The Giants and John Harbaugh made a significant addition to their front office with the hiring Wednesday of Dawn Aponte to the role of senior vice president of football operations and strategy, The Post confirmed. Aponte becomes the highest-ranking woman ever for the Giants on the football operations side of the organization. 

Aponte will be the chief contract negotiator and salary cap strategist. The role for the past 27 years was filled by Kevin Abrams, who was let go shortly after Harbaugh was named the 21st head coach in Giants history. 

A Staten Island native, Aponte has a long and varied résumé in the NFL and is part of the Bill Parcells tree, getting her start in the league as an accounting intern with the Jets when Parcells was the general manager. Aponte has also worked for the Browns and Dolphins. Her time in Miami coincided with Giants general manager Joe Schoen’s tenure with the Dolphins. Most recently, Aponte since 2017 worked for the NFL as the chief administrator of football operations. That made her the highest-ranking woman in NFL operations. 

Dawn Aponte announces a selection at the 2025 NFL Draft.Dawn Aponte announces a selection at the 2025 NFL Draft. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Aponte has never previously worked with Harbaugh. She graduated from Delaware with a degree in accounting, received her MBA at Wagner College and her law degree from New York Law School. In 2024, she interviewed for the Chargers general manager position and in 2025 she interviewed for the Jets GM job. 

Aponte spent 12 years with the Jets, rising through the ranks while working with Parcells, Bill Belichick and Mike Tannenbaum. She served as a salary cap analyst, pro personnel assistant and manager of football administration.

Aponte left the Jets in 2006 to work for the NFL as the vice president of labor finance for the league’s management council. After three years, she moved on to the Browns for two years and the Dolphins for seven years.

In Miami, Aponte worked with general manager Dennis Hickey, who is currently with the Giants as their assistant director of player personnel. 

The Cardinals requested an interview with Giants outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen for their defensive coordinator position. Bullen and tight ends coach Tim Kelly were the only two assistants off Brian Daboll’s staff to be retained by Harbaugh.