Athletics Communication Manager

Saginaw Valley State University • Lexington, MA

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Athletics Communication Manager supports strategic communication, branding, and media relations for Saginaw Valley State University Athletics. The position assists with daily Athletic Communications operations and provides comprehensive coverage of NCAA Division II varsity programs through digital media, social platforms, video production, and game-day operations while ensuring compliance with university, conference, and NCAA regulations.

The manager reports to the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications and supervises athletic communications student employees and game-day staff. The role serves as the primary communications contact for assigned sports, maintains athletics web and social media content, produces and distributes multimedia and written coverage, and supports home contests and hosted conference and postseason events. Work takes place in indoor and outdoor athletic environments; weeknights, weekends, and travel are required. Work must be performed within Michigan except for approved competition-related travel outside the state.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, sport management, or a related field.
• 1–3 years of professional or graduate-level experience in athletic communications, media relations, or a related field.
• Experience with desktop publishing, design software, and web publishing platforms.
• Experience updating and maintaining an athletics website; examples include PrestoSports, Sidearm, and SID Help.
• Experience managing social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
• Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to interact positively with members of the campus community.
• Ability to perform essential job functions with or without accommodation.
• Willingness to travel and work nights and weekends.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and throughout employment; the university does not provide employment visa sponsorship for this job classification.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Communications, Public Relations, Journalism, or a related field.
• Previous experience working in NCAA intercollegiate athletics.
• Familiarity with statistical software and NCAA guidelines, such as StatCrew, NCAA Live Stats, and Golfstat.
• Working knowledge of live video streaming platforms, such as Blueframe, FloSports, Stretchcast, and Boxcast.
• Advanced proficiency in graphic design, video production, and photography.
• Knowledge of applicable Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) and NCAA rules and standards.
• Strong written, verbal, and visual communication skills.
• Working knowledge of digital media platforms, social media strategy, and content creation.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team setting.
• Working knowledge of NCAA Division II athletic communications practices.

Responsibilities

• Assist with daily Athletic Communications department operations and support department planning, scheduling, and project execution.
• Follow NCAA ethical conduct and rules-compliance requirements and ensure athletic communications work complies with NCAA, conference, and institutional rules.
• Assist with hiring, training, supervision, and evaluation of student employees; prepare student staff schedules for home contests and special events.
• Maintain and manage content on the SVSU Athletics website, including rosters, schedules, results, statistics, records, and biographies.
• Assist in managing SVSU Athletics social media platforms, including X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Develop and distribute digital content for assigned athletic programs and coordinate GameDay promotional graphics for home and away contests.
• Maintain brand consistency, accuracy, and visual quality across digital platforms.
• Provide live game-day updates for assigned sports, including scoring updates, graphics, lineups, and multimedia content.
• Design, edit, and distribute event materials, including game-day programs, game notes, and digital and print graphics.
• Assist with on-site game-day operations, including statistics, scoreboard integration, and multimedia production.
• Provide communications support for SVSU-hosted conference and postseason events as assigned.
• Serve as primary sport contact for assigned teams: Men’s Soccer, Women’s Soccer, Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Women’s Basketball, Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving, Baseball, and Flag Football.
• Produce and distribute game recaps, news releases, feature stories, and videos for assigned sports.
• Lead department video production, including filming, editing, and distributing content across platforms.
• Coordinate photography and videography coverage for assigned sports and special events.
• Coordinate student-athlete nominations for conference, regional, and national awards as assigned.
• Maintain accurate statistics, records, and historical documentation for assigned programs.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level