HEAVYWEIGHT ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH/FIRST ASSISTANT COACH

Summary of responsibilities

Coaching & Training

  • Daily on-water coaching and technical development

  • Executing training programs (primarily with JV/lower boats)

  • Athlete development, leadership, and mentoring

  • Line-up decisions

  • Coxswain coaching

Recruiting

  • Lead or assist with execution of recruitment strategy

  • On and off-campus recruiting (including walk-ons)

  • Official visit planning and associated paperwork

  • Primary point of contact with PSAs

Travel & Logistics

  • Race/training trip travel planning, including hotels, flights, meals, vans/buses, etc.

  • Home race planning and coordination with internal/external groups (facilities, alumni/parents, development, visiting teams, etc.)

  • Organizing team meals and coordinating with parents on food tents at regattas

Equipment & Facilities

  • Minor boat/equipment maintenance and repair (if a boatman is on staff to oversee major repairs)

  • Boathouse and trailer management

How long has the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant head coach been in this role at your institution?

Does the heavyweight staff have an "associate head coach"?

No, our staff does not include any coaches with the title "associate head coach"

$30,000-39,000 per year

$50,000-59,000 per year

$70,000-79,000 per year

$90,000-99,000 per year

Administrative & Program Support

  • Compliance with NCAA/IRA and university rules

  • Supporting alumni events and fundraising

  • Data and performance tracking (Peach, erg, etc.)

  • Social media and community outreach

Athlete Support & Development

  • Academic monitoring/support

  • Mental health and well-being support

  • Mentorship/personal development

  • Managing relationships with athletic training, compliance, sports nutrition, academic advisors, etc.

Special Assignments

  • Running summer camps and clinics

  • Oversee the fall walk-on program

  • Ordering and managing inventory of team gear

  • Assisting with housing for incoming students and/or athletes staying post-season for IRAs, Henley, etc.

Experience and recruiting

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • The average number of years at an institution for a heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant is currently 3-5 years.

  • The average total number of years of full-time collegiate coaching experience for a current heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant is 5-8 years.

Is the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant USRowing certified?

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section, 32 indicated that their staff doesn’t include any coaches with the title of “associate head coach”, whereas 9 indicated that their top assistant is designated as the associate head coach.

The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

How many total years of full-time, collegiate coaching experience does the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant have?

Yes, our top assistant has the title of "associate head coach"

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 8 associate head coaches/first assistants indicated that they are involved with 25% or less of all recruiting responsibilities

  • 15 indicated that they roughly split recruiting duties with one or more coaches within the program and are involved with ~50% of all recruiting responsibilities

  • 18 indicated they take the lead on all recruiting efforts for the heavyweight team and manages ~75% of all recruiting responsibilities

The average number of days that an heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant spent traveling for recruiting purposes was 9.5 days. 28 indicated that they do no international traveling for recruiting but of the 13 that do, they average around 12 days per year of international recruiting.

In FY25, how many days did/will the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant spend traveling for recruiting purposes?

Of the days spent traveling for recruiting purposes in FY25, how many of those were/will be international?

Salaries, contracts, and bonuses

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 29 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant is a full-time position

  • 10 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant is a 10-month contract

  • 2 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant is a part-time position

The pay structure for all of the full-time and 10-month contract positions was listed as “salaried”, whereas one of the part-time positions was listed as “salaried” (making less than $30k per year) and the other was listed as “hourly” at $14/hour for FY25.

The average FY25 salary range for all heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants was ~$48k-$57k. The average FY25 salary range for assistants with the heavyweight associate head coach title is ~$75k-$83k.

The breakdown below shows each range for all associate head coaches/first assistants grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

If salaried, what is the base range for FY25?

Performance-Based Bonuses

  • Flat amounts for key achievements:

    • $2,500 for a top-8 finish at the IRA

    • $1,000 for each of the following:

    • Team GPA 3.0+

    • Qualifying a boat to IRA

    • Varsity 8+ finishing Top 3 at conference/league races

  • Unspecified amounts for conference championship, Eastern Sprints, and/or IRA performance.

Less than $30k per year

$40,000-49,000 per year

$60,000-69,000 per year

$80,000-89,000 per year

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 31 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants’s salary was university funded

  • 2 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants’s salary was funded through an endowment

  • 2 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants’s salary is funded through fundraising

  • 6 indicated that the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants’s salary was funded through a combination of two or more of the above options

The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

University funded

Fundraising

Endowed position

A combination of two or more of the above options

Of the 6 heavyweight associate head coaches/first assistants whose salary is funded through a combination of multiple funding sources, the splits included…

  • The position itself being endowed (80%) and fundraising (20%)

  • The position itself being endowed (30%) and fundraising (70%)

  • University funding (50%) and fundraising (50%)

  • University funding (50%) and fundraising (50%)

  • Fundraising (90%) and other sources not listed (10%)

  • University funding (70%) and the position itself being endowed (30%)

On average, how frequently does the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant do a compensation review with their supervisor?

