Assistant Director, Strategic Communications

Nevada System of Higher Education; Reno (NV); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Generous leave and life insurance

Fitness center membership

Mountain EAP

Faculty Senate

No state income tax

Job summary

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) seeks an Assistant Director, Strategic Communications to guide ICA publicity and external communications, coordinating with coaches, student‑athletes and media partners. The role covers media relations, story development, and multimedia production for various sports.

The position requires managing press operations, working with departments like fan engagement and ticketing, and traveling with teams to represent UNR publicly.

Qualifications

• Experience in media relations within college or university athletics or related communications field.
• Ability to write, edit, and produce communications materials across multiple formats.
• Proven experience pitching stories to media and managing information requests.

Responsibilities

• Write, edit, and maintain websites and media guides for assigned sports.
• Identify and craft compelling stories with creative input and layout.
• Collaborate with fan engagement, ticketing and events for home and away games.
• Travel with teams as a media liaison and manage press operations.

Skills

Media relations

Public relations

Story pitching

Multimedia content creation

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Associate's degree

High School Diploma

Job description

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) appreciates your interest in employment at our growing institution. We want your application process to go smoothly and quickly. Final applications must be submitted prior to the close of the recruitment.

If you need assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please contact our recruitment helpline at [phone] or [e-mail].

Job Description

Nevada Athletics is recruiting for an Assistant Director, Strategic Communications. The Communications staff is responsible for the Intercollegiate Athletics Department’s (ICA) publicity and external communications efforts through the department’s media services and video efforts, as well as its official website. The positions act as a liaison between the coaches, student-athletes, sports programs and ICA with the local, regional and national media, fans/general public, conference personnel and National Conference Athletics Association (NCAA) officials to pitch stories and handle information requests from around the country. The incumbents work to present ICA and the University of Nevada, Reno in a positive light.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Write, produce and edit media guides, game programs and press releases and maintain website for assigned intercollegiate sports
• Identify and write stories with creative authority including editing, graphic layout, and production
• Produce multimedia content for particular sports when necessary
• Collaborate with various departments, including fan engagement, ticketing and event operations for home and away games.
• Travel with teams as liaison with local, regional and national media
• Coordinate and supervise press box/press row operations for home events
• Pitch stories and handle information requests for information from media, conference personnel and NCAA officials and fans/general public
• Ensure compliance with NCAA, Conference, and university rules and regulations (subject to disciplinary or corrective action as set forth in the provisions of the NCAA enforcement procedures)

Required Qualifications

• High School Graduation and four (4) years of related work experience; OR
• Associate’s degree and three (3) years of related work experience; OR
• Bachelor’s Degree and two (2) years of related work experience; OR
• Master’s degree and one (1) year of related work experience

Related Experience: Experience in media relations in a college or university athletic environment or other related communications field

Schedule/Travel

• Requires frequent travel to sporting events
• Variable work schedule required

Compensation Grade

Administrative Faculty – B

To view the salary schedule for this position, please visit:Salary Schedulesand select Administrative Faculty by Grade. Salary is competitive and commensurate with related education and experience.

Remarkable Retirement

Our retirement plan is beyond compare. Your 19.25% contribution is generously matched by the University. With the faculty retirement plan, you are 100% vested your first day.Sit back and watch your retirement dollars grow! All permanent employees on an annual “A” or “B” contract who are employed at least 50% full-time are eligible to participate in the NSHE retirement program unless they are members of PERS of Nevada.

Perks of Working at UNR

• Health insurance options including dental and vision -Health Insurance
• Generous annual and sick leave and life insurance –Faculty Benefits
• E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers an annual or semester membership and family membership options.E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center
• Mountain EAP supports employees (and eligible dependents) through life’s difficult moments. Mountain EAP is located in Reno and specializes in counseling and advising services for personal or interpersonal issues.
• Faculty Senate is the principal representing body for faculty. Its membership includes representatives from each academic and administrative major unit of the University.Faculty Senate
• No state income tax!

