Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.
Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.
We are currently seeking to hire an Assistant Athletic Director, Creative Services. In this role, you will be instrumental in shaping the visual identity of Rice Athletics across various platforms, playing a pivotal role in driving attendance and revenue. The selected candidate will report to the Associate Athletic Director of External Relations, and you will lead a creative team and oversee all aspects of visual branding, including digital, print, audio/video, and large format projects.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead the development and execution of Rice Athletics’ visual brand across digital media platforms, ensuring consistency and impact
- Develop and implement a comprehensive social media strategy for the Rice Athletics brand and individual team accounts, to engage fans and recruits
- Manage all creative needs for Rice Athletics and individual sports teams, marketing materials, social media and facility projects, and other branding needs
- Oversee the department’s creative direction as it relates to graphic design, photography, and videography to maintain brand integrity and enhance engagement
- Coordinate all phases of the creative process, from project request and ideation to gameday execution
- Direct and coordinate media days, photoshoots, freelance, and assist with capturing outside department events
- Regularly meet with coaching staff and collaborate with department leads to strategically align creative initiatives with overall department objectives
- Supervise and recruit students for the Creative Internship Program
- Assist with sponsorship fulfillment as required
- Manage the creative team’s schedule for both home and away events to ensure comprehensive coverage
- Perform game-day operations related to creative media for all sports
- Travel with select sports to ensure coverage of programs
- Support recruiting efforts for individual teams through recruiting shoots and graphics
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, digital media, graphic design, marketing, public relations, or related field (In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year for year basis may be substituted)
- 2+ years of experience managing social media for an athletics brand (In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, on an equivalent year-for-year basis may be substituted)
- Demonstrated understanding of graphic design principles, and Expertise in Adobe creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign for PC
- Ability to design and produce quick-turnaround print materials
- Basic proficiency in writing, editing, and proofing, with knowledge of grammar and punctuation
- Ability to understand materials of moderate complexity and synthesize across multiple sources to produce materials for diverse audiences
- Firm understanding of web technologies and applications, including social networking, social media tools, and current communication trends
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to manage and prioritize multiple deadlines
- Excellent time management skills
- 2 years of experience overseeing full-time staff
- Background in college athletics
- Knowledge of social trends and the college athletics creative space is preferred
- Experience in photography or graphic design is preferred
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities.