Middle School Athetlic Director

Position Title: Middle School Athletic Director                      
Buildings: Harbor Lights Middle School and Macatawa Bay Middle School
Reports To: High School Athletic Director / Middle School Building Principals
Status: Salaried 11-month

POSITION OVERVIEW

West Ottawa Public Schools is seeking a high-energy, student-centered, and relationship-driven Middle School Athletic Director to lead and support athletic programming at Harbor Lights Middle School and Macatawa Bay Middle School. This position will help build a unified vision for West Ottawa Middle School Athletics while creating meaningful opportunities for students to belong, compete, lead, and grow.

At West Ottawa, athletics are an extension of the educational experience. Participation, character development, leadership, school pride, and student belonging are central to the purpose of middle school athletics. The Middle School Athletic Director will support coaches, coordinate athletic operations, strengthen student participation, reinforce school-wide PBIS expectations, and help align local youth programming, middle school, and high school athletic programs.

The ideal candidate is visible, organized, innovative, competitive, and focused on student growth and development in the middle years.

CORE BELIEFS

• Athletics are an extension of the educational experience.
• Participation matters as much as performance.
• Every student deserves opportunities to belong.
• Winning programs are built on a strong culture.
• Student leadership and character development are essential.
• Athletics should reinforce school-wide PBIS expectations.
• Youth, middle school, and high school programs should operate with aligned values.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Athletic Leadership, Culture & Student Engagement
• Lead and support middle school athletic programming at Harbor Lights and Macatawa Bay.
• Develop and communicate a clear vision for West Ottawa Middle School Athletics.
• Promote a positive athletic culture focused on participation, sportsmanship, teamwork, resilience, leadership, grit, and school pride.
• Integrate PBIS expectations into middle school athletic programs.
• Create systems and traditions that recognize student-athletes and strengthen school belonging.
• Increase participation across all teams and sports, including participation among underrepresented student groups.
• Help reduce barriers to access so more students can experience middle school athletics.
• Serve as a contributing member of the WOMS A-Team with a focus on academic, behavioral, and athletic excellence.
• Student-Athlete Development
• Monitor student eligibility, academic progress, and behavioral expectations.
• Support interventions for student-athletes experiencing academic or behavioral challenges.
• Collaborate with counselors, interventionists, teachers, and administrators to support student success.
• Promote healthy lifestyles, wellness, positive decision-making, and character development.
• Encourage participation in off-season strength, conditioning, and weight-lifting opportunities when appropriate.
• Help students understand the connection between academics, attendance, behavior, citizenship, and athletic participation.

Coach Leadership & Program Alignment

• Lead, motivate, and support middle school coaches.
• Assist with coach onboarding, communication, expectations, and ongoing development.
• Ensure coaches understand district expectations related to supervision, communication, eligibility, student conduct, sportsmanship, safety, and PBIS alignment.
• Promote consistent expectations across all middle school sports.
• Collaborate with the High School Athletic Director to strengthen alignment between youth, middle school, and high school programs.
• Help bridge the gap between Panther Pathways programming and WOMS Athletics.

Operations, Events & Logistics

• Coordinate athletic schedules for practices and contests in collaboration with coaches, building leadership, transportation, and the High School Athletic Director.
• Provide site supervision for middle school athletic contests, including evenings and occasional weekends as assigned.
• Support game-day operations, including facility readiness, officials, visiting team support, crowd supervision, equipment needs, and event troubleshooting.
• Coordinate transportation details, event workers, facility access, and schedule changes.
• Maintain accurate records related to schedules, rosters, eligibility, physicals, transportation, equipment, and athletic participation.
• Support budget, equipment, uniform, and inventory processes as assigned.

Family, School & Community Communication

• Maintain clear, timely, and professional communication with students, families, coaches, staff, and community partners.
• Communicate schedules, expectations, eligibility requirements, transportation details, cancellations, and participation information.
• Serve as a positive ambassador for West Ottawa Middle School Athletics.
• Build excitement, connection, and pride within the West Ottawa athletics community.
• Respond to questions and concerns in a professional, solution-focused manner.
• Complete other duties related to middle school athletics as assigned.

WORK SCHEDULE & EXPECTATIONS

• Schedule varies by athletic season, practice schedules, and contest calendar.
• Evening availability is required during athletic seasons.
• Occasional weekend availability may be required.
• Time demands may increase during high-volume athletic seasons, tournament weeks, and schedule transition periods.
• Consistent and reliable in-person attendance is required.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• High school diploma required; bachelor's degree preferred.
• Successful coaching experience required.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities across two middle school buildings.
• High level of relational capacity with students, coaches, staff, families, and community members.
• Passion for working with middle school students.
• Ability to communicate clearly, professionally, and proactively.
• Ability to lead, motivate, and support adults and students.
• Ability to build systems, traditions, and a positive athletic culture.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• High ethical standards, integrity, and professionalism.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality related to student records, eligibility, discipline, and family matters.
• Ability to work evenings and occasional weekends.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Teacher certification and teaching experience.
• Successful coaching experience at the high school or college level.
• Familiarity with strength and conditioning programming.
• Experience with athletic scheduling, transportation coordination, event supervision, and athletic management systems.
• Demonstrated ability to increase student participation and expand access for all students.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Compensation will be commensurate with experience and in accordance with district policies.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Interested candidates should apply online through the West Ottawa Public Schools employment portal and submit:

• Resume
• Professional references

Applications will be reviewed until the position is filled.

POST IMMEDIATELY
Apply online atwww.westottawa.net

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:

Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.

Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position to position. This factor is important if it occurs to a considerable degree and requires the substantial use of the upper extremities and back muscles.

Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

Talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken work; those activities where detailed or import spoken instructions must be conveyed to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.

Hearing: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction, and having the ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and making fine discriminations in sound.

Repetitive motions: Making substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

The worker is subject to environmental conditions.

The worker should provide consistent and reliable in-person attendance.