Grants-in-aid for Faculty Employees

The University is proud to provide a reduced-rate tuition benefit to faculty and qualified dependents. Faculty can take up to six credits per semester at a reduced rate. Dependents of faculty have unlimited credits, but in order to be eligible children must be unmarried and under the age of 24 and must receive at least 50% of their financial support from the employee and/or employee’s spouse or domestic partner.Faculty Grants-in-Aid

Faculty Dual Career Assistance Program

The University of Nevada, Reno recognizes the importance of addressing dual-career couples’ professional needs. We offer a dual career assistance program to newly hired faculty spouses/partners that provides resources and assists them to identify career opportunities in Northern Nevada.Dual Career Assistance Program

Department Information

The University of Nevada, Reno, has a student body of approximately 21,000. Nevada is a member of the Mountain West Conference and sponsors 17 intercollegiate sports featuring more than 400 student athletes. The University is situated in Reno, a metropolitan area of 350,000, on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The city is conveniently located 38 miles from Lake Tahoe, a world-class skiing area with limitless summer and winter recreational opportunities. Sacramento and San Francisco are, respectively, two- and four-hour drives away. For more information, please visitNevada Athletics.

Contact information

Lasaiah Christensen [e-mail]

Exempt

Yes

Full-Time Equivalent

100.0%

This posting is open until filled

Posting Close Date

Note to Applicant

A background check will be conducted on the candidate(s) selected for hire.

HR will attempt to verify academic credentials upon receipt of hiring documents. If the academic credentials cannot be verified, HR will notify the faculty member that an official transcript of their highest degree must be submitted within thirty days of the faculty member’s first day of employment.

References will be contacted at the appropriate phase of the recruitment process.

Applicants hired on a federal contract may be subject to E-Verify.

As part of the hiring process, applicants for positions in the Nevada System of Higher Education may be required to demonstrate the ability to perform job-related tasks.

For positions that require driving, evidence of a valid driver’s license will be required at the time of employment and as a condition of continued employment.

Schedules are subject to change based on organizational needs.

The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes).

About Us

The University of Nevada, Reno is a leading public research university committed to the promise of a future powered by knowledge. Founded in 1874 as Nevada’s original land-grant university, the University serves more than 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and 63 countries.

Classified by the Carnegie® Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 (“Very High Research”) university, it is also recognized in the Carnegie® Community Engagement classification. The University is also ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the “Best National Universities” and “Best National Public Universities.” It also ranks in the top tier of the WSJ/Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the New York Times’ “Top Colleges for Economic Diversity.”

Since 2009, nearly $1 billion has been has invested in advanced labs, facilities, and residence halls on the main campus. The University is home to Nevada’s first medical school – the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and the Wayne L. Prim Campus at Lake Tahoe, where education, research, and creative work thrive in a stunning mountain setting. The University delivers on its original land-grant mission with outreach across the state through the University of Nevada, Reno Extension, Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Nevada Small Business Development Center, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, and Wolf Pack Athletics.

The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, a burgeoning global technology hub with a vibrant midtown and downtown. Found where the high desert of the Great Basin meets the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe, the beautiful, 290-acre main campus is also a Nevada State Arboretum. The University’s physical infrastructure is expanding with ongoing construction of the newly named John Tullock Business Building, set to open in fall 2025. Groundbreaking is also planned for a new State Public Health Laboratory Building on campus, alongside the recent acquisition of 16 parcels near campus, known as “University Village,” to provide affordable housing for graduate students and early career faculty.

Collaborating with world-renowned organizations, the University fosters innovation through initiatives such as the Digital Wolf Pack partnership with Apple, which ensures equitable access to technology for students, providing new incoming freshman or transfer students with an iPad Air and accessories. Google’s TechWise initiate is an 18-month program that fully supports undergraduate students in becoming entry-level software engineers by graduation.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that Nevada – led by the University of Nevada, Reno – was named one of the inaugural 31 RegionalTechnology and InnovationHubs (TechHubs).Nevada was selected from a competitive pool of 489 applicants from across the United States and its territories.Nevada’s Tech Hub will strengthen America’s lithium batteries, critical elements and other electric vehicle materials industry sectors within the state.

Through its commitment to high-impact education, world-improving research and creative activity, and outreach that’s transforming Nevada’s communities and businesses, the University continues its 150-year tradition of benefitting our state, nation and world.

The University recognizes that diversity promotes excellence in education and research. The inclusive and engaged community on campus recognizes the added value that students, faculty, and staff from different backgrounds bring to the educational experience.

Today, the University delivers on its original land-grant mission of access to education and knowledge by investing in the academics, facilities, support, engagement and vibrant campus life that promote our diverse students’ cognitive growth and academic achievement – all while remaining one of the best values in American higher education.

For more information, please visitthe University’s website.