Associate Athletic Director, Communications

Location: San Francisco, California
Type: Full-time

About the role

The Associate Athletic Director, Communications will lead the strategic communications, public relations, and storytelling for the University of San Francisco Athletic Department, oversee the communications associated with the men's basketball program, and coordinate content associated with the department's NIL initiatives. This position reports directly to the Director of Athletics and will provide communications support and guidance for other department initiatives, including revenue generation, marketing, ticketing, community and alumni engagement, and special events. The position is also expected to maintain a strong working partnership with the University of San Francisco Office of Communications.

Responsibilities

• Departmentwide Communications and Public Relations:
  • Lead the creation and execution of departmentwide storytelling that enhances branding, increases engagement, and promotes the department's achievements.
  • Coordinate all athletic department public relations.
  • Cultivate productive relationships with media members to elevate the department's national positioning, exposure, and connection with alumni and the local community.
  • Establish the department's integrated communication strategy and ensure adherence.
  • Steer any crisis communication processes in conjunction with the Director of Athletics, Office of Marketing Communications, and other campus partners.
  • Create content that improves messaging and storytelling to internal and external constituents.
  • Develop, enhance, create, and manage the content added to the annual marketing calendar including game and ticket promotions and special events.
  • Supervise social media, website, and creative content.
  • Manage the event broadcast and production processes.
  • Create, enhance, develop, and implement department-wide policies and procedures for internal staff members as it pertains to external communications to improve efficiencies and ensure Athletics meets or exceeds all revenue goals.
  • Manage all athletics communications, creative, and social media staff members.
• Men's Basketball Communications:
  • Oversee the creation and execution of all communications initiatives associated with the men's basketball program.
  • Strengthen relationships and connections with local, regional, and national media members to enhance the awareness, positioning, and engagement for the program.
  • Partner with the coaching staff and student-athletes to enhance program storytelling.
• Community Relations and Alumni Engagement:
  • Work in conjunction with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to create messaging and content that enhances relationships and connects alumni with the USF campus.
  • Serve as a liaison between the Office of Development (including Athletic Development) and the athletic department, especially as it relates to development-related messaging.
  • Support the communication initiatives associated with community engagement.
• NIL:
  • In partnership with the Chief Revenue Officer for Athletics, create and distribute content associated with student-athlete NIL opportunities.
  • Monitor all external NIL opportunities to ensure alignment with department communications strategies and standards.
• Special Events:
  • Oversee the communications related to department special events.
  • Leverage special events to generate awareness and engagement for the department.
• Special Projects:
  • Lead the communications strategies for athletic department special projects, including but not limited to capital projects.
• University Liaison:
  • Maintain strong working relationships with individual campus departments to ensure communication and alignment between the Athletic Department and the University.
  • Ensure athletic department adherence with campus communications standards.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in communications initiatives within sports organizations.
• Strong connections across college athletics media members.
• Demonstrated ability to create and execute programs that enhance awareness, engagement, and positioning.
• Knowledge of name, image, and likeness (NIL).
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and written skills.
• Knowledge of the mission and goals of the Athletic Department and the University of San Francisco.
• Thorough knowledge of NCAA and WCC rules and regulations, and the application of those to all situations.
• Ability to assist and supervise staff in situations that may involve rules violations.
• Ability to supervise and evaluate staff.
• Growth-oriented and self-motivated, and able to autonomously achieve goals.

Pay

Salary range: $70,304–$105,957 annually.