About the Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football club and member of the National Football League (NFL). The team’s headquarters and practice facility are located on a 50-acre site in Flowery Branch, Georgia. The Falcons’ NFL expansion franchise was awarded in 1965 and acquired by current owner Arthur Blank, co-founder of Home Depot, in 2002.
Who we are
Our Blank Family of Businesses Core Values serve as the foundation for the way we operate at all levels:
Put People First - Listen & Respond - Include Everyone - Innovate Continuously - Lead by Example - Give Back to Others
We use our core values as a compass to guide our decisions because they are our North Star. If we live our core values daily, we know everything else will take care of itself. We enjoy a culture rooted in giving back to others through our time, talents, labor, and financial commitment. We are successful when we collaborate with and value each other like family, maintain a hunger to delight guests and continuously innovate, listen closely for even the smallest need for improvement, stand up for convictions, and genuinely own our responsibilities as if our name is on the outside of the building.
Our Ideal Candidates
Actively Listen – Take an active role in listening by being present in the moment, using healthy body language, and ensuring joint understanding. When we read between the lines and hear what others are saying and what they are not saying, we encounter amazing opportunities to go the extra mile in serving them.
Collaborate – Realize that we are better together than we are alone. We achieve much better results when others have the opportunity to add their diverse perspectives. Be open to feedback and actively seek input from a variety of people at varying levels because the best ideas come from those who are closest to those we serve.
Engage in Servant Leadership – Put others ahead of yourself even when it’s difficult. Find opportunities to lead by example in the way you pitch in and help others. Giving back to others is at the heart of what we do.
Build Relationships – Cultivate trust in relationships by showing respect and sensitivity. Invest time in helping others to continuously improve by listening to their ideas and helping them to continuously improve.
Own Results – Own issues you encounter even when they are outside of your area of responsibility by taking action or seeking out the needed resolution. You are empowered and expected to take risks aimed at exceeding the expectations of our guests. Take advantage of this rare opportunity by utilizing available resources.
Position Summary
The Atlanta Falcons Vice President of Football Communications is the senior leader responsible for shaping, protecting, and advancing the team’s football narrative and serves as a key piece of the Falcons integrated marketing leadership team. This role oversees all football-related media strategy, day-to-day communications operations, and proactive storytelling across traditional media, owned channels, league platforms, and community touchpoints. This leader will also work closely with the Falcons CMO, VP of digital, and other departments charged with fan and community engagement to ensure all external and internal relations are strategic, integrated, and efficient.
Reporting to the president and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, this role plays a wider importance as a part of team senior leadership. The leader will also interact regularly with the Blank Family of Businesses chief brand and communications officer on proactive and crisis communications matters. When necessary, this leader will also engage communications leads in the other BFOB businesses to ensure Falcons messaging is correct at all touchpoints and to ensure the Falcons platforms are aligned when necessary with BFOB messaging, especially when it comes to Chairman and Owner, Arthur M. Blank.
This leader will be the primary communications lead for the president of football, head coach, general manager, the team’s executive leadership, and our players. The VP will ensure thorough media preparation of all media-facing personnel and will foster accuracy, consistency, and alignment in how the team communicates with fans, media, league partners, and internal/external stakeholders.
Managing a team of four full-time and one seasonal associate, this leader will be responsible for organizing and coordinating their work to support all football activities throughout the calendar year, creating and executing plans for their development, and ensuring their compliance with all team and league rules, including confidentiality of information.
Note: This position will be filled at the VP or SVP level, depending on candidate experience and qualifications.
Roles and Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Vision
- Develop and execute an annual comprehensive football communications strategy that is aligned with organizational goals
- Serve as the primary advisor to the CEO, president of football, head coach, general manager, and football leadership on media strategy, crisis communication, and competitive communication positioning
- Lead messaging and execution within all NFL and team guidelines around roster moves, injuries, game narratives, culture, and long-term team direction
Media Relations and Press Operations
- Oversee all football media availability, including weekly press conferences, practice access, and gameday media operations; orchestrate credentialing of local and national media in coordination with NFL regulations and AMBSE and Mercedes-Benz Stadium security
- Create, manage and maintain positive working relationships with national and local media, ensuring fair access and fostering trust
- Manage editorial relationships with the team’s local TV and Radio rights holders
- