Director of Athletic Communications and Marketing

East Stroudsburg University is hiring a Director of Athletic Communications and Marketing! Located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, ESU’s proximity to New York City and Philadelphia provides convenient access to internships, careers and social activities. Just minutes from campus are the country’s largest water parks, scenic Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area, Appalachian Trail, and other opportunities for recreational fun.

The Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing plans and implements programs in communication, publications, and promotions which further the objectives, enhance the image, and increases the generation of revenue for the University’s 22-sport, NCAA Division II athletics program. The Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing targets audiences and finds ways to reach them with information about the University’s student-athletes and athletics teams and develops themes to project the image which the institution is trying to project with its intercollegiate athletics program.

The Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing reports to the Director of Athletics and works with the Director of University Relations in providing support for marketing and institutional development activities to raise funds for scholarships and other athletics needs. The Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing is responsible for supervising a staff of one full-time assistant, 2 graduate assistants/graduate student workers, and several undergraduate student workers.

Your normal hours will be Monday – Friday 8 am to 4:30 pm, however, weekends, evenings, and past normal hours may be necessary. When our team shows up for work, they are energized and motivated to succeed - all while being the most crucial piece to keeping the ESU operations humming.

What Will I Do At ESU? (AKA Essential Duties)

• Gathers and disseminates information on the University’s 22 sports; serves as primary administrator for the athletics website; writes general news releases, game recaps and award announcements in a timely and accurate manner for distribution to a wide audience through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) and other traditional media; produce game notes, event previews, feature stories, etc. on an as-needed basis
• Arrange and serves as host at press conferences for major athletics announcements; serves as official statistician for all applicable home events; completes statistical reports for all sports and distributes them to appropriate conference and national offices; provides information for on-campus distribution on athletics events and activities to faculty, staff, administration, and student body.
• Writes, edits, designs and lays out copy for athletics publications, including a media guide for football; designs and produces schedule cards and posters, and supervises their distribution throughout campus and community; prepares printed game programs of home athletic contests when appropriate; provides content for seasonal Alumni Herald magazine; aids in the creation of brochures for a variety of athletic department fundraising events throughout the year, including summer golf outings; aids in the promotion of team fundraising initiatives, including summer camps and clinics.
• Organizes and orchestrates Athletic Awards Banquet or similar function attended by coaches and student-athletes in all sports; organizes and coordinates Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet honoring great athletes, coaches, and teams of the past; supervises video broadcasts for home events, with a long-term vision to live stream all sports; schedules photography coverage for all athletics programs; hires radio and television broadcasters for all football games, select basketball games and other sports on an as-needed basis during postseason play; arranges, organizes and coordinates special recognition events for championship teams in any of the university’s sports.
• Issues press credentials, photography passes ,and sideline credentials for all major athletic contests played at home; arranges interviews for athletes and coaches with both print and electronic media; develops relationships with local, regional, and national media, and utilizes those relationships to ensure extensive, positive coverage of the University; serves as host to visiting press at all home games; helps secure working space for visiting press after contests; arranges and provides game action photographs for media when requested.
• Serves as resource person for athletics office and more than 50 administrators and coaches and 700 student-athletes on public relations approaches and possible problems; talks to student-athletes on their responsibility toward the media and the media’s role in covering the university’s athletics events; attends conferences, regional and national organizational group meetings designed to further knowledge and skills required to be successful in collegiate athletics communications; follows nationwide trends in the industry to remain current in an ever-changing media environment; travels to postseason events when necessary.
• Supervises a budget which provides for all work conducted by the athletic communications office in a fiscally responsible manner; prepares budget requests for athletic publications; solicits bids from outside companies for athletics awards, event posters, football programs and other content produced by the athletics office.
• Maintains up-to-date records on all sports and all student-athletes; handles extensive requests for information on school’s athletics programs; serves as historian for athletics activities at university by maintaining digital files on past athletics events; maintains up-to-date email lists of area media for release distribution. In administering the entire public relations effort of the athletics program, the Director of Athletic Communications & Marketing directly supervises own staff and arranges and handles all functions of the office.
• Performs related work as required.

What We're Looking For (AKA Qualifications)

• A baccalaureate degree in an appropriate field and at least three years in positions in public relations, media relations, or journalism; proven writing and press relations skills.
• Willingness to work weekends, evenings, and beyond normal hours.
• Personal skills necessary to work effectively and without conflict with student-athletes, coaches, and administrators; knowledge and the use of computer technology (Adobe Creative Cloud, Stat Crew or other similar statistical program, Microsoft Office, etc.) required; supervisory skills highly recommended; must be creative and resourceful.
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and comprehend English; able to create clear verbal and written messages.

What We Offer

- Outstanding benefits package including medical from date of hire, retirement contributions, employee wellness program, and paid leave.

- Living by the Warrior Code:

• Accountable for One's Actions
• Committed to Self-Growth
• Willing to Sacrifice for the Greater Good
• Positive, Honest, and Loyal
• Respectful of the Environment and Community
• Dedicated to Empowering Others

We believe diversity, inclusion and belonging is key for our teams.
Much like our academic programs, we are proud to foster a workplace that is unique to higher education. As an organization focused on diversity, inclusion and belonging, we are committed to ensuring our employees are comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work every day. A unique perspective is critical to solving complex problems and inspiring others.

And yes, legal made us spell this out…
Must be at least 18 years old and have English literacy skills. Employment with ESU is contingent on the selected candidate passing a thorough background check that includes: FBI fingerprinting, PA Child Abuse, and employment. We are proud ESU is an equal opportunity employer. For more information on President Long's 10-point plan, click here: https://www.esu.edu/president/10-action-plan.cfm

Job Type: Full-time

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person