Asst Director of Debate

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Teaching debaters of various skill levels in lecture, discussion, and one-on-one formats.

• Assistance developing argumentative strategies and managing team research.
• Judging and critiquing practice debates.
• Frequent weekend travel, including coaching, judging, and oversight of students at tournament locations.
• Overseeing the recruitment of high school debaters, including occasional travel to scout and meet with recruits.
• Administrative assistance with high school and college tournaments hosted by the debate team.
• Occasional responsibility for administrative matters related to attending tournaments, including entry fees, transportation, and lodging arrangements.
• Administrative assistance with the debate team’s web and social media presence, including the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter/X.
• Works effectively as a team member, embracing and fostering LU’s mission.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES  

This position is responsible for supervising the team’s 2 assistant debate coaches.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualifications:

• Four year college degree.
• Experience in intercollegiate policy debate as a competitor, judge, or coach.
• Strong research skills across a wide range of research sources, including books, journals, electronic databases, and the Internet.
• Competency in Microsoft Word and Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three or more years of experience coaching a National Debate Tournament, Cross-Examination Debate Association, or American Debate Association intercollegiate policy debate team.

ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTION OF THE JOB

Communication and Comprehension

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including a high degree of comfort coaching and teaching college students. This includes the ability to understand, speak, and write English in order to convey messages and correspond in an articulate and professional manner.

• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to maintain a professional and cordial working relationship with colleagues under conditions of extreme competitive pressure.

• Strong organizational skills, including the ability to understand and utilize administrative and supervisory resources.
• Minimum computer competencies required to use Facebook, Twitter/X, and other social media.

Problem Solving

• Able to apply logic, reason, and research to improve the arguments and strategies of our team and to expose weaknesses in the arguments and strategies of our opponents.

Physical and Sensory Abilities

• Frequently required to travel long distances to tournament locations by car, van, bus, and plane.
• Frequently required to sit for extended periods of time to perform deskwork, type on a keyboard, or judge practice and tournament debates.
• Regularly required to hear and speak in order to effectively communicate orally.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and climb stairs to move about the building and tournament locations.
• Frequently required to work hours outside of the normal office schedule, including evenings and weekends.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work Environment

The working environment in which one will typically perform the essential functions of this position is a climate-controlled office setting, in both the debate office and at tournament locations. Work environments are usually well lit and quiet, but tournament work conditions may include high levels of background noise

Driving Requirements

A clean driving record and ability to drive 15 passenger vehicles to and from tournaments is preferred.

Time Type

Location

Pay Range

Compensation is determined based on factors such as qualifications, experience, education, skills, and certifications, along with University needs and external market conditions. Market benchmarks may be used, as appropriate, in combination with internal equity to ensure pay is fair and aligned with the broader compensation structure.

The position may also be eligible for comprehensive benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition assistance.

The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe it is our moral and legal obligation to meet the responsibility of ensuring that all management practices regarding employees are conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner. In compliance with Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and other applicable federal and state statutes, all recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting for all job classifications will be administered without regard to race, color, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, military veteran status or other applicable status protected by law, including state of employment protected classes. It is, therefore, our policy and intention to evaluate all employees and prospective employees strictly according to the requirements of the job. All personnel related activities such as compensation, benefits, transfers, job classification, assignments, working conditions, educational assistance, terminations, layoffs, and return from layoffs, and all other terms, conditions and privileges of employment will be administered without regard to race, color, ancestry, age, sex, national origin, pregnancy or childbirth, disability, military veteran status or other applicable status protected by law, including all applicable state of employment protected classes. The University is a Christian religious-affiliated organization; and as such, is not subject to religious discrimination requirements. The University’s hiring practices and EEO discrimination practices are in full compliance with both federal and state law. Federal law creates an exception to the “religion” component of the employment discrimination laws for religious organizations (including educational institutions), and permits them to give employment practice preference to members of their own religious beliefs.