Executive Director - Equestrian Center - Texas Tech University

Major/Essential Functions

Duties for the Executive Director will include managing unit assets including facilities and horses, optimizing financial operations, providing leadership to all staff, establishing goals, ensuring compliance with university operating policy and procedure, informing the Equestrian Advisory Board on programmatic activities and opportunities, overseeing and creating efficiencies in daily operations, improving staff performance, and executing special projects. Candidates must perform stewardship and strategic planning skills to promote the unit’s mission and objectives, while maintaining positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders, achieving organizational goals, and maintaining sound financial practices.

The ideal candidate must possess a strong entrepreneurial drive, outstanding communication skills, strong leadership qualities, and good planning and organizational skills. The exceptional executive director should streamline operations, effectively and efficiently direct operational budgets, improve revenue, direct our business strategy, and enhance relations with the media, internal stakeholders, staff, and surrounding communities.

Major/Essential Functions

• Develop and direct organizational strategy
• Develop organizational policies and philosophies while ensuring compliance with University Operating Policies and Procedures
• Oversee day-to-day business activities
• Conduct performance reviews
• Prepare comprehensive budgets
• Report on revenue and expenditures
• Engage with community and equine industry groups
• Create a sound business plan
• Work with department chair to mentor coaching staff
• Oversee financial accounts

Grant Funded?

No

Pay Basis

Monthly

Schedule Details

M-F 8:00-5:00 but may have to work evenings & weekends

Work Location

Lubbock

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal Degree (Ph.D. of DVM) in Equestrian Science, Animal Science or Veterinary Medicine
• Management experience (Financial, Project, and Facility) in the Equine Industry
• Highly organized
• Highly ethical behavior
• Effective communicator
• Motivational skills
• In-depth knowledge of financial practices and development
• Public relations and marketing knowledge
• Exceptional interpersonal skills

Department

Animal and Food Sciences

Required Attachments

Cover Letter, Professional/Personal References, Resume / CV

Job Type

Full Time

Job Group

Executive Administration

Shift

Day

Required Qualifications

Master's Degree required, terminal degree preferred. Eight years progressively responsible management experience required. Education beyond the master's level may substitute for required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Does this position work in a research laboratory?

No

About the Department and/or College

Equestrian Program
The Texas Tech Equestrian Center’s purpose is to house excellent equine programs and experiences. It is the mission of the Texas Tech Equestrian Center to transform lives by providing innovative, ethical, student-focused equine programs and hands-on experiences, while engaging with others to improve the industry and our communities. The Equestrian Center will achieve this mission by operating efficiently to maximize facility and program capacity to benefit the people and animals who utilize the Center, and by providing a safe home for: Competing collegiate teams: Equestrian; horse-judging, ranch horse and rodeo teams; Developing regional, national and global equine industry leaders; Discovering solutions, through the academic pursuits of our scholars; Healing, through the Therapeutic Riding Center programs: Equine-assisted counseling and wellness, hippotherapy and therapeutic horsemanship, to benefit students and members of our community; Hosting local and regional equine and animal events, for animal enthusiasts; and Sheltering and boarding horses, by providing affordable stalls for local equine owners.

Located in southwest Lubbock County, the 100-acre TTU Equestrian Center is the home of the Therapeutic Riding & Therapy Center, Equestrian Team, Horse Judging Team, Ranch Horse Team, and Rodeo Team. The Equestrian Center offers an indoor arena, two warm-up arenas, four outdoor large event arenas, as well as 200 stalls on site for events, students, and outside boarders. Field trips and participation in intercollegiate contests are also a part of the training program. All facilities associated with both centers are AAALAC-accredited and included in the University’s program description. A recent survey of the Texas Tech Equestrian Teams showed 231 students were engaged through competitive teams or a course, team members had an average 3.1 GPA, 99% retention rate, and 67% of team members chose to come to Texas Tech University because of an equestrian team.

The Department of Animal and Food Sciences is one of seven departments within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at Texas Tech University.  The department is housed in a modern research and teaching facility and has excellent research support.  There are 31 faculty members in the department, many of whom are leading researchers in their respective fields.  Areas of research emphasis include meat science and muscle biology, food science and safety, animal nutrition, health, and welfare, and companion animal science.  This position is an integral part of teaching, research, outreach, and engagement mission of the department.

The Davis College includes the departments of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Agricultural Education and Communications, Animal and Food Sciences, Landscape Architecture, Plant and Soil Science, and Veterinary Sciences along with multiple research centers and institutes.  For the most recent academic year, the College had 2,687 undergraduate students and 502 graduate students and generated approximately $14 million annually in extramural research funding. Texas Tech University is one of four major state-supported universities within the Texas Tech University System. 

The University consists of 10 colleges, the School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Law, and the Graduate School.  Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center sits adjacent to the university.  In Fall 2019, Texas Tech was designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), making it one of only 16 HSIs that are also Carnegie Research 1 institutions. Currently, more than 40,000 students attend classes at the Lubbock campus.  The City of Lubbock has approximately 266,000 residents, a moderately low cost of living, and enjoys 264 sunny days per year on the Southern High Plains, a major agricultural production region of Texas.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Appointment and Location
The facility and program are in Lubbock, Texas. Remote work agreement is discouraged. The Director will be expected to manage and represent the program with some travel (15%) required.

Administrative Relationships
This position will report to the Chair of the Department of Animal and Food Sciences and will also work with the Dean of Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources and Senior Director of Development for Davis College to increase the effectiveness and visibility of the Program through networking and fundraising.

Applications
Applicants should submit a current CV, cover letter, and names of three to five professional references.

Safety Information

Adherence to robust safety practices and compliance with all applicable health and safety regulations are responsibilities of all TTU employees.

Pay Statement

Compensation is commensurate upon the qualifications of the individual selected and budgetary guidelines of the hiring department, as well as the institutional pay plan. For additional information, please reference the institutional pay plan by visiting www.depts.ttu.edu/hr/payplan.

EEO Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected veteran.

About the University

Established in 1923, Texas Tech University is a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) Doctoral/Research-Extensive, Hispanic Serving, and state-assisted institution. Located on a beautiful 1,850-acre campus in Lubbock, a city in West Texas with a growing metropolitan-area population of over 300,000, the university enrolls over 40,000 students with 33,000 undergraduate and 7,000 graduate students. As the primary research institution in the western two-thirds of the state, Texas Tech University is home to 10 colleges, the Schools of Law and Veterinary Medicine, and the Graduate School. The flagship of the Texas Tech University System, Texas Tech is dedicated to student success by preparing learners to be ethical leaders for a diverse and globally competitive workforce. It is committed to enhancing the cultural and economic development of the state, nation, and world.
About Lubbock:Referred to as the “Hub City” because it serves as the educational, cultural, economic, and health care hub of the South Plains region, Lubbock boasts a diverse population and a strong connection to community, history, and land. With a mild climate, highly rated public schools, and a low cost of living, Lubbock is a family-friendly community that is ranked as one of the best places to live in Texas. Lubbock is home to a celebrated and ever-evolving music scene, a vibrant arts community, and is within driving distance of Dallas, Austin, Santa Fe, and other major metropolitan cities. Lubbock’s Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive overview of the Lubbock community and its resources, programs, events, and histories.