Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement

The Assistant Athletics Director of Marketing and Fan Engagement will be a self-motivated individual with the ability to work independently and as part of a team, think strategically and have a passion for ideation, innovation and creativity. Additionally, the selected individual will independently work to develop marketing and promotional plans to enhance or increase attendance, program brand awareness, fan experience and revenue generation. The individual will possess highly effective communication and organization skills to handle multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment. This position will require flexible and irregular hours, including nights, weekends and holidays.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Responsible for developing and coordinating marketing plans and promotional activities for all varsity teams, with emphasis on fan experience and revenue generation. Such plans may incorporate grassroots, traditional and digital marketing. Approve direct reports’ plans for their assigned sports.

• Supervise the marketing staff, which includes multiple full-time staff members, special payroll employee(s) and/or graduate assistant(s) and student workers. Responsible for hiring, training, directing and evaluating.

• Serve as a senior leader in the department’s External Leadership team. Maintain a strong and positive collaborative relationship with departments, including Creative Services, Video and Broadcast Productions, Communications, Ticket Sales and Operations, Event Management and Operations, Development and more.

• Develop advertising and digital marketing campaigns to effectively engage fans and supporters, grow social media followers and encourage ticket sales. Maintain advertising partner relationships and overall budget.

• Lead the development and execution of compelling, on-brand written content across multiple platforms, including email communications, website copy, digital advertising, press releases, and other marketing materials to effectively engage fans and support departmental initiatives

• Oversee departmental email marketing strategy, including, but not limited to, creation of timelines, graphics preparation, and identification of targeted mailing lists from the athletics database. Use Eloqua email marketing tools to create communications and drive revenue.

• Collaborate regularly with multi-media right holder (Learfield) to ensure that contracted sponsorship deliverables and activities are effectively planned and executed.

• Participate in weekly revenue generation meetings, for the purpose of reviewing seasonal timelines, marketing/advertising plans and ticket sales strategies.

• Responsible for overall strategy, planning, and execution of all aspects of game production. This includes leading regular meetings that this individual and/or staff will organize with key internal stakeholders, including the respective sport offices and sport administrators, as well as production support units, such as video, marketing, content and operations. Serve as game production manager for select sports if/as needed.

• Regularly analyze, assess and reengineer marketing and promotional activities for all sports, including gameday elements and run-of-show, music, sponsorship fulfillment, etc., with the idea of enhancing and maximizing the fan experience and encouraging repeat attendance.

• Participate in regular ticket sales and external leadership meetings, as well as sessions with various department staff members to identify and maximize unique selling points and then transition the ideas to public awareness-building efforts aimed at bolstering fan engagement and sales.

• Leverage emerging technologies, data-driven tools, and innovative digital solutions to enhance marketing strategies, streamline operations, improve the fan experience, and identify new revenue generation opportunities for UConn Athletics.

• Perform research as needed to assess fan feedback on topics such as gameday promotions, parking and ticket sales programs.

• Act as the liaison to various campus and student groups such as the marching band, spirit squad and student activities.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing or communications, or other applicable area of study.

• Four to five years of sports marketing or digital sports communications experience.

• Proficiency in the use of Adobe Creative Suite.

• Demonstrated knowledge of applicable NCAA regulations.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum two to four years of sports marketing experience in an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic department.

• Prior leadership experience of direct oversight or management of a marketing team and student interns.

• Experience working with an FBS football program and/or Division I men’s/women’s basketball program.

• Experience with Eloqua digital email marketing platform.

• Experience with SIDEARM, WordPress and web design.

• Experience with Paciolan Ticketing System.