Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

UMass Boston•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Associate Director of Athletics Communications serves as the strategic communications leader for UMass Boston Athletics, responsible for advancing the visibility, reputation, brand, and storytelling of the institution's athletics programs and leadership through comprehensive media relations, digital content strategy, statistical reporting, and brand management. This position serves as the primary steward of athletics information, ensuring the accurate, timely, and consistent collection, management, and distribution of statistics, records, and content across NCAA, conference, institutional, and public platforms. The Associate Director of Athletics Communications develops and executes a forward-thinking communications and storytelling strategy that elevates the experiences and accomplishments of student-athletes, coaches, and the broader campus community while supporting the institution's mission and commitment to academic and athletic excellence. This role oversees athletics communications operations, including media relations, website administration, social media management, game day communications, content creation, and brand positioning. The Associate Director of Athletics Communications plays a critical role in shaping and enhancing the visual and digital identity of the athletics department through compelling storytelling, writing, photography, graphic design, video production, and multimedia content development. The position also coordinates media coverage, produces promotional and informational publications, and serves as a key liaison between Athletics and institutional communications and marketing partners. This role requires a highly organized, collaborative, and creative professional who balances precision with innovation, possesses strong knowledge of collegiate athletics, and can successfully manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to student development, authentic storytelling, and producing engaging content that reflects the distinctive character and values of the institution and its athletics program.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required.
Minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in athletics communications, sports information, public relations, or a related field required.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to tailor messaging to diverse audiences.
Knowledge of sports statistics as well as the rules and regulations for all intercollegiate sports preferred.
Experience with Boxout, Photoshop, InDesign, Premier and other Adobe Creative Suite software preferred.
Advanced skills in digital content creation, including social media, photography, and graphic design.
High level of organization, accuracy, and attention to detail, particularly in statistical and deadline-driven environments.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced collegiate athletics setting.
Collaborative, relationship-driven approach to working across departments and external stakeholders.
Commitment to student development through mentorship and experiential learning opportunities.
Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and event-based schedules consistent with athletics programming.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Experience in collegiate or professional athletics is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive athletics communications and branding strategy aligned with UMass Boston institutional priorities and strategic plan.
Serve as a strategic advisor to athletics leadership on communications strategy, messaging, media engagement, reputation management, and crisis communications. Lead the department's communications response during sensitive, high-profile, or crisis situations.
Develop and execute comprehensive communications plans for major departmental announcements, high-profile initiatives, institutional milestones, crisis communications, and other strategic athletics initiatives, ensuring coordinated, timely, and consistent messaging across all internal and external audiences.
Provide strategic communications support to the Vice Chancellor for Athletics & Recreation, including executive messaging, speeches, presentations, media preparation, leadership communications, and initiatives that advance departmental priorities and institutional reputation.
Establish and assess key performance indicators (KPIs) related to media exposure, digital engagement, and brand growth.
Analyze communications, website, and social media performance metrics to evaluate effectiveness, identify trends, and inform strategic communications decisions.
Provide direct supervision and leadership for athletics communications staff, contractors, and student employees, setting priorities and ensuring high-quality output.
Supervise, train, and mentor student employees, providing hands-on experiential learning in statistics, communications, digital media, and game day operations.
Manage the Athletics Communications budget, including resource allocation, vendor partnerships, and long-term planning.
Oversee game day communications and statistical operations for all NCAA varsity sports, ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant reporting to the NCAA, conference (LEC), opponents, media outlets, and institutional platforms while maintaining the integrity of historical records and athletics data.
Manage, compile, and archive all athletics statistics and historical records, ensuring consistency, accuracy, accessibility, and integrity across all institutional and external platforms.
Coordinate live statistical services and game day media operations for home athletic events, including press box management, in-game reporting, and support for selected away contests.
Support and enhance game day and event coverage, including live streaming, broadcasting, and real-time digital content delivery to create engaging and accessible fan experiences.
Promote student-athletes for conference, regional, and national awards and recognition opportunities.
Partner with Event Management, Athletics Facilities, Sport Administrators, coaches, and campus partners to coordinate communications, game operations, special events, and promotional initiatives that ensure the successful execution of athletics events and enhance the student-athlete, fan, and campus community experience.
Lead a comprehensive short and long-term social media strategy that integrates storytelling, competition results, and brand identity across platforms. Accountable for growth in media exposure, digital engagement, and brand recognition.
Develop and execute comprehensive short- and long-term social media and digital communications strategies that strengthen the athletics brand, increase audience engagement, and elevate the visibility of student-athletes, coaches, and departmental initiatives.
Serve as primary media relations contact for athletics, managing media inquiries, maintaining media lists, and developing relationships with local, regional, and national sports media outlets to maximize exposure for varsity teams, student-athletes and UMB Athletics.
Write, edit, and distribute athletics communications materials, including game recaps, feature stories, student-athlete profiles, news releases, and hometown stories in accordance with institutional style and branding guidelines.
Contribute to athletics branding and identity initiatives, including implementation and enforcement of visual identity and style guidelines.
Manage and maintain the athletics website as the central communications hub, including schedules, statistics, rosters, coaching biographies, stories, photos, and archival content.
Direct the creation and distribution of multimedia content—including photography, videography, graphic design, live streaming, and digital storytelling—to promote athletics programs and enhance the department's brand across all communication platforms.
Lead social media strategy and execution across athletics platforms, producing daily content that integrates storytelling, competition results, statistics, branding, and audience engagement.
Coordinate and produce athletics publications and promotional materials, including but not limited to game programs, recruiting content, newsletters, and other institutional publications.
Collaborate with campus partners, including Marketing & Communications, Admissions, Public Relations, and Student Affairs, to align athletics messaging with institutional priorities and initiatives.
Ensure compliance with NCAA, conference, and institutional policies related to athletics communications, branding, and statistical reporting.
Assist with planning, coordination, and execution of special events, athletics ceremonies, and recognition programs (including awards and Hall of Fame events).
Perform other related duties as assigned by athletics leadership.
Travel with athletics teams as necessary, with an emphasis on conference and NCAA postseason competition, to provide communications, media relations, and event coverage.