Advancing Sports & Wellness Opportunities

The University of Denver (DU), founded in 1864, is guided by a bold vision: to be a “great private university dedicated to the public good.” Through our strategic initiatives—DU IMPACT 2025 and DU Forward—we are reimagining the student experience. A cornerstone of this vision is the 4Dimensional (4D) Experience, which empowers students to deepen their intellect, develop their well-being, discover their character, and design purposeful careers and lives.

At the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness, we bring this vision to life by building Pioneers for Life—individuals who lead with excellence, character, and connection. We operate with a championship mindset and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement.

Inspired by the spirit of the Rocky Mountain West, we approach every challenge with optimism, grit, and integrity.
We believe in the power of meaningful relationships—built one interaction at a time—and in creating inclusive spaces that connect the DU community and beyond. That’s why we’re not just focused on the next championship or the future of sports and wellness. We’re focused on your future—and how we can help you build a career and a life you’re proud of.

Position Summary

The Wellbeing Specialist plays a vital role in developing, coordinating, and expanding wellbeing programs at the University of Denver, serving both the Denver campus and the James C. Kennedy Mountain Campus. This position is instrumental in fostering a culture of wellbeing across the DU community by promoting knowledge, practices, and resources that support holistic wellness for students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

The Specialist is responsible for designing and implementing cohesive wellbeing initiatives, including wellbeing pathways, coaching programs, special events, student development opportunities, experiential learning, and wellness resource hubs.

This role requires a deep understanding the experiences within the DU community and a collaborative approach to working with campus partners to elevate existing programs and introduce innovative initiatives. The Specialist also contributes to the 4D Experience by elevating wellbeing into the DU student journey.

This position summary is not designed to capture all activities, duties, or responsibilities required for this position. Responsibilities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time.

Essential Functions

Wellbeing Strategy & Implementation 

• Develop and lead comprehensive wellbeing programs that engage students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other stakeholders.
• Manage the annual wellbeing budget, ensuring strategic allocation of resources to maximize program impact.

Program Development 

• Design and implement a student wellbeing journey, identifying key transition points and support strategies throughout the academic lifecycle.
• Create a parallel wellbeing journey for faculty and staff, focusing on engagement and support at critical touchpoints.
• Partner with academic and research units to provide students with hands-on, wellbeing-focused learning opportunities.
• Develop a menu of wellbeing services and programs that can be activated by campus departments and affinity groups.

4D Experience Integration 

• Collaborate with teams across all dimensions of the 4D Experience to embed wellbeing into student, faculty, and staff engagement.
• Ensure the wellbeing dimension is reflected in experiences for all DU community members, including alumni.
• Produce and distribute monthly wellbeing communications to keep the community informed and engaged.
• Pilot and evaluate new wellbeing modalities to continuously enhance the 4D Experience.

Assessment & Reporting 

• Monitor national and campus wellbeing trends and apply behavioral insights to program design.
• Track participation and engagement metrics; generate reports to evaluate program effectiveness and return on investment.
• Conduct wellness assessments and administer annual wellbeing surveys to inform future programming and strategy.

Partnership Development 

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with wellbeing-related departments and academic units.
• Serve as the primary liaison to Human Resources & Inclusive Community (HRIC) for faculty and staff wellbeing initiatives.
• Collaborate with Advancement/Alumni Engagement to involve recent graduates in wellbeing efforts.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of dedicated wellbeing spaces and resources across campus.
• Curate a comprehensive library of wellbeing resources and events for use by departments and affinity groups.
• Coordinate signature wellbeing events such as the DU Crimson Classic, wellness weeks, faculty/staff wellbeing days at the Kennedy Mountain Campus, and more.

