Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing - 998965

Drake University; Iowa (LA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Drake University is seeking an Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing to develop and execute a comprehensive marketing and ticket sales plan for sports. The role involves managing social media campaigns, email marketing, and campus engagement to drive attendance and revenue.

Expect nights, weekends, and potential holidays as part of the intercollegiate schedule. Reporting to the Director of Athletics Marketing, you will lead game-day operations, coordinate promotions, and supervise student

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, sports management, business, public relations or related field.
• At least 1 year of relevant experience in collegiate athletics or sports marketing.
• Experience assisting with athletics marketing, fan engagement, promotions or game presentation.
• Ability to increase attendance and revenue through marketing and promotions.
• Experience coordinating game-day elements such as promotions, music, and in-venue entertainment.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to supervise student workers and game-day staff.
• Working knowledge of social media platforms and their use in marketing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute marketing and ticket sales strategies for assigned sports.
• Lead game-day marketing operations and promotions.
• Create social media content and oversee email marketing campaigns.
• Coordinate promotional assets across email, digital, and in-venue channels.
• Develop on-campus student engagement plans to boost attendance.
• Hire and supervise student mascots, interns, and game-day staff.
• Support budgets and vendor coordination.

Skills

Communication

Time management

Social media

Office software

Detail oriented

Staff supervision

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Canva

Asana

Job description

Title: Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing - 998965

Position Number: 998965

Unit/Department: Athletic Marketing

Salary: Commensurate with qualifications and experience

Department Summary:

Drake University's Athletics Department competes in the Missouri Valley Conference at the NCAA Division I level. Bulldog student-athletes thrive in the classroom and their respective field of play. Drake Athletics sport programs are considered Des Moines' Hometown Team.

The department culture is predicated on a common value statement known as The Bulldog Way written by coaches, staff, and student-athletes. This intentional commitment to a championship culture is led by integrity, excellence, wanting the best for and best from one another, and aspiring to greatness provides a foundation for student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff to study, work, and play.

Job Summary:

Drake Athletics is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the opening of Assistant Director of Athletics Marketing. Reporting to the Director of Athletics Marketing, the Assistant Director will be responsible for developing, implementing and executing a comprehensive marketing and ticket sales plan for sports as assigned. The Assistant Director also utilizes official social media platforms and assists in overseeing email marketing campaigns to engage fans by delivering entertaining and informative content and is charged with administering a campus marketing strategy to increase student engagement. This position will work nights, weekends, and possibly holidays. Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, sports management, business, public relations or a related field (Required.)
• At least one (1) year of relevant experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports, event marketing, sports marketing or a comparable environment. Graduate assistant, internship and significant student-worker experience may count toward this requirement.
• Demonstrated experience assisting with or executing athletics marketing, fan engagement, promotions or game presentation.
• Ability to develop and execute marketing and promotional plans designed to increase attendance, enhance the fan experience and support ticket revenue goals.
• Experience coordinating game-day elements such as promotions, scripts, music, in-venue entertainment, student engagement, spirit groups, giveaways and special presentations.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, events and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with coaches, student-athletes, staff, students, vendors and external partners.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to supervise, schedule and provide direction to student workers and game-day personnel.
• Working knowledge of digital and social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and X) and their application to sports marketing and fan engagement.
• Proficiency with standard workplace productivity tools, including Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace.
• Ability and willingness to work nights, weekends and holidays as required by the intercollegiate athletics schedule.
• Commitment to the standards and values of Drake University, the Missouri Valley Conference, Pioneer Football League and NCAA.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel locally as required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Two (2) or more years of progressively responsible experience in collegiate athletics, professional sports or a comparable sports/event marketing environment.
• Previous experience serving as the primary marketing or game-presentation contact for one or more sports, teams or major events.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing comprehensive marketing plans that support attendance, ticket sales, fan engagement, brand awareness and revenue-generation goals.
• Previous experience with email marketing, including development of targeted campaigns, audience segmentation, content creation, data analytics, scheduling and evaluation of campaign performance.
• Experience with digital advertising platforms, including paid social media, search, display or other audience-targeted advertising campaigns.
• Experience developing and executing promotions, theme nights, giveaways, community-engagement initiatives and other strategies designed to enhance the fan experience.
• Experience writing and coordinating game scripts, run-of-show documents, in-venue promotions and other game-presentation elements.
• Previous experience managing special events, including coordination of vendors, contractors, permits, budgets, event logistics and promotional plans.
• Experience recruiting, scheduling, training and supervising student employees, interns, volunteers or game-day staff.
• Experience working collaboratively with ticket sales, athletics communications, video production, corporate partnerships, development and other external-facing units within an athletics organization.
• Experience working directly with coaches and sport administrators to establish marketing priorities to develop and execute sport-specific promotional plans.
• Experience coordinating spirit squads, bands, mascots, student organizations or other groups that contribute to game atmosphere and fan engagement.
• Working knowledge of ticketing and customer relationship management systems and the use of audience data to support marketing and ticket-sales strategies.
• Experience using analytics and performance metrics to evaluate marketing campaigns, attendance initiatives and fan-engagement efforts.
• Familiarity with graphic design, content-creation or project-management platforms such as Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, Asana or comparable tools.
• Demonstrated ability to build productive relationships with campus organizations, community partners, vendors and other external stakeholders.
• Experience managing budgets, processing invoices and purchase orders, negotiating with vendors and tracking expenditures.
• Knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations and previous experience working within an NCAA Division I athletics department preferred.
• Demonstrated creativity, initiative and ability to independently identify opportunities to grow attendance, improve the fan experience and strengthen the connection between an athletics program and its campus and community.