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 24 indicated that they annually review their compensation with their supervisor

  • 2 indicated that they review their compensation every 2-3 years

  • 15 indicated that they review their compensation every 4+ years

The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

Annually

Every 4+ years

Every 2-3 years

Generally speaking, does the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant perceive that they are overpaid, fairly paid, or underpaid for the amount and quality of work that they do?

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 29 feel as though they are underpaid relative to their peers

  • 17 feel they are paid fairly

  • 1 feels that they are overpaid

The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

Underpaid

Overpaid

Tuition reimbursement

Paid vacation/sick leave

Paid fairly

How long is the heavyweight associate head coach/first assistant's contract?

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 38 coaches indicated they have a 1 year contract, with the option to renew

  • 3 coaches indicated they have a 2 year contract, with the option to renew

Of the 7 coaches who indicated that they have bonuses built into their contract, the average total (anticipated) additional income ranged from $1k-3k.

1 coach said yes in response to the question asking if anything anything about receiving performance-based bonuses or the structure of those bonuses changed in the last three years, with the reason being that the addition of a bonus to their contract was initiated upon elevation to “associate head coach”.

The conditions for earning a bonus included race results (5), academic achievements of the team (1), and winning the conference championship (1).

Does the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant have a performance-based bonus built into their contract?

In an average year, how much total additional income do these performance-based bonuses provide on top of the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant's base salary?

Tiered Percentage Bonuses

  • Bonuses structured as a percent of base salary, based on postseason success:

    • Up to ~20% of base salary based on race results

    • 2% to 12% bonus for postseason participation/results

Does the heavyweight associate head coach/1st assistant earn additional income from coaching over the summer?

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 15 coaches said yes, through one-day/weekend clinics or short-term school-sponsored camps (either your own or at other institutions)

  • 8 coaches said yes, through summer-long club programs such as Vesper, Penn AC, Craftsbury, etc.

  • 4 said yes, through coaching with the USRowing JNT/U23 team or ODP camp

  • 17 said no, they do not earn any additional income through coaching over the summer

One average this provides an additional $5300-$6k in income.

Traditional and non-traditional benefits

With regards to traditional benefits offered to full-time employees and of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 38 associate head coaches/first assistants indicated they health insurance was part of their benefits package

  • 34 indicated vision/dental insurance was part of their benefits package

  • 31 indicated life insurance was part of their benefits package

  • 35 indicated retirement contributions/401k match was part of their benefits package

  • 27 indicated tuition reimbursement for themselves or their dependents was part of their benefits package

  • 20 indicated paid family leave was part of their benefits package

  • 29 indicated paid vacation time/sick days were part of their benefits package

  • 23 indicated short/long term disability was part of their benefits package

  • 24 indicated that employee assistantance programs, mental health/wellness initiatives, etc. were part of their benefits package

Only two associate head coaches/first assistants indicated that their position was not benefits-eligible.

The breakdown below shows each response grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

Health insurance

Life insurance

Employee assistance programs

Vision/dental insurance

Retirement contributions/401k match

Paid family leave

Short/long term disability

Not benefits eligible

With regards to non-traditional benefits offered to full-time employees and of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 4 heavyweight associate head coach/first assistants indicated they have access to childcare reimbursement, fertility/adoption assistance, etc.

  • 1 indicated they received subsidized commuting or parking

  • 11 indicated that they have access to a dedicated work phone or are reimbursed for their cell phone

  • 1 indicated that they receive housing or housing assistance as part of their benefits package

  • 1 indicated that they have access to a meal plan as part of their benefits package

28 indicated that none of the non-traditional benefits listed were available to them.

The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.

Duties outside of coaching

Of the 41 institutions that participated in this section…

  • 12 indicated that the associate head coach/first assistant has additional department-assigned duties outside of and in addition to their standard coaching duties

  • 29 indicated that the associate head coach/first assistant does not have any additional department-assigned duties

The most common department-assigned duty was game day assistance (i.e. managing the game clock at basketball games), followed by teaching a course (typically a PE class) and facilities management (i.e. swiping people into a building). Other responsibilities included helping in the equipment room during the rowing team’s off-season.

5 associate head coaches/first assistants indicated that they belong to one or more committees or working groups within their department.

  • Student Leadership Committees – Supporting or advising student-athlete leadership groups

  • DEI Committees – Engaging in initiatives with other coaches/admins focused on inclusion within the team, department, or campus

  • Assistant Coaches' Working Groups – Sharing best practices and advocating for the assistant coach role within the department

  • Coach’s Council – Provide input on department-wide policies and culture

  • Various Departmental Committees – Ad hoc groups related to athletics operations, hiring, or wellness

Childcare reimbursement, fertility/adoption assistance, etc

Dedicated work phone or cell phone reimbursement

Subsidized commuting or parking

Meal plan