training, or related field
- EXPERIENCE: Previous (1 year) experience as an instructor in physical education programs and/or recreation
- OTHER: NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and/or CSCC Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (SCCC); Occasional weekend and holiday work required
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master’s degree in sports management, physical education, recreation, athletic training or related field
- Previous experience in creating and implementing strength and conditioning programming for collegiate student-athletes
- Possession of related credentials (ATC, RD, PT)
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
- Strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
- Commitment to customer service
- Ability to maintain favorable relations with all groups within the university community
- Ability to supervise, instruct, and deal effectively with students and staff
- Ability to instruct and lead large groups/teams effectively through prescribed workouts
- Ability to motivate, effectively educate, and produce buy in from a targeted audience
- Knowledge of periodization, and the ability to create programming to meet the demands of in-season, off-season, and pre-season training for student-athletes
- Ability to demonstrate and teach complex movements found in Olympic Weightlifting modalities
- Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills.
- Responsive and timely in communication to supervisor, support staff, and all general inquiries
- Ability and willingness to work effectively in a team atmosphere in the athletic department.
- Strong commitment to the NCAA Division III philosophy; shares and promotes the philosophy of the athletic department
- Ability to counsel student-athletes
- Demonstrates strong written and verbal communication and organizational skills
- Maintains a steady and professional demeanor
- Strong commitment to professional development
- Knowledge and ability to implement University and NCAA policies and procedures
- Ability to work independently and organize an integral area within the Department of Athletics
- Ability to work with minimum supervision
- Ability to generate new ideas independently; must be a self-starter
- Ability to obtain and maintain CPR, AED, First Aid certification
- Ability to work with various computer programs and web development tools
- Ability to lift and move equipment or materials weighing up to 60 lbs.
SALARY: $60,707 - $75,883
UMass Dartmouth offers exciting benefits such as:
- 75% Employer-Paid Health Insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Life Insurance
- Long Term Disability
- State Pension Retirement Plan
- Optional Retirement Savings Plans
- Tuition Credit (Employee, Spouse, & Dependents)
- Twelve (12) paid holidays
- Paid personal, vacation, and sick time
- And More!
Benefits for ESU Union: ESU
Applicants must be authorized for permanent employment in the U.S. Employment-based visa sponsorship is not available.
To apply, please submit a letter of interest, a current resume, and the contact information for three professional references.
The deadline for early consideration of internal ESU applicants is July 23, 2026.
The review of applications will be ongoing until the position is filled.
