Associate Athletic Director for Communications

University of North Texas System•Denton, TX

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of North Texas competes as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the American Athletic Conference. North Texas’ athletic programs are classified as NCAA Division I, the largest and highest division among all colleges and universities. The 46,000 square-foot Athletic Center located off South Bonnie Brae Street is the centerpiece of North Texas athletics. Athletics strives to conduct a competitive athletics program that promotes faculty, staff, student and community affiliation and participation with the North Texas Athletics. Provide facilities which attract the highest level of talent and allow student-athletes to perform at the highest level in practice and during competition. UNT Athletics is seeking an experienced, strategic leader to serve as Assistant or Associate Athletic Director for Communications. Reporting directly to the Senior Associate AD for External Relations, this individual will be the department's lead voice and strategist for Communications, Sports Information, and Media Relations across all Mean Green Athletics. This is a senior communications leadership role responsible for full oversight of the Communications/SID unit, department-wide public relations and crisis communications, and the strategic direction of how UNT Athletics tells its story to fans, media, and the national college athletics landscape.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in in related field and four years of related experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
Thorough knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and regulations
Strong news judgment and crisis-communications instincts
Ability to manage multiple deadlines across sports and seasons simultaneously
Strong leadership, writing, and relationship-building skills
Sound judgment under the pressure of live events and competing media demands
Significant progressive experience in collegiate athletics communications or sports information, including experience leading or supervising staff.
Thorough knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and regulations.
Excellent writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated experience managing media relationships and crisis communications.
Ability to work a variable schedule, including evenings, weekends, and travel based on the competition calendar.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in journalism, communications, sport management, or a related field.
Experience at the NCAA Division I FBS level, ideally within a Power Four or Group of Six conference.
Experience managing a multi-sport communications/SID staff.
Familiarity with NCAA and conference statistics and reporting platforms.

Responsibilities

Oversee public relations and crisis management communications for the athletics department.
Identify and implement new and creative strategic communications plans for the department.
Serve as the department's communications and public relations contact for student-athletes, coaches, and administrators with external constituents.
Actively promote and publicize key department and program messages while cultivating relationships with local, regional, and national media.
Fulfill media requests for interviews and information in a thorough and timely manner, developing and maintaining positive relationships with the media that covers Mean Green Athletics.
Provide full oversight of the Communications/SID unit, including staffing, workflow, and quality standards across all sport programs.
Coordinate media operations for home events across assigned sports, including reporting game results and ensuring events run efficiently and effectively.
Assist and support other communications staff with media operations for additional events, including home and away contests, as needed.
Produce and oversee press releases for assigned sports efficiently and on deadline, ensuring compliance with conference and NCAA deadlines for information and award nominations.
Maintain permanent record-keeping and historical archives for UNT athletics programs.
Assist the Associate Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, Vice President/Director of Athletics, and Senior Associate AD for External Relations with the planning and execution of special projects, events, promotions, and presentations that span communications, marketing, and creative.
Partner closely with marketing, creative services, and broadcast leadership to ensure a consistent, elevated brand voice across every fan and media touchpoint.
Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing communications and sports information staff.