Job Description

Department: Intercollegiate Athletics

Job Category:  Administrative or Professional Faculty

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: On Site Required

Salary:  Salary commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About the Department:

Intercollegiate Athletics serves 500 student-athletes in 22 NCAA Division I sports. We are a proud member of the Atlantic 10 Conference with 17 Conference Championships, NCAA Championships in Women's Soccer and Men's Indoor Track, an NCAA Final Four appearance with Men's Basketball, and over 30 individual National Champions. We are student-focused, education-centered, and committed to providing transformational experiences for our student-athletes and staff. Our three priorities are to educate, compete, and engage.

Educate: Prioritize academic achievement and recruit student-athletes who can be successful academically, strengthen ICA's commitment to diversity and inclusion, and provide consistent education for coaches and sport administrators.

Compete: Position teams to consistently compete for conference success and recruit student-athletes who possess the ability to excel athletically from a conference and national perspective.

Engage: Prioritize the experience and personal well-being of student-athletes, develop and renovate athletics facilities, generate resources necessary to support the student-athlete experience, and foster and inspire partnerships within the department, University, and the community.

About the Position:

The Assistant Director, Athletic Communications serves as the primary contact for Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball program in one of the nation's top Division I college athletics markets (Washington DC) and in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The position also serves as the primary contact to other sports as assigned.

Responsibilities:

Intercollegiate Athletics Women's Basketball Program:

• Responsible for appropriate branding of Athletics and the University to create a positive reflection and image for the University;
• Crisis management - very time sensitive work as it is important to have the University and the department's voice heard first to control the story and minimize negative exposure;
• Develops and enhances the fan experience;
• Works closely with the Director of Creative Media to create videos & graphics for women's basketball;
• High level of decision making / professionalism expected deciding what to report and post - stories/articles/posts/tweets not edited by supervisor prior to posting;
• Autonomy / immediate decision making responsibilities at games/events Media Relations;
• Serves as primary contact for Women's Basketball program and other sports as assigned;
• Plans and implements publicity/media relations activities;
• Writes and edits printed/digital guides/game programs;
• Writes feature articles, press releases, and pre-season articles to promote the teams;
• Develops and maintains relationships with key media contacts; 
• Produces multimedia projects including video features for assigned sports;
• Collaborates with marketing department on branded communication strategies;
• Maintains historical archives;
• Responsible for pitching successful stories to reporters, gaining interest and creating buzz around athletics and the University;
• Coordinates media interviews, information for broadcasters and provide game information for assigned teams;
• Works in collaboration with Patriot Productions to produce video content
• Is aware of and abides by the rules of confidentiality (Buckley Amendment); 
• Has knowledge of and adheres to HIPAA laws pertaining to student athletes health (ie., whether or not a student has a concussion); and
• Must currently possess an appropriate, active, valid motor vehicle operator's license that meets all of GMU's requirements for operating state vehicles and equipment under Mason's Vehicle Use Policy 1411 .  The Office of Risk Management reserves the right to review the driver's licenses and Motor Vehicle Reports (MVRs) of all candidates selected with employment contingent upon favorable review.

Social Media:

• Responsible for developing strategic social media and digital initiatives for the team assigned, including developing and managing campaigns, creating and supervising high profile channels, and integrating interactive media into overall business strategies;
• Cross-functional collaboration with key brand stakeholders, including brand marketing/guest experience, communications staff, and coaches on social and digital media ensuring consistency in voice and cultivating a social media referral network;
• Creates original, impactful, engaging written and visual content (including videos) to post to social media channels;
• Manages Women's Basketball social media team accounts and produce creative content with the Director of Creative Media;
• Supports influencer programs to drive brand awareness, consideration and preference; and
• Actively monitors emerging trends in media and public relations, including social media and other developments that will keep Athletics in a leadership role in communications. Capitalizes on trends as appropriate. 

Event Management Support:

• Coordinates media interviews, information for broadcasters and provide game information for assigned teams. 

Supervision of Staff:

• Supervises interns, wage/student wage, statisticians, and performs other duties as assigned by supervisors. 

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in related field;
• Degree in journalism, communication, sports management or related field or training and work experience at a level that equates to an advanced degree; experience in athletic communications or sports department;
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Competency in word processing (Word, Excel), desktop publishing (InDesign, Photoshop) programs, statistical software (StatCrew, NCAA Stats), internet maintenance programs;
• Knowledge of NCAA and A-10 Conference national print and electronic media and the ability to build relationships with these media outlets;
• Ability to work with and lead multiple teams simultaneously - both internal and external in a dynamic fast paced environment;
• Ability to work effectively under deadlines;
• Ability to work with a diverse group of people;
• Ability to supervise interns, wage/student wage employees, and statisticians;
• Demonstrated ability to integrate social media programs into overall communication and marketing objective and activities;
• In depth knowledge of social media platforms and their respective participants and how each can be deployed in different scenarios;
• Ability to build internal and external contacts, relationships, and credibility necessary to be effective; and
• Demonstrated good judgment and the ability to respond quickly and work successfully under pressure and in a very open and public environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience in sports, entertainment or related industry in communication, social media, and journalism;
• Experience pitching stories with proven history of successful placements;
• Media relations experience, proven ability to cultivate new contacts;
• Strong understanding of editorial calendars;
• Experience contributing to successful PR campaigns;
• Demonstrated experience in writing, editing and desktop publishing; and
• Demonstrated success in building a large online community on behalf of a brand, growing both the size and level of engagement of its members.

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for  Assistant Director, Athletic Communications at Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Resume.

Posting Open Date:   July 11, 2024

For Full Consideration, Apply by:   July 25, 2024

Open Until Filled?:   Yes

About George Mason University

George Mason University is a public, comprehensive, research university established by the Commonwealth of Virginia located in Northern Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. Mason was initially founded as a branch of the University of Virginia in 1949, and became an independent institution in 1972. George Mason University is an innovative and inclusive academic community committed to creating a more just, free, and prosperous world.

Connections working at George Mason University

Job Tags

Full time, Work experience placement, Immediate start,

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