Director for Athletic Communications

West Texas A&M University • Canyon, TX

6d • Onsite

About The Position

West Texas A&M University is hiring a Director for Athletic Communications in Athletic Administration. The position coordinates media and public relations efforts for assigned teams and oversees the Communications department. Responsibilities include producing and maintaining athletic publications and online content, managing media relations and game-day communications, maintaining statistics and historical records, and supervising staff, students, and volunteer assistants. The role requires work evenings, weekends, and holidays, as well as travel, as needed to meet the athletics schedule.

The university offers eligible employees health and welfare insurance plans, health and lifestyle programs, optional retirement savings opportunities, paid leave, and 13–15 paid holidays annually. The posted position is subject to budget approval.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations, sports management, marketing, or a related field.
• Two years of work experience in a collegiate sports information office.
• Professional experience in athletics communications, sports information, media relations, public relations, journalism, or a closely related field.
• Experience managing websites and social media platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to write and edit high-quality news and feature content.
• Valid driver’s license and qualification to operate a vehicle under TAMUS guidelines.
• Experience with PC-based software, particularly Microsoft Office, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, and Adobe Illustrator.
• Extensive knowledge of NCAA LiveStats and StatCrew applications for football, volleyball, baseball, and basketball.
• Professional writing ability and excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, and strong news judgment and storytelling ability.
• Willingness to work evenings, weekends, and holidays and to travel as required by the athletics schedule.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or pursuit of a master’s degree.
• More than two years of work experience in a collegiate sports information office, professional sports media relations office, or athletic conference media relations office.
• Graphic design experience.
• Streaming audio and video experience.
• Knowledge of NCAA LiveStats and StatCrew applications for football, basketball, soccer, baseball, and softball.
• Knowledge of GolfStat software.
• Familiarity with NCAA guidelines related to media relations and publications.
• Extensive knowledge of Sidearm website editing software.
• Ability to manage staff, graduate assistants, and student workers to achieve departmental objectives.

Responsibilities

• Write press releases, press guides, game programs, and feature articles for assigned sports in a timely manner.
• Keep team rosters and biographies current and maintain regular contact with coaches for assigned sports.
• Compile statistics and report results to the media promptly after events.
• Keep the athletic website up to date before and after competitions.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with local, regional, and national media representatives.
• Serve as a media liaison by coordinating information requests and hosting media at home events.
• Issue media credentials and direct press box operations.
• Coordinate media activities and social media assets for assigned sports, including game-day graphics, score updates, and weekly student-athlete and team recognitions.
• Oversee the maintenance and distribution of statistical records for all sports, including record-book revisions, edits, and updates.
• Oversee the Communications department, including hiring, training, and supervising staff, students, and volunteer assistants.
• Coordinate media and public relations efforts for assigned teams.
• Create and develop record books, recruiting brochures, game previews, and other athletic publications and content.
• Maintain the athletic department website, historical records, and photo archives.
• Gather and maintain statistics for athletes and teams.
• Coordinate and supervise game-day statistics crews and press box or scorer’s-table staff at home events.
• Complete and submit applications and nominations for athlete and coach honors and awards when warranted.
• Complete required System, University, and job-specific online training courses on time.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health and welfare insurance plans.
• Additional health and lifestyle programs.
• Optional retirement savings opportunities.
• Paid leave programs for eligible employees.
• 13–15 paid holidays each year.

What This Job Offers

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