The University of Virginia's Department of Recreation is seeking an Assistant Director of Fitness. The Assistant Director assists with leadership and oversight of a comprehensive fitness program at the University, with responsibility for areas such as group fitness, personal training, small group training, and employee wellness programs.

The Assistant Director assists with administrative oversight, organization, development, and promotion of all fitness programs. The Assistant Director assists in managing multiple facilities and programs through coordinated planning, direction, facilitation, and assessment to achieve University goals.

The Assistant Director reports to the Senior Director of Fitness and supervises students and part-time employees. This position will work some nights and weekends, supporting students, programs, and departmental events.

Job Description

The Assistant Director of Fitness responsibilities include:

• Assist in directing a comprehensive university fitness program through effective management of resources, fiscal processes, daily operations, and functional area leadership. Program oversight includes personal training, small group training, group fitness, and employee wellness.
• Assist in developing and monitoring calculated, holistic, outcomes-based programs that meet or exceed the formal fitness demands of the university community.
• Develop strong partnerships with integral university-based academic and community entities to maximize program and participant outcomes.
• Assist in leading and overseeing logistics for programs and special events; coordinating registrations for programs; securing facility reservations.
• Evaluate and assess programs by practicing cost containment and statistical tracking for budgets, goals, objectives, and evaluations.
• Assist in the recruitment, hiring, training, scheduling, supervising, and evaluation of part-time program area staff.
• Assist in leading and providing oversight of risk management policies, practices, and procedures within safe operational guidelines, focused on participant and employee safety.
• Assist with the processing of program registrations and fees; payroll tracking; auditing and purchasing; preparation of annual operational budgets, reports, and financial tracking.
• Contribute to positive two-way communication with all staff and customers; assisting with program marketing, publicity, and promotion; helping identify target markets and support program publicity to recruit participants.
• Acquire/maintain CPR/AED instructor and regular certification.
• Acquire/maintain relevant teaching/training certifications such as CSCS, ACE, NASM, AFAA, NSCA, ACSM.
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Program Operations

• Support the Senior Director of Fitness in leading and overseeing the coordination of daily program logistics for fluent, consistent, customer-centric program administration.
• Balance time appropriately between direct program exposure needs, office hours to ensure daily operations and program service quality, and broader program administration; calibrates time balances with supervisor and annual demands as needed.
• Secure program-based facility reservations in advance following standard reservation and policy protocols.
• Along with the Senior Director of Fitness, work closely with the departmental promotions team to support program publicity and recruit participants; propose ideas to establish a professional recreational fitness presence on Grounds, identify target markets, and ensure timely programmatic updates to departmental website and promotional materials.
• Assist in coordinating and operationalizing various special events.
• In consultation with the Senior Director, plan, track, and reconcile programming and staffing resource schedules, including proactively establishing back-up and inclement weather programming response plans.

Risk Management

• Support the Senior Director of Fitness in coordinating an industry-standard, outcomes-based program in such a way that:
  • Program plans are envisioned and developed based on evidence-based decision-making centered on a balance of outcomes and fiscal stewardship.
  • Program plans and projected outcomes are planned broadly in advance with input from stakeholders.
  • Program leaders are qualified, prepared, informed, and customer-centric.
  • Communication to program leaders and participants is consistent, informed, and expedient.
• Complete supply and equipment purchases as required.
• With input from the Senior Director of Fitness, coordinate the development and monitoring of risk management policies, practices, and procedures.
• Operate within safety guidelines in facilities, personnel, and programs; assists the Senior Director with periodic audits of risk compliance to revise accountability systems and operational manuals.
• Stay abreast of industry standards in programming trends; employs programmatic and operational updates accordingly.
• Represent the Senior Director of Fitness in their absence.

Personnel Management

• In consultation with the Senior Director, recruit, hire, train, schedule, evaluate, mentor, and directly supervise a staff of part-time student and wage employees. Lead and/or support all departmental trainings.
• Implement responsibility and accountability systems for wage and student employees, balancing work and academic demands appropriately.
• Contribute to preparing support staff to be effectively resourced and informed to fluently address program issues or needs.
• Hold regular formal staff meetings and in-service training sessions.
• Implement awards, recognition, and social teamwork programs for student teams that promote team unification.
• Assist in developing and updating current employee manuals and guidelines; builds in accountability to compliance as appropriate.
• Support the Senior Director in evaluating part-time staff and providing written and verbal feedback.
• Adhere to all University/Department personnel hiring and payroll guidelines as specified.
• Support an educational culture of overseeing student employees.

Fiscal Administration

• Assist the Senior Director in overseeing preparation, submission, management, and accountability for functional area budget to meet departmental mission, goals, and objectives.
• Demonstrate solid financial stewardship with purchasing and procurement, assuring adherence to departmental and University purchasing guidelines and procedures.
• Support the Senior Director in providing an internal program quality, service, and usage assessment plan; implement systems to consistently track programs; strategically assess data to highlight potential program changes; report findings regularly to supervisor.

Customer Service

• Support the Senior Director in establishing a service-centric culture.
• Role model a service-first mentality and culture for subordinate team to support the departmental core values.
• Receive and respond to participant inquiries, needs, and complaints in a timely manner; informs supervisor of significant participant impacts.
• Conduct formal and informal participant satisfaction assessments to assure demands are being served; report findings to supervisor.
• Support the Senior Director in developing productive internal customer service partnerships; communicate needs in a timely manner; connect peer area logistics when needed to benefit programming; support peer area needs as appropriate for mutual benefit.

About the Position

The salary range is commensurate with qualifications and experience. This position will not consider candidates who require immigration sponsorship now or in the future. This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings, and programs.

This position is located on the UVA Grounds in Charlottesville, VA. This is an exempt-level, benefited position; learn more about UVA Benefits. This is an in person position.

Application Timeline

This position will remain open until filled. Review of applications will begin after June 17, 2026. 

How to Apply

Applicants not employed at UVA please apply through the UVA job board; current employees please search and apply for jobs on the UVA Internal Careers website and complete an application. Please do not submit any applications directly to the Athletics department as only applications submitted through these sites will be considered. Complete an application with the following documents:

• Resume

• Cover Letter

Applications without all required documents will not receive full consideration.

Reference Check Process

Please note that finalists will be asked to provide a list of professional references. The selected applicant will pass a criminal background check.

About UVA and the Community

To learn more about UVA and in the Charlottesville area, visit UVA Life and Embark CVA.

Contact

For questions about the application process, please contact Michele Jarman, Academic Recruiter.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree and some experience in recreation and fitness programs

About The University of Virginia Department of Recreation

The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, is a state-supported institution with an enrollment of 22,000 students in a community bound by The Honor Code. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the University is within three hours of Washington, D.C. and the Atlantic. The Department of Intramural-Recreational Sports, a division of University of Virginia Athletics, currently has 48 full time faculty and staff positions with an annual operational budget in excess of $12 million. Guiding Intramural-Recreational Sports is the mission to serve the University community through activity engagement that fosters wellness, develops lifetime fitness habits and encourages the wise use of leisure time. Facility resources include four full-service recreation centers, an outdoor recreation center with an indoor climbing & bouldering wall, and specialized squash center featuring a glass-walled international show court. Additional outdoor resources include over 38 acres of fields/courts/greenspace including a 23 acre multi-sports field complex and two-300' x 400' artificial turf sports fields with lights; softball fields; tennis courts; basketball courts; as well... as a high/low experiential learning ropes course. Departmental program components include intramural sports, group exercise/fitness classes, personal training, instructional recreation enrichment classes for adults and youth, outdoor recreation, club sports, and aquatics.

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