Job Duties:

• 20% - Develop and execute comprehensive marketing and ticket sales strategies for assigned sports in collaboration with the Director of Athletics Marketing and Athletics Ticketing, with an emphasis on increasing revenue, raising attendance, and enhancing in-game promotions to maximize the fan experience. - (Essential)
• 20% - Lead athletics marketing game-day operations for assigned home athletic events, including event scripting, promotional activities, contests, music, and other fan engagement initiatives. Coordinate with corporate sales and event partners to ensure successful execution of sponsorship activations and promotional elements while delivering a consistent and engaging fan experience. - (Essential)
• 15% - Develop and execute marketing focused social media content and campaigns for assigned sports and designated department properties, including the Drake Relays, Drake Road Races and Grand Blue Mile, in collaboration with Athletics Communications and the Director of Athletics Marketing. Manage the development, execution and scheduling of athletics email marketing campaigns, including audience segmentation, content development, creative coordination and performance analysis, to drive ticket sales, attendance, fan engagement and revenue. - (Essential)
• 15% - Develop and coordinate promotional creative assets for email, digital, social media, in-venue and other marketing channels utilizing department templates and collaborating with contracted designers and internal creative resources as appropriate. - (Essential)
• 15% - Develop and execute an on-campus student engagement plan designed to increase student awareness, attendance and participation at Drake Athletics events. Build relationships with student organizations, campus departments and student leaders to develop creative initiatives and promotions. - (Essential)
• 10% - In collaboration with the Director of Athletics Marketing, hire student mascot performers. Once hired manage scheduling and training program. Oversee and manage the student intern program. This includes hiring, scheduling, training, and day-to-day oversight. - (Essential)
• 5% - Other duties as assigned - (Essential)

All job offers are contingent upon satisfactory completion of a background check, satisfactory reference checks, and proof of work authorization.

Review of Applications Begins:

A review of applications will begin immediately. This position will remain open until filled.

Salary and Benefits:

At Drake, we are proud to offer our employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a wide range of core benefits, perks, and discounts. If you are exploring a job with Drake University, we invite you to spend a little time with our Drake Benefits Guide 2026. One of our popular policies provides a tuition waiver for Drake employees, their spouses, and eligible dependents. Drake also participates in not one, but two tuition exchange programs available to dependent children. Tuition Benefits