Assistant/Associate Athletic Director Communications

Responsibilities

• The Assistant or Associate Athletic Director for Communications will lead media relations, strategic messaging, game-day communications, and brand visibility across all sport programs.
• Serve as the primary communications and media relations contact for assigned sport programs. Lead media outreach, manage media inquiries, and cultivate relationships with local, regional, and national media, as well as conference offices and campus partners. Provide strategic guidance on communications initiatives and departmental messaging.
• Oversee creation, editing, and distribution of press releases, game coverage, feature stories, and other editorial content. Ensure all messaging aligns with institutional branding, NCAA , and conference guidelines.
• Lead communications operations for home and away events, including press box management, credential support, postgame media coordination, and statistical oversight for assigned sports. Ensure professional and efficient media experience.
• Oversee accurate reporting and maintenance of statistics, rosters, schedules, results, and historical records in compliance with NCAA , conference, and institutional requirements.
• Collaborate with digital, marketing, and creative teams on communications initiatives and provide guidance to student assistants as assigned.
• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for all athletics communications and media relations functions. Develop and implement comprehensive departmental communications strategies aligned with institutional priorities, brand positioning, and external engagement goals. Serve as the primary athletics spokesperson as appropriate and oversee all media outreach efforts across sport programs.
• Oversee the development, review, and approval of all athletics editorial content, including press releases, feature stories, digital communications, and public statements. Establish messaging standards and ensure consistency, accuracy, and compliance with institutional, conference, and NCAA policies.
• Provide leadership oversight for communications operations at home and away events, including press box management, credentialing policies, and statistical reporting systems. Establish operational protocols and supervise staff responsible for execution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, sports management, or a related field
• Three (3) years progressive experience in athletic communications, media relations, or sports information, with a proven track record of leadership in a collegiate athletics environment or an equivalent mix of education and relevant experience in similar role.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, guide, and mentor early-career employees, student assistants, and interns in a fast-paced, results-oriented setting.
• Experience developing and implementing strategic communications plans, overseeing editorial content, and managing media relations for multiple sport programs.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to represent the athletics department professionally to media, conference offices, and campus stakeholders.
• Ability to work evenings, weekends, and holidays to support athletic events.
• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, sports management, or a related field.
• Five (5) or more years of progressive experience in NCAA Division I athletic communications or media relations or an equivalent mix of education and relevant experience in similar role.
• Experience leading or managing a communications team, including full-time staff, interns, or student employees.
• Experience serving as primary media contact at the departmental level and managing media relations for multiple sport programs.

Preferred

• Experience supervising, mentoring, and developing early-career staff, interns, and student assistants.
• Proven ability to develop and implement strategic communications plans across multiple sport programs
• Demonstrated success in managing game-day operations, including press box coordination, credentialing, statistics management, and postgame media activities.
• Experience collaborating with digital, marketing, creative, and external communications teams on brand campaigns and content initiatives.
• Ability to produce and oversee high-quality editorial content, including feature stories, press releases, social media campaigns, and multimedia content.
• Knowledge of NCAA , conference, and institutional communications policies, reporting standards, and best practices.
• Experience leading crisis communications or managing sensitive media situations is a plus.