This position will lead strategic communications efforts for the Cal men’s basketball program. Will utilize existing knowledge to craft strategy around storytelling efforts and immerse themselves in the ethos of the sport both on a conference, community, college, national and international level. While this role will decide which mediums and content are necessary, there will be a strong focus on digital content and communication utilizing various digital platforms - with the proper channel(s) chosen by the employee based on the message created. With a strong emphasis on brand awareness, broad-reaching messaging, recruiting and retaining student-athletes and providing entertainment to all consumers of Cal Athletics, this position is critical in supporting the storytelling for these areas. This position allows a narrowed focus of communication excellence needed for men’s basketball to thrive in the existing college athletics ecosystem.
This position will also manage 1-2 Associate Directors, Strategic & Creative Communications.
Guided by the overarching Athletics strategic plan, the employee will create and lead the planning and execution of communications specific to men’s basketball. This position will demonstrate competency in establishing relationships with key stakeholders involved men's basketball - including, but not limited to media members, governing body heads, conference resources, NCAA employees, and sport-specific influencers and content strategists. These relationships will be critical in ensuring optimal coverage, attention, brand recognition, and publicization for external audiences. This role requires collaborative work and sport-specific media plan leadership across the department, including with coaches, senior leaders and campus entities. Internally, there is an emphasis on integrating with other content creators, Athletics digital ecosystems directors, Cal Athletics fundraisers and game day entertainment. Other duties include arranging and conducting interviews, maintaining and compiling records and statistics and serving as a team historian for men's basketball.