LIGHTWEIGHT HEAD COACH
Summary of responsibilities
Program Leadership
Strategic planning and vision setting for the long term development of the lightweight program
Leadership and oversight of lightweight assistant coaches
Maintain a collaborative relationship with other head coaches in the boathouse
Coaching & Athlete Development
Designing and executing training plans and workouts
Daily practice planning and execution/delegation
Establishing/communicating technical standards
Recruiting
Leading recruitment efforts for future PSAs
Overseeing recruiting visits and communications with admissions, financial aid office, compliance, etc.
How long has the lightweight head coach been in this role at your institution?
Operations & Logistics
Managing team travel, equipment, and trailer logistics, particularly when sharing a trailer with other teams in the boathouse
Responsible for boat maintenance and repair
Budget oversight and fiscal planning, preparing, and monitoring as it relates to verifying expenditures associated with the program
Fundraising & Alumni Engagement
Leading fundraising efforts to support the program
Engaging with alumni to strengthen program support and community ties
Experience and recruiting
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
The average number of years at an institution for a lightweight head coach is currently 8-11 years.
The average total number of years of full-time collegiate coaching experience for a current lightweight head coach is 12-15 years.
Is the lightweight head coach USRowing certified?
How many total years of full-time, collegiate coaching experience does the lightweight head coach have?
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
3 lightweight head coaches indicated that they are involved with 25% or less of all recruiting responsibilities
1 indicated that they roughly split recruiting duties with one or more coaches within the program and are involved with ~50% of all recruiting responsibilities
2 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 a lightweight head coach spent traveling for recruiting purposes was 5 days. 4 indicated that they do no international traveling for recruiting but of the 2 that do, they average around 4 days per year of international recruiting.
In FY25, how many days did/will the lightweight head coach 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 6 institutions that participated in this section…
5 indicated that the lightweight head coach is a full-time position
1 indicated that the lightweight head coach is a 10-month contract
The pay structure for all of the full-time and 10-month contract positions was listed as “salaried”.
The average FY25 salary range for a lightweight head coach was ~$87,500-95k.
All six indicated they feel as though they are underpaid relative to their peers.
All six coaches indicated that they coach within the Eastern Sprints league and are in High COL areas.
If salaried, what is the base range for FY25?
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
4 indicated that the lightweight head coach’s salary was university funded
0 indicated that the lightweight head coach’s salary was funded through an endowment
0 indicated that the lightweight head coach’s salary is funded through fundraising
2 indicated that the lightweight head coach’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.
Of the 2 lightweight head coach’s whose salary is funded through a combination of multiple funding sources, the splits included…
The position itself being endowed (70%) and fundraising (30%)
University funding (20%), the position itself being endowed (50%), and fundraising (30%)
On average, how frequently does the lightweight head coach do a compensation review with their supervisor?
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
1 indicated that they annually review their compensation with their supervisor
3 indicated that they review their compensation every 2-3 years
2 indicated that they review their compensation every 4+ years
The breakdown below shows each range grouped by division, IRA qualifier, and cost of living.
How long is the lightweight head coach's contract?
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
2 lightweight head coaches indicated they have a 1 year contract, with the option to renew
1 lightweight head coach indicated they have a 2 year contract, with the option to renew
1 lightweight head coach indicated they have a 3 year contract, with the option to renew
2 lightweight head coaches indicated they have a 4 year contract, with the option to renew
Of the 4 coaches who indicated that they have bonuses built into their contract, the average total (anticipated) additional income ranged from $2k-$2750.
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, indicating that the amounts received decreased.
The sole condition listed for all four lightweight head coaches was race results.
$5,000 bonus for winning the Ivy League Championship
Unspecified amounts awarded for Top 3 finishes at Sprints and IRAs
Does the lightweight head coach 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 lightweight head coach’s base salary?
Does the lightweight head coach earn additional income from coaching over the summer?
Of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
4 lightweight head coaches said yes, through one-day/weekend clinics or short-term school-sponsored camps (either your own or at other institutions)
1 said yes, through summer-long club programs such as Vesper, Penn AC, Craftsbury, etc.
1 said yes, through coaching with the USRowing JNT/U23 team or ODP camp
2 said no, they do not earn any additional income through coaching over the summer
One average this provides an additional $9500 in income.
Traditional and non-traditional benefits
With regards to traditional benefits offered to full-time employees and of the 6 institutions that participated in this section…
6 lightweight head coaches indicated they health insurance was part of their benefits package
5 indicated vision/dental insurance was part of their benefits package
5 indicated life insurance was part of their benefits package
6 indicated retirement contributions/401k match was part of their benefits package
6 indicated tuition reimbursement for themselves or their dependents was part of their benefits package
3 indicated paid family leave was part of their benefits package
3 indicated paid vacation time/sick days were part of their benefits package
3 indicated short/long term disability was part of their benefits package
4 indicated that employee assistantance programs, mental health/wellness initiatives, etc. were part of their benefits package
With regards to non-traditional benefits offered to full-time employees…
1 lightweight head coach 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
4 indicated that none of the non-traditional benefits listed were available to them.