Director, Strategic Communications - Football , Intercollegiate Athletics

Director, Strategic Communications - Football (6403C)

Position within Intercollegiate Athletics.

• Engage with all members of the football program to learn the student‑athletes’ personalities, talents and abilities, exploit coaches’ strengths for public consumption, identify sport influencers and engage to broaden the message, and target critical audiences to amplify the sport publicly.
• Review, approve, and capture content as needed to support and align with the Media Plan.
• Produce content in all forms – video, visual, graphic, written, spoken, etc.
• Create, manage, communicate, publish, share and continually revise a Media Plan.
• Design the Media Plan to outline the flow of information, communication cadence, content types, intended audiences, and other key factors in publicizing the team.
• Collaborate with content creators, Cal Athletics digital ecosystem directors, fundraisers, and game‑day entertainment employees to synchronize all communication, publicity, and engagement.
• Maintain a firm working knowledge of the overall strategy shared by these groups that collectively power Cal Athletics’ external communications.
• Serve as the main, public‑facing resource for the football program’s storytelling aspects.
• Project‑manage requests, coverage, and alterations or additions to the media plan while preserving historical knowledge of each sport.
• Facilitate required statistical submissions, written notes, or releases specific to the assigned sports.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Advanced knowledge of and/or the ability to learn about the program activity and best practices.
• Problem‑solving skills; ability to multitask, work with frequent interruptions, and be an effective listener.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Proficiency in the use of computer applications relevant to job duties.
• Creation and execution of a sport‑specific storytelling strategy.
• Develop and follow a sport‑specific media plan that includes cadence of messaging, audiences, mediums, types of content, and schedules.
• Rapidly acquire knowledge of all facets of a sports program, including personnel, trends, participants, national landscape, and critical audiences.
• Strong ability to create and deliver targeted content to recruit and retain individuals to the represented sport.
• Ability to thrive in a flexible, fast‑paced, and dynamic work environment.
• Strong collaboration skills and flexibility in adjusting schedules, timelines, content, messaging, and mediums to meet the program’s needs.
• Strong digital media and content‑creation skills.
• Proficient use of social media for promoting teams and athletics.
• Previous experience using Facebook, X, Tik Tok, Instagram and other social‑media channels to tell stories on behalf of a sports team.
• Knowledge of the NCAA/Power 4 landscape, including recruiting cycles, NIL trends, and student‑athlete retention drivers.
• Working knowledge of the concepts and principles of news and media communications.
• Ongoing knowledge of and compliance with the rules and standards of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the NCAA, and all applicable associations and agencies.
• Leadership skills to oversee the strategic direction of the football program’s storytelling across multiple platforms.
• Strong time and project‑management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously from concept through completion.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related area or equivalent experience and training.

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California’s Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs.

It is not…