Job Title: Associate Director, Communications 

Department: Communications

Reports to: Director, Communications

Position Summary: This associate director of communications oversees all media relations and public relations engagement strategy and implementation to drive the Lakers reputation and positioning in the NBA and around the world. Working under the leadership of the director of communications, cross functionally with internal teams and side-by-side with colleagues across critical stakeholder groups, this role is responsible for coalescing and driving strategic day-to-day storytelling to support the Lakers team and business. This leadership role supports high-quality delivery of communications assets, driving department efficiency and alignment.

Essential Functions (Duties & Responsibilities): 

• Plan, develop and implement a multi-tiered communications strategy and annual plan, with guidance from the director of communications, to drive intentional storytelling and positive editorial coverage across local, national and international media, considering both day-to-day game development and the wider team picture 
• Bring, build and foster high-quality relationships with media and broadcasters, engaging in daily conversations in the media workrooms and through 1-on-1 meetings to advance understanding of the Lakers work, pitch unique stories and cultivate coverage to support the business
• Develop messaging and prepare strategic, clear talking points for executives and coaching staff on a variety of basketball and business topics
• Write and edit high-quality press releases, media guides and media materials following AP style, covering a variety of business and team needs, delivering flawless information under tight deadlines  
• Plan and implement a variety of media events, working cross functionally and with the full communications team to deliver premium, strategic, innovative and organized experiences for media and executives  
• Brainstorm, recommend and implement new communications tools and assets across photo, graphics, video to drive Lakers storytelling, partnering with the Lakers creative design team to test and learn
• Engage with the NBA, NBA Entertainment and NBA global teams to receive, assess and implement league required and league recommended comms and PR programming including efforts around Tip Off, NBA Cup, NBA All-Star and NBA Playoffs 
• Engage with NBA broadcasters including NBC, ABC, ESPN, Amazon, NBA TV, Tencent and Sirus XM Radio and Lakers regional partners including Spectrum and ESPN 710 to plan, organize and implement league required communications and Lakers-focused opportunities 
• Partner with AEG and Crypto.com Arena to drive strategic communications efforts and ensure seamless game day and special events editorial coverage including for opening night, statue unveilings and more 
• Lead research and insights that uncover new communications strategies to reach younger and wider audiences, brainstorming fresh tactics and testing new approaches to drive editorial coverage 
• Work with director of communications and full communications team to organize and systemize workflows, end-to-end process and internal information sharing to drive best-in-class work environment for regular programming management and game day communications responsibilities
• Drives expectations to deliver the highest quality work aligned with organization goals 
• Partner with the Lakers business analytics team to track editorial coverage and public sentiment and assess programming over the short and long term
• Oversees development of executive recaps for key public relations programming 
• Oversee communications vendor engagement and contracting to support best-in-class services
• Drive other programs and projects, as needed and assigned 

**Responsibilities subject to change based on organizational needs and direction from management.

Education (Required/ Preferred): Bachelor’s degree (required)

Previous experience: A minimum of 10-12 years of experience in sports media relations, communications or a related field

Technology Capabilities:

• Adobe Creative Suite (including inDesign)
• Microsoft Office (including Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint & Windows)

Knowledge, skills, abilities:

• Expert in strategic communications, media relations, broadcast integrations and marketing communications 
• Proven expereicne leading national communications campaigns with positive outcomes 
• Critical understanding of the role editorial plays to drive reputation and ways to influence outcomes
• Expert journalistic writing capabilities following AP style with a detail eye for grammar and fact checking
• Outstanding leadership skills to drive team culture and performance 
• Experience working with celebrities, professional athletes or high-profile individuals
• Exceptional trouble-shooting and problem-solving skills under dynamic environments 
• Demonstrated ability to present the utmost professionalism and highest ethical code 
• Deep knowledged and understanding of the professional sports landscape, operation cylces and key events 
• Basketball comprehension and knowledge of the Los Angeles Lakers team and history 

Physical Demands: Ability to lift 25 lbs. and a significant amount of walking on game day

Location: El Segundo (offices and training facility), downtown Los Angeles (Crypto.com Arena for Laker home games), many away games, and other occasional off-site events

Travel: Varies based on need but can include special events, league meetings, road games (up to 30%)

The pay range for this role is $100,000 to $110,000. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience and certifications. In addition to those factors, we consider the relative pay of our current employees in similar positions when making a final offer.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital or veteran status, or any other protected class.