Director, Athletic Communications

University of Pennsylvania • Philadelphia, PA

2d • $65,628 - $76,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Reporting to the head of External Operations for the Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (DRIA), the Director, Athletic Communications leads all communications, multimedia, and digital strategy efforts for the University of Pennsylvania's 33 varsity programs. The Director manages the Athletic Communications team, guiding media relations, social media, statistics, and storytelling in collaboration with coaches and sport administrators.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required
• Experience working in intercollegiate athletics, professional sports, or similarly complex, high-visibility organizations
• Knowledge of NCAA and/or conference (e.g., Ivy League) communications standards preferred
• Demonstrated success developing and executing comprehensive communications strategies in a fast-paced environment, including media relations, storytelling, and brand positioning.
• Experience establishing workflows, ensuring quality control, and driving consistent messaging across organizational units.
• Demonstrated experience managing digital platforms and content ecosystems (e.g., athletics websites, CMS platforms such as SIDEARM, social media, Adobe creative suite and multimedia integration).

Nice To Haves

• 3 to 5 years experience strongly preferred

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary communications lead for assigned varsity sports, overseeing all aspects of media relations, game notes, statistics, and press coverage.
• Coordinate with head coaches and sport administrators to develop and execute sport-specific communications plans that align with departmental, Ivy League, and NCAA messaging standards.
• Manage press operations for home events and Ivy League or NCAA postseason competitions, ensuring high-quality and consistent coverage.
• Travel with select programs to away competitions to provide on-site communications support and maintain consistent representation of Penn Athletics.
• Lead the Athletic Communications team responsible for public relations, social media, statistics, digital publications, game previews and recaps for all 33 varsity programs.
• Provide strategic direction, mentorship, and professional development to staff, ensuring consistent messaging and brand alignment across all platforms.
• Collaborate closely with head coaches and sport administrators to identify and promote compelling program stories that elevate the profile of Penn Athletics.
• Oversee workflow management, content planning, and quality control to maintain timely, accurate, and engaging coverage of all athletic programs.
• Contribute to the Division's overarching communications, content, and brand strategy in alignment with Penn Athletics’ mission, values, and strategic priorities.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, creative services, and digital media teams to ensure consistent, integrated storytelling across all visual, written, and digital platforms.
• Represent DRIA on Ivy League and institutional working groups related to communications, branding, and multimedia initiatives.
• Serve as the Division’s primary web manager, overseeing all content, updates, and quality control for the Penn Athletics website (PennAthletics.com) in coordination with SIDEARM Sports and the Ivy League.
• Ensure the website reflects Penn Athletics’ brand standards and provides timely, accurate, and engaging information for fans, media, and recruits.
• Collaborate with internal units to support the integration of multimedia content, schedules, and feature stories.
• Partner with the ticketing office to enhance website visibility and functionality, driving increased traffic and revenue generation.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• excellent healthcare
• tuition benefits for employees and their families
• generous retirement benefits
• a wide variety of professional development opportunities
• supportive work and family benefits
• a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources
• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits
• flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars
• Tuition assistance for employee, spouse, and dependent children
• Retirement plans
• Time Away from Work
• Long-Term Care Insurance
• Wellness and Work-life Resources
• Professional and Personal Development
• University Resources
• Discounts and Special Services
• Flexible Work Hours
• Penn Home Ownership Services
• Adoption Assistance

What This Job Offers

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