124 New Athletic Trainer Jobs — Monday, June 8, 2026 - and college athletics just took over the board. Plus: the best retirement match we’ve seen in 2,500+ postings.

124 new athletic trainer jobs this week. And the board had a distinctly collegiate feel — 43% of all postings came from college and university programs. Over 20+ weeks of tracking, the average has been around 27%. This week nearly doubled that.

That is worth paying attention to. Late spring and early summer is traditionally when collegiate AT positions open up — end of academic year contracts, budget approvals, staff departures after the school year closes. But a single week at 43% is still notable. It may also be telling us something about the secondary school market, which came in at 21% this week — below its historical average. School districts may be later to post for fall positions than college programs, or the secondary school hiring cycle is simply running behind. Either way, if you are in the secondary school market, I'd expect the board should get more active in your direction over the next few weeks.

The retirement story this week is worth leading with before the picks. Babson College posted a Director of Athletics Performance and Athletic Healthcare Administrator role with a 4-to-1 employer match on mandatory 403(b) contributions. A 4-to-1 match means for every dollar you contribute, the institution puts in four. We have tracked more than 2,500 unique postings on this board. That is the best retirement match we have seen. The full breakdown is in the picks.

Also this week — In the Seat Episode 2 is live. Coweta County Schools in Georgia is the featured employer — a district that recently created a County Director of Sports Medicine role and is actively hiring multiple full-time, non-teaching AT positions. That story and the full interview are linked at the end.

Let’s get into the picks.

Director of Athletics Performance / Athletic Health Care Administrator  |  Babson College

Wellesley, MA  |  $87,274–$96,971 (Annual)

The retirement disclosure here is the most compelling of the year. A 4-to-1 employer match on mandatory 403(b) contributions — for every dollar you put in, Babson puts in four. That is genuinely exceptional and changes the total compensation picture substantially when evaluated against the base salary range. The role carries independent medical authority as the designated Athletics Health Care Administrator, supervisory responsibility over the AT staff, budget oversight, and integration with mental health and nutrition through campus-wide collaboration. Eight to ten years of experience and both BOC and CSCS certifications required. Wellesley is a Boston suburb running above the national average on cost of living, but the retirement structure earns this the top spot regardless. Performance-based bonus eligible on top of salary. Ask about sport assignments, travel expectations, and how physician oversight is structured.

Athletic Trainer / Assistant or Associate Director, Sports Medicine  |  University of Nevada, Reno

Reno, NV  |  $44,756–$104,434 (Annual)

Wide civil service band — the $104,434 ceiling is the top of the classification range for the Associate Director level, not an entry point. The realistic starting salary depends on which tier you qualify for. What earns this a top-two placement is the retirement structure: 19.25% employer matching contribution to the NSHE retirement program with 100% immediate vesting from day one. That is one of the strongest retirement disclosures on the board this year. Tuition benefits for employees and dependents confirmed. Dual career assistance program for spouses or partners. Reno runs close to the national average on cost of living — Nevada has no state income tax, which improves the take-home picture. Ask specifically what tier you would enter at before evaluating any number in this range.

Director of Sports Medicine  |  Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY  |  $78,000–$93,000 (Annual)

Director of Sports Medicine and NCAA Athletics Health Care Administrator for 29 varsity and club teams, supervising four certified athletic trainers. The $78,000–$93,000 range is transparent and competitive for a D-III leadership role. Collaboration with Health Services, Counseling, and Sports Performance built into the model. Preceptor role for a local ATEP adds mentorship dimension. Poughkeepsie runs roughly 10–15% above the national average on cost of living — manageable in context. Five years of experience and New York state licensure eligibility required. No retirement disclosure listed — ask specifically given the director-level scope.

Athletic Trainer  |  Princeton University

Princeton, NJ  |  $70,000–$75,000 (Annual)

Division I Ivy League coverage for Wrestling and Men’s Swimming and Diving at one of the most recognized universities in the country. Physician oversight through University Health Services. Comprehensive benefits package confirmed. Princeton, NJ runs roughly 25–30% above the national average on cost of living — the $70,000–$75,000 range is adequate but not comfortable there. Master’s degree, BOC certification, and New Jersey licensure eligibility required. At least one year of experience. The Ivy League platform and the physician-supervised model are the reasons to apply — go in clear-eyed about what the NJ market costs.

