Upstate New York HERC

Assistant Director, Athletic Communications

Student and Campus Life (SCL) inspires transformation in all Cornell students on their journey of individual, academic and personal evolution. Our division is comprised of leading student affairs experts who support our campus on pressing student life matters including public service, health, wellbeing, connection and belonging, residential living, food services, sports, recreation, career services, and student activities and organizations including sorority and fraternity life. We provide support and services to roughly 25,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on multiple campuses in the U.S. and abroad.

Cornell University is an NCAA Division I institution and a member of the Ivy League. The university fields teams in 37 intercollegiate sports and provides a comprehensive physical education program. The university is committed to excellence in academics and athletics, gender equity and diversity in its programs, and a well-balanced, broad-based intercollegiate athletics program. Athletics and Physical Education offers a diverse program of physical and outdoor education, recreational services, intramural sports and intercollegiate athletic competition, plus Wellness programs for faculty and staff, fitness centers and fitness classes for the entire Cornell community.

The Athletics Communications staff works closely with all coaches and Athletics Department administrators to communicate positive stories about Cornell's athletics programs and distribute this information to our many constituencies, including alumni, students, faculty and staff, fans, and prospects. This is done through many venues, including the Athletics Department's official website, through live event production on ESPN+ and via official social media channels. The department also maintains the photographic, multimedia, historical and statistical archives for the Athletics Department, coordinates media operations at home games, including stat keeping and result reporting and coordinating content distribution to national, regional and local media outlets.

Reporting to the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Communications, the Assistant Director, Athletic Communications assists with developing and executing the department's strategic digital communications and social media plans to meet the goals and objectives of Cornell's 37-sport Division I athletics program. In addition to traditional media relations responsibilities, this role serves as a primary content strategist, creator and publisher within an always-on digital environment. The position is responsible for developing platform-specific content strategies and producing compelling, platform-native storytelling across social, web and video platforms to drive engagement, support recruiting and enhance the visibility of Cornell Athletics. The Assistant Director, Athletic Communications works to maintain branding and visual standards across graphics, photography and video content for digital and social platforms. By developing compelling content, the Assistant Director shapes the narrative of Cornell student-athletes and highlights the achievements of its teams, coaches and programs. This role plays a central part in shaping and protecting the voice, tone and public narrative of Cornell Athletics across digital platforms.

The Assistant Director manages the full content lifecycle from ideation through production, publishing, distribution and performance analysis, using data and audience insights to inform and optimize strategy. This role is integral to the operation of Cornell Athletics Communications as the Assistant Director acts as the frontline spokesperson for assigned teams, producing record books, news releases and feature stories, responding to media requests, staffing events and supervising student assistants and statistical crews. In addition, they serve as a liaison between coaching staff, student-athletes and media to coordinate interviews and provide timely, accurate information that enhances the media experience at events. The role also collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to identify storytelling opportunities and execute integrated content campaigns aligned with departmental, university and conference priorities.

While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming; showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of oneself and others.

Success Factors:

• Interest and passion for athletics with a drive to promote Cornell's varsity student-athletes, possessing a deep knowledge of sports and intercollegiate athletics
• Demonstrated success in using advanced communication skills and digital management tools, including experience in web and social media strategy
• Regularly exhibit a proactive, personable and service oriented approach, enthusiastically working independently as well as contributing successfully as part of a team

Cornell communicators share a mission to enhance and preserve the university's brand and reputation as a top research institution and a leader in higher education, and to support and promote critical programs that serve the university's teaching, research and public engagement mission.

Communication services are carried out through a matrixed organizational system in which University Relations houses the departments of News (Cornell Chronicle), Media Relations (pitching and servicing media requests), Brand (Cornell.edu, multimedia production), Strategic Communications (communications plans, key messaging, campus statements, social media management), and Cornellians (digital alumni publication). Communicators in colleges, schools, and units regularly collaborate with, and consult, University Relations departments. University Relations serves as a partner and resource for all unit communicators.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with at least 2 years of relevant work experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with attention to detail
• Strong understanding of storytelling principles across written, visual and video formats
• Ability to proficiently use social media platforms (Twitter/X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube) and Adobe Creative Suite
• Knowledge of Division I Athletics and NCAA regulations
• Familiarity with live statistical packages
• Knowledge of social media strategy, live event production, statistics, sports writing, graphic design and video editing
• Ability to work under deadline pressure
• Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends

Preferred Qualifications

• Ability to manage digital assets (photography, documents, and archival video).
• Experience creating platform-native content, including short-form video and mobile-first storytelling
• Experience in video editing and visual storytelling
• Experience using analytics tools to evaluate performance and inform content strategy

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