Other duties as assigned

• Support campus-wide events and initiatives, including Rec Night, Homecoming, and Parent & Family Weekend.
• Perform additional duties as assigned to support division or responsibility center goals

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Wellbeing and Health Promotion: In-depth understanding of holistic wellness principles, including mental, emotional, physical, and social wellbeing.
• Higher Education Environment: Familiarity with the structure, culture, and needs of a university community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni.
• Program Design and Evaluation: Knowledge of best practices in developing, implementing, and assessing wellbeing programs and initiatives.
• Behavioral and Social Science Trends: Understanding of current research and trends in wellbeing, student development, and community engagement.
• Program Development: Ability to design and implement engaging, evidence-based wellbeing initiatives tailored to various campus populations.
• Collaboration and Partnership Building: Strong interpersonal skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams, departments, and external partners.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create compelling wellness messaging and reports.
• Event Planning and Coordination: Skilled in organizing and executing events, workshops, and campaigns that promote wellbeing.
• Data Analysis and Reporting: Ability to collect, interpret, and report on wellbeing data to inform strategic planning and continuous improvement.
• Technology Proficiency: Comfortable using digital tools for communication, data tracking, and program delivery (e.g., survey platforms, wellness apps, content management systems).
• Innovate and Adapt: Capacity to develop creative solutions and adapt programs to meet evolving community needs.
• Lead and Influence: Ability to inspire a culture of wellbeing and motivate others to engage in wellness practices.
• Manage Multiple Priorities: Strong organizational skills and the ability to balance multiple projects and deadlines effectively.
• Maintain Confidentiality: Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion, Public Health, Psychology, Recreation, or a related field required.
• Current certification in a wellness-related field (e.g., Certified Wellness Practitioner (CWP), National Wellness Institute Certification, or equivalent) preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of current wellness trends, health behavior change theories, and evidence-based wellbeing strategies.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and evaluate engaging wellness programs.
• Minimum of three (3) years of professional experience in wellness program development, health education, or a related field; experience in a higher education setting is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Public Health, Health Promotion, Recreation, Higher Education Administration, or a related field.
• Advanced certification(s) in wellness or health coaching (e.g., National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)).
• Experience developing and managing wellness initiatives in a college or university setting.
• Proficiency in using wellness assessment tools, data analytics, and program evaluation methods.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with experience delivering workshops or training sessions.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams, including student affairs, human resources, and healthcare providers.
• Knowledge of digital wellness platforms, mobile health apps, or virtual wellness programming.

Working Environment

• Standard office environment.
• Unexpected interruptions occur often and stress level is moderate to high.
• Noise level is quiet to moderate.

Physical Activities

• Ability to work in front of a computer for extended periods of time.
• Occasionally required to move about the office/campus.

Work Schedule
20 hrs/week. Willingness to work occasional evenings or weekends to support events and initiatives.  In accordance with the University’s flexible work policy, this position is eligible to be considered for partial remote work. Further details regarding this plan will be determined with the hiring manager and are dependent on the division and team specific needs.

Application Deadline
For consideration, please submit your application materials by 4:00 p.m. (MST) August 24, 2025.

Special Instructions
Candidates must apply online through jobs.du.edu to be considered. Only applications submitted online will be accepted.

Salary Grade Number:
The salary grade for the position is 10.

Hourly Range:
The hourly range for the position is $31.67 - $36.78

The University of Denver has provided a compensation range that represents its good faith estimate of what the University may pay for the position at the time of posting. The University may ultimately pay more or less than the posted compensation range. The salary offered to the selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information, but not based on a candidate’s sex or any other protected status.

Benefits:
The University of Denver offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, tuition benefit and ECO pass. The University of Denver is a private institution that empowers students who want to make a difference. Learn more about the University of Denver.

Please include the following documents with your application:
1. Resume
2. Cover Letter

The University of Denver is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital, family, or parental status, pregnancy or related conditions, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. The University of Denver does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, creed, disability, sex (including sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression), marital family, and parental status, pregnancy, genetic information, military enlistment, or veteran status, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under federal, state, or local law, regulation, or ordinance in any of the University’s educational programs and activities, and in the employment (including application for employment) and admissions (including application for admission) context, as required by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967; the Equal Pay Act; the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act; the Colorado Protecting Opportunities and Worker's Rights ("POWR") Act; and any other federal, state, and local laws, regulations, or ordinances that prohibit discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation. For more information, please see the University of Denver's Non‑Discrimination‑Statement.

All offers of employment are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a criminal history background check.