Assistant Director, Athletic Media Relations

Socket.dev; Ypsilanti (MI); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Eastern Michigan University is seeking an Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations to lead media activities across 18 sports, coordinate social media and graphics, and maintain the athletics website.

The role requires a bachelor's degree, at least two years in sports information or public relations, and strong design and video skills. The position involves travel with teams, staff supervision, and crisis communications support.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Minimum two years full-time collegiate or professional sports info/PR experience.
• Graphic design with Adobe Creative Cloud required.
• Ability to create/update graphics with Photoshop and InDesign.
• Experience with Stat Crew and NCAA Live Stats.
• SIDEARM web editing experience required.
• Ability to shoot/edit video.
• Knowledge of NCAA rules for athletic communications.

Responsibilities

• Oversee media relations for 18-sport program, with direct involvement in at least two programs.
• Promote sports via press releases, notes, previews and recaps using InDesign.
• Maintain EMU Athletics pages at EMUEagles.com.
• Create/edit video content for site and social media.
• Supervise press operations and manage student staff.
• Coordinate publicity for awards and nominations.
• Report statistics and nominations to conferences and national offices.
• Travel with EMU teams for media coverage as needed.
• Prepare game notes packets for assigned sports.
• Serve as statistician, historian, and photo archivist.
• Develop content strategy with other departments.

Skills

Graphic design

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe InDesign

Video production

Social media management

Media relations

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Cloud

SIDEARM web editing

Stat Crew

Genius (NCAA Live Stats)

Job description

Title: Assistant Director, Athletic Media Relations

Employee Classification: PE - Professional/Technical Exempt

Pay Grade: PT 07

Division: VP Dir Intercollegiate Athletics

Subdivision:I A Sport Info

Department: Intercollegiate Athletics

Campus Location: Main Campus

General Summary

This individual serves as a media relations contact for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in addition to helping lead the department's social media and graphic design strategy. Specific responsibilities include but are not limited to: coordinating all media relations activities relevant to assigned sports, including social media, website and game management, serving as the liaison between the local and national media and our student athletes, and maintaining statistics and records for all assigned sports.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee media relations for the department's 18-sport athletic program, including direct day-to-day involvement with at least two programs.
• Promote the assigned sports through traditional media relations means, including press releases, notes, previews, and recaps, using Adobe InDesign desktop publishing software.
• Maintain and upkeep the assigned sports pages on the official website of EMU Athletics, EMUEagles.com.
• Create, edit and produce video content for the website, social media, and ESPN3/ESPN+
• Supervise the press operations for the assigned sports. Ensure that an adequate staff of student-assistant workers are assigned specific roles and are available to assist with media coverage of the home events.
• Coordinate the publicity efforts to direct media attention toward student-athletes and coaches being considered or nominated for special awards or recognition.
• Report statistics and award nominations to the conference and national offices.
• Travel with EMU teams as needed to handle media relations.
• Prepare game notes packets for assigned sport(s).
• Serve as the assigned sports statistician, historian and photo archivist.
• Work closely with other departments in developing an overall content management strategy for the assigned sports.
• Serve as University liaison with other institutions that we compete against.
• Approve media credential requests as needed.
• Serve as department's secondary spokesperson in crisis situations.
• Serve as liaison with the Division of Communications.
• Carry a cell phone and be available to media and athletics staff at all hours, including holidays.
• Adhere to any and all NCAA, Mid-American Conference and Eastern Michigan University policies, rules, regulations, and operational procedures.
• Attend meetings and represent the Department on committees and planning groups.
• Perform related departmental duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required.
• A minimum of two years full-time collegiate or professional sports information, media relations or public relations experience required.
• Graphic design experience and working knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud is required.
• Ability to create and update graphics using Adobe Photoshop and documents using Adobe InDesign is required.
• Direct experience with Stat Crew (Automated Scorebook) and/or NCAA Live Stats (Genius) is required.
• Experience with SIDEARM web-editing software is required.
• Ability to shoot and edit video is required.
• Demonstrated knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations as they pertain to athletic communications along with NCAA approved statistical procedures for basketball, football, and volleyball is required.
• Experience with interview techniques and the ability to define and deliver media messages is necessary.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain professional relationships with external media outlets is necessary
• Must possess strong written and verbal communication skills, game-day management experience, and a proficiency in InDesign, Photoshop and social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
• Some experience with managing media relations for a high-profile sport at the NCAA Division I level is highly desired.
• Understanding of other external related functions in athletics including marketing, development, and licensing are desirable

Preferred Qualifications

Special Instructions

Appointment Percentage

100%