With Who: Eastern Oregon University (EOU)
Location: La Grande, OR
Type of Employment: Full-Time
Position Description: The Sports Information Director manages the coverage, support to, and promotion of EOU’s 15 Intercollegiate Sports and recreation programs, and student-athletes within these programs. Responsibilities include management of the day-to-day sports information office, management of the sports information budget, creating social media content and promotional materials, and lead on all event operations and planning.
This position is responsible for all administrative duties in the sports information office, including: performance and academic awards submissions, proper handling of student records and information, management of EOU Athletics Webpage and social media accounts, creating social media and video content, oversight of promotional and marketing materials.
The Sports Information Director is responsible for the training and supervision of one graduate-assistant, two part-time support positions, and 10-30 student-workers. The Sports Information Director cultivates a growth and innovative mindset around the promotion and marketing of student-athletes, programs and the department.
Responsibilities:
- Publication Development – Promote Athletics, through a variety of platforms with a strong presence in publication development. Ensures publication material is in align with EOU Athletics’ mission and core values. Ensure excellent quality in all work produced, internally and externally to the institution. Remain fluent in AP style writing, photography techniques, and have excellent interpersonal skills, both orally and written. Work effectively on a daily basis in a variety of software programs, including Quark Express, Page Maker, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, FinalCut Pro, Boxout Sports, and Microsoft Office. Meet all EOU, CCC, and NAIA publication deadlines. Remain innovative in the design of all publications, including posters and pocket schedules, sports media guides, programs, booster club brochures, videos for YouTube and social media platforms, and special events invitations. Design creative and innovative video productions for recap stories, game highlights and promotions, season promotion videos, and special cover stories. Work closely with University Advancement (UA) to coordinate the use of official University branding and logos.
- Leadership & Administrative Responsibilities – A strong commitment to leading the sports information staff to excellence in the promotion of student-athletes and operations of all events and activities that are supported by the sports information department. This position will provide guidance, vision, and innovation to connect in new and exciting ways with EOU fans, alumni, and community members. The SID will be highly organized, with a high-level of time-management skills in order to accomplish the various tasks and meet all deadlines. Contribute to the strategic leadership on advancing EOU Sports promotion, marketing, and engagement. Secure necessary resources and equipment to effectively produce the highest quality of work. Provide strong supervision and leadership to a large student-worker staff, and several other consistent positions in the office (grad-assistant, WSU intern, EOU intern, and part-time staff). With this responsibility, the SID will ensure quality and effective training to all employees that report directly to this position. Primarily responsible for securing a qualified and trained staff for all home events. Ensure strong fiscal oversight of the sports information budget, including management and inventory of all promotional items, securing competitive rates for any material ordered through this budget, and ensuring a transparent and positive year-end budget balance. Work with the EOU eligibility coordinator on academic award submissions. Support the department to ensure the highest quality and communication of sports media policies. Engage in strategic planning with the administrative team to enhance and strengthen the department policies and practices, to identify opportunities, and implement procedures to enhance the promotion of EOU Athletics. Evaluate, assess, and re-define goals for the sports information department. Cooperate well with coaches and athletic staff to enhance the operations of the department and overall experience for student-athletes. Conduct the highest level of professionalism and character at all times. Attend necessary professional meetings and conferences.
- Primary Media Liaison – Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with local, regional, and national media outlets. Coordinate opportunities for radio, print, and other forms of new publications from outside agencies to highlight EOU’s sports programs and student-athletes. Communicate sports schedules with all local media and facilitate access to events and equipment, as needed to cover home competitions. Foster relationships to ensure continued support from media officials to all EOU sports and select athletic events. A focus should be placed on the Eastern Oregon 10-county region, in order to promote the university mission in this area.
- Marketing – Secure and maintain up to date and accurate student-athlete and staff profiles. Promote team, individual, and division accomplishments, awards, human-interest stories through regular web postings, press releases, and videos. Ensure fluency with video production, to design and promote innovative and exciting team highlights, cover stories, hype videos, and many others. Utilize all resources in order to design the best videos possible. Ensure continued knowledge in software that supports the design of video production, including Final Cut Pro, and Motion. Establish an annual process and timeline to implement new and creative marketing and promotion strategies. Ensure active engagement in all EOU athletic social media platforms to promote student-athletes and programs, and to ensure fans are engaged with events and stories from the department. Primarily responsible for the monitoring of team social media accounts, to ensure best practices are applied and posts are fully aligned with values and principles. Coordinate public relation activities for coaches and student-athletes as approved by arranging interviews with print, radio or television media. Coordinate all team and action photography and video to be used for webpage and publications. Oversee the submission of paperwork to conference and national agencies related to postseason academic and performance awards. Ensure submission of all EOU, Conference, and national recognitions and awards (player of the week, etc.). Oversee the submission and research of EOU’s annual Hall of Fame process, to ensure excellent promotion of teams and student-athletes accomplishments. Connect and maintain positive relationships with EOU athletic constituents, including boosters, alumni, student-body, surrounding community and campus faculty and staff. Coordinate game recognition events (senior day, special awards, etc.). Develop comprehensive and effective marketing strategies for the department and implement.
- Event Management – Secure game management personnel for all home contests, to include all media support positions (announcer, scoreboard, score clock, book, statistics, video personnel, and many others). Ensure full coverage of all student-worker staff, to operate ticket box-office, check tickets, run concessions, sing the national anthem, and many others. Create and implement all game day promotions, to engage with fans and various constituents. This position is the primary contact for the event management of all home events. Ensure a high quality marketing plan has been designed for promotional events. This position ensures high quality pictures, and videos are captured during all home events. Responsible for live-streaming events, and the set-up and breakdown of all production equipment. Point person to ensure EOU Athletics remains in compliance with all NAIA and CCC Sport Guidelines.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, sports management/marketing, or a related field.
- First Aid/CPR Certified
- Mental Health First Aid Training
- Current and Valid Driver’s License with clean driving record.
- Active COSIDA Membership
- One (1) to three (3) years of directly relatable experience is required.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational skills, a commitment to gender equity and diversity.
- Must satisfactorily complete EOU criminal and credential background check. Having a criminal history is not an automatic bar to employment.
- In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. Eastern Oregon University will not sponsor applicants for employment visas.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master’s degree in communication, journalism, sports management/marketing, or a related field.
- Three (3) to Five (5) years of directly relatable experience.
- Background in working with collegiate student-athletes and coaches.
Application Deadline: July 15, 2020
Apply (or request more information): See the job posting, or request more information, on the EOU Employment site.