Athletic Trainer — Surgical Orthopedics  |  Essentia Health

Duluth, MN  |  $25.98–$38.97/hr ($54,038–$81,058 Annually)

Monday through Friday, no weekends, no event coverage — that structure is rare for a clinical AT role. Surgical orthopaedics scope including casting, splinting, and advanced procedure support. 401(k) with employer contributions confirmed. Tuition reimbursement confirmed. Duluth is on Lake Superior — cost of living runs below the national average and the city consistently ranks among the most livable in the Upper Midwest. The converted ceiling at $81,058 is solid purchasing power there. Confirm full-time status and ask about the “weekends as needed” requirement noted in the posting — understand the typical frequency before accepting.

FEATURED ROLES OF THE WEEK

These employers have committed resources to enhancing their job's visibility and confirmed their salary ranges.

Industrial Athletic Trainer  |  Moore Wellness Systems  ★ Featured

Cowpens, SC  |  $60,000–$64,000 (Annual)

AT Finder’s staffing partner is back with a new opening in Cowpens, South Carolina. M–F, no nights, no weekends. SIMPLE IRA with employer matching, MedBridge CEU subscription, license and credential reimbursement. Cowpens is in the Upstate South Carolina market near Spartanburg — cost of living runs well below the national average. $60,000–$64,000 is genuine purchasing power in that market. For an AT evaluating the industrial occupational health space in the Southeast, this is a clean and transparently posted opportunity.

In the Seat This Week: Coweta County Schools

In the Seat Episode 2 is live.

This week’s feature is Coweta County Schools in Newnan, Georgia — a district that recently created a County Director of Sports Medicine role and is actively hiring multiple full-time, non-teaching athletic trainer positions. That is a structure you rarely see at the secondary school level in this part of the country.

The In the Seat series exists for exactly this kind of situation. A job posting can tell you the salary and the title. It cannot tell you why four positions opened at the same time, what the administrative support structure looks like, what the day-to-day actually involves, or what the person building the department is like. That is what the interview is for.

If you are an AT in the Southeast evaluating secondary school opportunities — or if you are anywhere in the country and open to relocation to a growing suburban Atlanta market with below-average cost of living — this one is worth your time.

p.s. This Newnan High School may have the nicest high school athletic training facility I have ever seen! Check out the interview to get a sneak peak at the facility.

If your organization is hiring and wants to elevate their posting with a feature in a future episode, reach out at atcfinder@gmail.com.

What's Worth Noting This Week:

NATA Just Made a Smart Move — And It’s Worth Acknowledging

For years, the NATA has struggled with declining in-person convention attendance. Post-pandemic, athletic trainers realized they could satisfy their CEU requirements from home without the $1,500 travel bill. NATA felt that shift like everyone else. The 2026 convention structure suggests they paid attention.

By aligning the Philadelphia convention directly with the BOC’s new 40-CEU Pathfinder framework, NATA has quietly reframed the entire value proposition of their flagship event. The old pitch was “come for the networking, the hotels, and a couple of lectures.” Easy to decline when you’re budget-constrained or fighting for PTO. The 2026 pitch is different: spend four days in Philadelphia and walk out with your entire two-year Pathfinder cycle finished before January. That reframe turns the convention from a professional luxury into an all-in-one compliance transaction. For an AT drowning in a clinical workload, convenience is the ultimate currency.

The structure also does something clever with the hybrid market problem. Historically, offering virtual credits cannibalizes in-person ticket sales. NATA threaded the needle by requiring an in-person pass to access the full 40 credits — 15 on-site, 25 on-demand. If you stay home, you cap at 25. That keeps the exhibition hall full, which keeps 250-plus vendor sponsors happy, while giving attendees a genuine psychological buffer. You can network, touch the new equipment in the Expo, and do the heavy academic work later on your own schedule. Session FOMO is no longer a problem when the on-demand content comes home with you.

The digital reporting piece is also worth noting. Instant credit delivery through EducATe — where a statement drops the moment you finish an on-demand module — eliminates the back-end bottleneck that has frustrated ATs for years. Fewer phone calls to the home office asking why June hours haven’t synced to the BOC by December means less administrative drag for NATA staff and a better experience for the clinician.

Is part of this a marketing play? Sure. But it is a necessary one. In an era where workforce burnout is driving real turnover in this profession, asking clinicians to sacrifice limited time off for a conference that does not directly solve their compliance problem was becoming a harder sell every year. NATA recognized that and built something that respects both the credential requirements and the reality of how ATs actually live their professional lives. That is worth acknowledging.

Until next week — stop looking, start finding.