Director of Adaptive Sports

Reports to: President & CEO
Location: Columbus, Ohio (local presence required)
Status: Full-Time

About Adaptive Sports Connection
Adaptive Sports Connection (ASC) is a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to advancing dignity, belonging, challenge, and safety through adaptive sports and outdoor experiences. ASC serves veterans, adults, and children with disabilities and their families through year-round programming and community pathways.

Position Summary
The Director of Adaptive Sports leads ASC’s Deliver engine – the core system through which the mission is experienced directly through sport. This role ensures that every adaptive sports experience is safe, high-quality, and meaningful while building the capacity to serve more athletes over time. The Director stewards ASC’s adaptive sports portfolio, program delivery, volunteer instructor readiness, equipment and operational readiness, and sport-specific quality standards. The role works closely with Partnerships & Growth, Community Experience, and Operations to ensure that growth aligns with capacity and strengthens, rather than disrupts, the athlete experience.

Key Responsibilities

Adaptive Sports Portfolio & Program Delivery

• Lead ASC’s Deliver engine and steward the core adaptive sports portfolio
• Maintain clarity on priority sports, program structure, and what ASC does and does not offer
• Ensure programs are safe, structured, repeatable, and aligned with athlete needs
• Design sport experiences that build confidence, competence, and connection

Capacity & Utilization Management

• Define and monitor true capacity by sport, season, session, and location
• Manage schedules, sessions, and utilization to maximize participation within available capacity
• Identify and address waitlists, unused capacity, and delivery constraints
• Align instructional supply, equipment, and program logistics with athlete demand

Volunteer Instructor Capacity & Quality

• Build and maintain a reliable volunteer instructor delivery system
• Ensure sport-specific onboarding, training, and readiness standards are in place
• Support volunteers so they are prepared, confident, and effective in delivery
• Promote consistency across instructors, sports, and program experiences

Equipment & Operational Readiness

• Ensure equipment availability, maintenance, and readiness for safe program delivery
• Coordinate sport-specific setup, logistics, and operational requirements
• Partner with Operations to ensure systems and resources reliably support delivery

Safety, Quality & Athlete Experience

• Maintain clear safety and quality standards across adaptive sports programs
• Monitor the consistency and quality of the athlete experience in sport
• Surface risks, incidents, and recurring delivery issues early
• Use participation, utilization, and experience data to support continuous improvement

Leadership Responsibilities

• Align program delivery with organizational strategy and athlete experience priorities
• Partner with Partnerships & Growth to ensure demand does not exceed capacity
• Partner with Community Experience so events and environments complement sport delivery
• Elevate constraints and recommend focused improvements before adding complexity
• Contribute to strategic planning and organizational direction

Qualifications

Required

• Experience leading adaptive sports, recreation, outdoor programs, or a related mission-driven portfolio
• Demonstrated ability to manage program quality, safety, logistics, and capacity across multiple activities
• Experience recruiting, training, or supporting volunteers, instructors, or coaches
• Strong organizational judgment with the ability to prioritize effectively
• Ability to use data to identify constraints, improve utilization, and guide decisions
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills

Preferred

• Experience in adaptive sports, disability services, recreation therapy, or outdoor education
• Familiarity with sport-specific equipment, accessibility, and risk management
• Experience working in nonprofit, community-based, or growth-stage organizations
• Experience building repeatable systems across multiple programs or locations

Leadership Attributes

• Protects safety and quality while enabling sustainable growth
• Thinks in systems, capacity, and constraints – not just individual programs
• Balances consistency with practical flexibility
• Values volunteers as an essential part of the delivery system
• Maintains focus and avoids unnecessary fragmentation
• Leads with clarity, accountability, and athlete-centered judgment

Why This Role Matters
This role ensures that:

• Every athlete receives a safe, high-quality, and meaningful sport experience
• Volunteers are prepared and supported to deliver consistently
• Capacity is understood and actively managed
• Waitlists and growth pressures are addressed through focused improvement, not unnecessary complexity
• ASC’s credibility as an adaptive sports provider is protected as the organization grows

The Director of Adaptive Sports ensures that ASC can serve more athletes over time without sacrificing the integrity of the sport experience.