Communications Coordinator

Australian Athletics; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Australian Athletics in Melbourne is seeking a creative communications professional to join the Marketing and Communications team. You will write media releases, create digital content and pitch stories to media, while supporting events and media operations across national championships and major domestic events.

The role emphasizes storytelling, social content, and audience engagement, with responsibilities spanning media relations, strategy, and corporate communications.

Qualifications

• Experience pitching and securing media coverage.
• Excellent writing and storytelling with strong editorial judgement.
• Solid understanding of social media trends and platforms.
• Experience supporting media operations at events.
• Ideal: qualification in journalism/communications/PR or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Create engaging media releases, interviews and digital content.
• Pitch stories to media and build journalist relationships.
• Support media operations at events and major competitions.
• Plan and deliver social media content with the team.
• Monitor media coverage and social analytics to inform strategy.
• Contribute to corporate communications and stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Media relations

Writing

Social media

Storytelling

Content ideation

Content planning

Adapt tone

Initiative

Collaboration

Education

Journalism/Communications/PR degree

Tools

Canva

Adobe Creative Suite

Job description

Australian Athletics (AA) is the national governing body for athletics, connecting everything from grassroots participation to our Olympic and Paralympic high-performance programs.

With LA 2028 on the horizon and Brisbane 2032 ahead, it’s an exciting time for our sport. We’re looking for a creative, energetic and proactive communications professional to join our Marketing and Communications team and help bring the stories of Australian athletics to life.

We’re after someone who sees a story where others might not. Someone with fresh ideas, who understands what makes great social content, knows how to capture attention and isn’t afraid to try something new.

You’ll be equally comfortable pitching stories to the media, supporting media operations at major events and creating engaging social media content that brings our sport and its people to life.

This is a hands-on role in a small, collaborative team where initiative is valued, creativity is encouraged and no two days are quite the same.

What you’ll be doing

• Create content that connects. Write engaging media releases, interviews and digital content, with an eye for what works across different platforms.
• Bring new ideas to the table. Spot emerging trends, explore creative storytelling formats and help us find innovative ways to reach and engage audiences.
• Support our digital storytelling. Work closely with the broader Marketing and Communications team to plan, create and deliver engaging social media content.
• Find and tell great stories. Identify compelling angles, develop fresh content ideas and bring the personalities, performances and people of athletics to life.
• Make headlines. Proactively pitch stories to sports and mainstream media, building strong relationships with journalists, editors and broadcasters.
• Get amongst the action. Support media accreditation, interviews, press conferences and media operations at national championships and major domestic events.
• Measure what matters. Monitor, analyse and report on media coverage and social media performance, identifying insights, trends and opportunities to improve our content and communications impact.
• Deliver campaigns and communications plans. Help bring event and organisational communications to life, from initial ideas through to execution.
• Support the bigger picture. Contribute to corporate communications, stakeholder engagement, issues management, the Annual Report and Member Association communications.
• Work collaboratively. Support commercial partners and internal teams to maximise storytelling opportunities while maintaining a strong and consistent Australian Athletics brand.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone with great instincts, creative energy and the confidence to make things happen.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• A creative mindset and a genuine passion for finding new and interesting ways to tell stories.
• Strong initiative and the confidence to turn ideas into action without waiting to be asked.
• Solid media relations experience, with the ability to pitch stories and secure meaningful coverage.
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to adapt your tone for media, social, digital and corporate audiences.
• A strong understanding of social media, emerging content trends and what makes audiences stop scrolling.
• Experience developing content, with practical skills in tools such as Canva or Adobe Creative Suite.
• Experience using media monitoring and social media analytics tools to track performance, evaluate results and inform future activity.
• Sound judgement, professionalism and the ability to manage sensitive information.
• Experience supporting media operations at events or in fast-paced environments.
• A collaborative, adaptable attitude and a willingness to roll up your sleeves.
• An understanding of Australian sport and its national and state sporting structures (an advantage).
• A qualification in journalism, communications, public relations or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

A few important things

You’ll need to:

• Demonstrate a commitment to clean sport and comply with AA’s National Integrity Framework suite of policies, Australian National Anti-Doping Policy and Code of Conduct.
• Hold and maintain a valid Working with Children Check and National Police Check, or be eligible to obtain them.

This role involves domestic travel and some evening and weekend work during major competitions and events. Sport doesn’t always happen between 9 and 5, and that’s part of what makes it exciting.

Athletics is full of extraordinary stories, from emerging talent and community champions to Australia’s biggest sporting stars

You’ll have the opportunity to help tell those stories, bring your own ideas to life and make a genuine contribution to how our sport is seen, heard and experienced.

If you’re a natural storyteller with fresh ideas, great media instincts, and the drive to make things happen, we’d love to hear from you.

Australian Athletics, we offer career opportunities for people who share our passion for sport from graduates to experienced professionals. We're committed to building fulfilling careers and growing our team as we grow, and we'd love for you to be part of our journey.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, ages, and genders, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. If you have the skills for this role, we encourage you to apply, and we're happy to discuss any adjustments that would support you through the recruitment process.