Full Job Description

Description of Position

Position Description: The Coordinator of Athletic Communications (CAC) provides strategic direction to Intercollegiate Athletics on overall communications initiatives, strategies, media relations, marketing, and publications in line with the Athletics and Yavapai College strategies and vision and spends a significant portion of time performing daily or operational communications work. The CAC reports to the Marketing Department while also working directly with the Director of Athletics and Athletics staff to advance Roughrider Athletics and YC.

The Coordinator of Athletic Communications will:

Design, develop, and implement a comprehensive internal and external Intercollegiate Athletics communications and marketing plan to promote Roughrider Athletics to employees, students, and the community

• Serve as the primary media contact for all sports by acting as the liaison to local, regional, and national media outlets, as well as respective conference and NJCAA offices
• Coordinate media coverage (via press releases, interviews, etc.) for the athletic department, YC’s teams, coaches, and student-athletes to generate publicity and exposure for YC Athletics
• Direct the development and enhancement of the official athletics website, www.goroughriders.com. Oversee the creation of content including rosters, schedules, coach profiles, press releases, game recaps, sport files, records, and photography. Develop engaging content that will enhance YC’s athletic presence to students, employees, fans, alumni, and donors. Serve as primary contact with website hosts and ensuring products meet campus Communications web design, content, graphics, and quality standards.
• Manage promotion of athletics via internal and external publications, and other college-wide and community opportunities in line with Athletics and YC strategies and in collaboration with University Relations
• Oversee all social media marketing platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Periscope). Develop, write and edit specialized contact for communications in electronic mediums.
• Produce/coordinate photography and video content for regular use. Maintain database of files in coordination with College Marketing Department
• Promote home sporting events to increase attendance and engagement. Supervise game day live streaming, programs, setup and personnel operating the scorer’s table (UMM and hosted high school events), game statistics, and timely communication of results on the athletics website
• Oversee all athletics statistical compilation and reporting all scores and statistics to the conference and the NJCAA. (On occasion, the CAC may be asked to serve as game manager in the absence of the Athletic Director, and Assistant AD)
• Manage nominations for student-athlete of the week recognition and conference, regional and national end of the year awards.
• Work closely and collaboratively with Communications and Instructional & Media Technologies staffs to a) enhance the visibility of the Roughrider Athletic program in the conference, state and nationally, b) advance YC’s mission, vision and branding, c) develop and implement printed and online materials aligned with Athletics/YC design standards and protocols. Coordinate all major news releases with College Marketing and Student Affairs (e.g. championship competitions, coaching appointments, etc.)
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the Athletics communications/marketing strategic plan. Identify and develop measurement tools (e.g. surveys, website clicks, Roughrider Sports Network viewership statistics, etc.); gather information/data; perform analysis; report findings; make recommendations; and use assessment data to enhance communications impact.

Minimum Expectations & Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in marketing, journalism, or related field and two years of professional experience is required.
• Demonstrated effectiveness in athletics communications
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Effective time management skills
• Strong technical skills and experience required in Adobe Suite (InDesign, Photoshop), Statcrew, Sidearm Sports website management, social media and photography/videography
• A passion for collegiate athletics
• A commitment to promoting student-athlete and athletic program success
• The ability to work independently and as a team, and produce a high-volume of content
• A deep knowledge of collegiate athletics, gameday operations, and athletic marketing/communication best practices
• The candidate must be willing to work nights, weekends, and an overall flexible schedule

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• A Master’s degree and two years of experience is strongly preferred.

Essential Functions

• To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements and competencies listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• Regular attendance as scheduled is an essential job function as it demonstrates dependability towards the performance of job duties.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.