The Assistant Director of Athletic Communications will report to the Director of Athletic Communications. This is a full-time, 10-month, benefits eligible position. This position plays a key role in the messaging, branding, and celebration of Alfred University Athletics, its student-athletes, coaches, and athletic department, through various digital platforms and game day operations. The department currently sponsors 27 sports with approximately 600 student-athletes and continued growth ahead.
The Assistant Director of Athletic Communications will be responsible for handling day-to-day media relations, event coverage, and game day statistics, preparing news releases, writing articles related to assigned sports, designing and producing digital game day programs, creating video content and graphics for the athletic website (i.e., www.gosaxons.com) and social media channels {e.g., lnstagram, Facebook, X), designing recruiting materials and recruiting-related digital graphics, nominating individual student-athletes for awards and post-season honors, developing and implementing live video production and directing live streamed events, creating audio and visual content for videoboards, ensuring the correct usage of Alfred University Athletic brands, marks, and logos, and assisting in the maintenance of the Athletics Department website.
The Assistant Director of Athletic Communications will supervise and evaluate athletic communications graduate assistants, student workers, and game-day workers.
Salary: $50, 918-$53,850 Annually; Full-Time 10-month position
Essential Functions:
- Supervise and evaluate graduate assistants and student workers
- Maintain and create content, including press releases, graphics and video content, for athletics website, social media channels, and videoboards
- Design recruiting materials and recruiting-related digital graphics
- Maintain statistical software for NCAA-mandated statistics and report all contests to the NCAA and other affiliated organizations
- Manage day-to-day media relations for assigned sports
- Oversee game day statistics, game day stats crew, public address announcer, scoreboard operations, digital game day programs, post-game interviews, press releases, and submission of statistics
- Direct production of live stream athletic events for assigned sports
- Assist coaches in video content and graphics for sport-specific social media channels
- Nominate student-athletes for awards and post-season honors
- Assist in oversight of proper use of Alfred University Athletic brands, marks, and logos
Other Duties & Responsibilities:
- Create and combine content for athletics enewsletters
- Support department-wide events and initiatives {e.g., Hall of Fame, The Alfy's, Saxon Golf Classic)
- Serve on department and campus committees
- Support and assist in creating intersections for faculty, staff and students that will assist in transforming student's lives
- Support and assist in creating an evolving culture of mentoring and rich engagement opportunities for faculty, staff, and students
- Maintain a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and a high degree of cultural competence and respect for a wide range of identities and experiences, therefore welcoming and supporting all faculty, staff and students and expanding access to the AU experience
- Maintain a safe working environment within and around their facilities and associated equipment and supplies including, but not limited to, obtaining Safety Data Sheet {SDS) information pertaining to any hazards associated with their work environment
- Participate in all required assigned training, including safety training and will comply with safety rules, regulations, and protocols
- Effective written and oral communication skills
- Contribute to the overall success of the University by performing other duties as assigned
Qualifications-Education & Experience, Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities
- A master's degree in communications, journalism, sport management, business, or a related field is required
- A minimum of 2 years' experience in collegiate and/or professional athletics communication is required
- Strong graphic design and digital media background
- Proficient in Presto Stats, Adobe Photoshop, lnDesign, Premiere Pro and other pertinent software
- Knowledge of working with Sidearm websites
- Knowledge of live stream production
- Knowledge of NCAA Division lll rules
- Must possess effective written and oral communication skills as well as the ability to edit the English language
- Must possess organizational skills, have initiative, and be able to work independently
- Ability to think creatively and engage a variety of stakeholders, including student-athletes, coaches, alumni, parents, and on-campus groups
- Must be able to mentor college student workers for personal and professional development
- Ability to build relationships and work effectively with others
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment that includes night and weekend hours
- Ability to travel with teams occasionally
Physical Demands & Work Environment:
The responsibilities of this position are performed in an office environment as well as on the sidelines and in press boxes. Routine walking to other campus buildings, offices, and athletic venues on campus, along with driving to off-campus venues in Alfred, New York as well as to opposing schools are physical demands of this position. The position includes prolonged periods of sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to lift 20 pounds.
Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 am – 4:30 pm; however, the position will require night and weekend commitments during the academic year. Personal Protective Equipment must be worn when required. A respiratory function test and the ability to use respirators may be required. Stairs and uneven surfaces may be present; artificial lifts, etc. may or may not be available. The position may require the incumbent to walk outdoors in all types of weather to other buildings or offices located on the campus. The Campus is located in an area that contains numerous hills and slopes and may not always be fully accessible for mobility impaired individuals.
About Alfred University:
Lighting the way for students since 1836. “We've always been a place for makers, especially those who make the future. Our commitment to independent thinking, creativity, academic rigor and community have made us a unique kind of leader since 1836.”
Alfred University {AU) was founded on principles of social justice in 1836 by liberal, independent thinkers who placed high value on education for all citizens. The University has retained and built upon the strong values of its founders, developing as an institution of national and international renown that is responsive to the needs of contemporary society while remaining consistent with the spirit of its origins. Alfred University is the second oldest coeducational college in the United States as well as one of the earliest nineteenth century colleges to have enrolled African American and Native American students. It has a long-standing history of educating socially conscious students who make a difference in their professions and their communities.
Over the course of the twentieth century, Alfred University evolved into a complex institution offering a full range of programs in the liberal arts and sciences, art and design, engineering, business, education, counseling, and school psychology to its nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students that live, learn, and play on a 232-acre campus located in an idyllic, creative valley in Western New York. To learn more, visit alfred.edu .
Alfred University actively subscribes to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and will not discriminate against any employee, student or applicant because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry or national origin, marital status, genetic information, military or veteran status, domestic violence victim status, criminal conviction status, political affiliation or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
