Athletic Creative Content & New Media Director

General Description of Position

The Athletic Creative Content & New Media Director provides creative vision, leadership, and oversight of graphic design, branding, collateral production, and visual storytelling for Fort Hays State Athletics. Sets the creative direction and visual identity for the athletic department, ensuring consistency in visual representation and storytelling across the department.  

Leads strategy for emerging and digital-first platforms (social, video, interactive, mobile).   Evaluates and adopts new technologies, formats, and distribution channels.  This role works hand-in-hand with the Sports Information Director to set department-wide creative direction, and collaborates with University Marketing to ensure brand consistency across all design-related mediums, manages high-priority Athletics projects, collaborates to support University initiatives, and leads the Athletics creative team that is responsible for designing graphics, print pieces, digital assets, relevant campaign assets, marketing collateral, signage, and event visual identities.  

This position guides narrative development that elevates the student-athlete experience, competitive success, and the department’s culture and vision, while ensuring the department remains current and competitive in the evolving media landscape.   Moreover, drives growth in engagement, reach, and brand affinity.  Uses analytics and performance insights to refine strategy.

Essential Functions:

1.      Manage, mentor, schedule, and develop staff, graduate assistants, and student workers, establishing clear roles, workflows, and success measures.

2.      Lead, coordinate, and assist with shooting photography, shooting and editing video, and creating graphics.

3.      Work with Sports Information Director & Associate Athletic Director on weekly analytics reports and sets future goals and benchmarks.

4.      Coordinate daily and long-range project priorities and workflows to balance volume, deadlines, and creative quality.

5.      Upholds Fort Hays State Athletics branding guidelines & identity standards.

6.      Oversee creative collaboration with on-campus partners, student workers, contractors, and external partners as needed.

7.      Create and enforce design processes and request systems that ensure efficiency and clarity across various initiatives related to, but not limited to, fan engagement, special events, social media, branding, etc. 

8.      Serve as a liaison for Athletics content creators, working closely with internal and external departments to execute campaigns, generate revenue and communicate brand. 

9.      Assist fan experience, communication, Tiger Club, and ticketing staff with the execution of creative media needs in support of ticket sales, attendance, and fundraising.

10. Provide leadership in coordination with senior leadership in determining creative direction, plans, estimates & timetables for projects.

11. Other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibility:

Graduate assistants, student assistants, and interns who specialize in graphic design, photography, videography, and creative content helping build the Fort Hays State Athletics brand.

Minimum Qualifications:

·         Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, Digital Media, Communications, or related field.

·         Progressive experience in design, capturing and editing content (photography & video), branding, or creative leadership (college athletics experience preferred).

·         Mastery of the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Premier, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign; After Effects preferred).

·         Demonstrated ability to lead and deliver high-quality, high-volume creative content.

·         Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple concurrent projects.

·         Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with communicators, videographers, photographers, administrators, coaches, University Marketing, and external partners.

·         Strong storytelling capabilities with an understanding of Athletics brand voice and visual identity.

·         Ability to work evenings, weekends, and irregular hours as required.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

·         Professional, positive problem-solver.

·         Excellent written and oral communication skills.

·         Proven success in producing creative and innovative multimedia content, as well as experience in other multimedia production platforms (websites, animation, graphic design) desired

·         Ability to translate ideas and understand limitations in a variety of creative applications

·         Creative thinker who can balance the institutional brand and key Athletics initiatives with novel concepts.

·         Must possess image-making and storytelling capabilities.

·         Valid driver's license with good driving record; must be insurable.

Requirements for consideration:

Submit your letter of interest and resume of qualifications, along with a location to view your past creative work examples (website, shared folder, portfolio of your creative work).