Director of Communications

University of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Pittsburgh invites applications for the Director of Communications, a role within the athletic communications staff that reports to the Assistant Athletic Director of Communications. The position emphasizes strong media relations, editorial oversight, and strategic storytelling across assigned sports.

Qualifications include a Bachelor's Degree, 2+ years in collegiate or professional media relations, and proficiency with InDesign, Photoshop, Word, and NCAA LiveStats.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• Minimum of 2 years experience in collegiate or professional media relations
• Proficiency in InDesign, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and NCAA LiveStats
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and editorial skills
• Collegiate Athletics experience strongly preferred; an equivalent combination of work and high-level playing experience may be substituted at the discretion of the University.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary media contact for volleyball and assigned sports, managing press releases, game notes, roster and record book maintenance, and statistical reporting.
• Coordinate media credentials, press row logistics, and pregame/postgame media availability for home and selected away events.
• Manage and write award nominations for national, conference, and institutional honors for assigned sport student-athletes.
• Proactively cultivate and maintain relationships with local, regional, and national media to generate coverage of assigned sport programs, student-athletes, and department milestones.
• Pitch stories and facilitate interview opportunities with coaches and athletes.
• Collaborate with the creative content team to develop and execute social media strategies for assigned sports, providing oversight and editorial direction on in-game content, real-time updates, and audience engagement.
• Work in partnership with the Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications to execute departmental priorities and contribute to the development of communications strategy, messaging initiatives, and operational goals.
• Partner with coaching staffs to identify and develop strategic narratives around recruiting, program milestones, and team achievements.
• Provide leadership, training and mentorship to interns, graduate assistants and student workers, while assisting with workflow management and professional development.
• Support the execution of student-athlete NIL initiatives by collaborating with external partners, coaching staffs, and creative content personnel to ensure effective promotion of partnerships while maintaining consistency with departmental branding and communications standards.

Skills

Media relations

Oral & written communication

Organizational skills

NCAA LiveStats

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

InDesign

Photoshop

Microsoft Word

NCAA LiveStats

Job description

Director of Communications

The University of Pittsburgh requests applications for the position of Director of Communications. The individual will be a member of the department's athletic communications staff and report to the Assistant Athletic Director of Communications. Requirements include experience in collegiate or professional media relations, outstanding oral and written communication, organizational skills, and working knowledge of InDesign, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and NCAA LiveStats.

Job Summary

Performs a variety of editorial duties including layout, indexing, proofreading, and revision of content for multiple complex projects adhering to style, editorial policy, and publishing requirements. Prepares, rewrites, and edits copy for internal and external publication. Oversees publication production and assists with prospective manuscript work. Identifies subjects, interviews sources, and writes articles.

Essential Functions

• Serve as primary media contact for volleyball and assigned sports, managing press releases, game notes, roster and record book maintenance, and statistical reporting.
• Coordinate media credentials, press row logistics, and pregame/postgame media availability for home and selected away events.
• Manage and write award nominations for national, conference, and institutional honors for assigned sport student-athletes.
• Proactively cultivate and maintain relationships with local, regional, and national media to generate coverage of assigned sport programs, student-athletes, and department milestones.
• Pitch stories and facilitate interview opportunities with coaches and athletes.
• Collaborate with the creative content team to develop and execute social media strategies for assigned sports, providing oversight and editorial direction on in-game content, real-time updates, and audience engagement.
• Work in partnership with the Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications to execute departmental priorities and contribute to the development of communications strategy, messaging initiatives, and operational goals.
• Partner with coaching staffs to identify and develop strategic narratives around recruiting, program milestones, and team achievements.
• Provide leadership, training and mentorship to interns, graduate assistants and student workers, while assisting with workflow management and professional development.
• Support the execution of student-athlete NIL initiatives by collaborating with external partners, coaching staffs, and creative content personnel to ensure effective promotion of partnerships while maintaining consistency with departmental branding and communications standards.

Physical Effort

Mostly sedentary. Individual will be required to walk and stand at events and games.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree
• Minimum of 2 years experience in collegiate or professional media relations
• Proficiency in InDesign, Photoshop, Microsoft Word, and NCAA LiveStats
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and editorial skills
• Collegiate Athletics experience strongly preferred; an equivalent combination of work and high-level playing experience may be substituted at the discretion of the University.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The University of Pittsburgh is an equal opportunity employer / disability / veteran.