Position Purpose:

A highly selective liberal arts college with 31 varsity sports teams, Bates College competes in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), among the most competitive conferences in NCAA Division III. A core leader in the Department of Athletics, the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications (AADC) develops, implements, and maintains a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy to increase the visibility and reputation of Bates College Athletics. The AADC advises the Director of Athletics and the Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs on sports communications and marketing matters and works closely with coaches, athletic administrators, and professional staff within the Bates Communications Office. This role directly supports crucial institutional objectives, including enrollment marketing and college advancement.

The AADC oversees the editorial vision for Bates Athletics, managing an always-on storytelling operation, including feature articles, game and contest recaps, video production, podcasting, and social media promotion. In addition, the director serves as the main point of contact for sports media on the national, regional, and local levels, as well as our streaming and broadcast partners for live events This work includes creating media pitches, media releases, score and statistical reporting, website maintenance, event promotion, and the production of athletics publications.

The AADC also works in partnership with the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Recreation to organize and oversee all aspects of game management for home athletic events, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and all postseason contests. The AADC supervises the Assistant Director of Communications, a Coordinator for Athletics Marketing and Promotions, and a small team of student-employees focused on event support. This position reports directly to the Director of Athletics. The AADC also has indirect reporting responsibilities to the to the Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs to ensure tone alignment and brand control.

Job Duties:

Department of Athletics Communications and Marketing Strategy (65%)

• Develop, activate, and maintain a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy to tell the story of Bates Athletics to the Bates community, prospective students, and Bates alumni;
• Serve as the public relations manager for the Department of Athletics;
• Actively seek media placements in the local, regional, and national media outlets: field media requests and pitch outside media for newspaper, radio, social media, article, and television coverage;
• Highlight the achievements of student athletes, coaches, and the Department of Athletics
• Create engaging content including previews, recaps, profiles, feature stories, and videos about student athletes, coaches, and athletic events;
• Oversee the Bates Athletics social media presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media channels in close coordination with the Bates Communications Office;
• Oversee the maintenance of GoBatesBobcats.com;
• Develop and activate an assessment strategy to measure the success of Bates Athletics communications and marketing plans, reviewing key performance indicators with the Director of Athletics and the Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs on an annual basis;
• Collaborate with the Bates Communications Office team on publications, graphics, and web design;
• Oversee photography operations for varsity teams and athletic contests, including annual portraits and action “sportrait” photography;
• Coordinate nominations of student-athletes for honors and awards;
• Utilize on-campus digital display network to promote athletic events and programming;
• Oversee the relationship and collaboration with other campus constituencies in order to effectively promote department events and initiatives;
• Engage in professional development with an eye towards gaining new knowledge in the realm of current best practices and risk management;
• Maintain an active role within College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and Eastern Athletics Communications Association (ECAC-SIDA).

Home Athletic Event Management (20%)

• Develop and activate home athletic event game management policy in collaboration with the Assistant Directors of Athletics; 
• Spearhead the planning and management of home athletic events in collaboration with the Director of Athletics for the student athlete experience including, advertising graphics, hiring/training of staff and student employees, hiring the mascot, preparing PA scripts, preparing programs, setup of venue music, playing of venue music, livestream coverage, tracking analytics, coordinating half-time events, performing as an announcer as needed, monitoring interactions with the fan base, etc.
• Attend and manage all home athletic events for football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, and postseason contests while also attending as many other home contests as possible in collaboration with the Assistant Director of Athletic for Communications;
• Supervise student workers assisting with game management;
• Serve as the official statistician at home contests in compliance with NCAA and NESCAC regulations;
• Coordinate media relations on-site at home athletics contests.

Administrative (15%)

• Oversee the maintenance of the historical statistical records for the Department of Athletics;
• Report statistical data as necessary to the NCAA and NESCAC conference;
• Manage and remain accountable for expense control, administration of the budget, and projected fiscal year needs;
• Delegate responsibilities appropriately among staff reporting to the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications;
• Prepare and submit paperwork related to hosting NCAA and NESCAC postseason championships.
• Develop, train, and supervise student-employees to support statistical entry and athletic event operations;
• Work closely with Bates Communications Office staff on all aspects of licensing and branding approvals;
• Administer annual performance evaluations for all staff reporting to the AADC;
• Support professional development and success of all staff reporting to the AADC;
• Other duties as assigned.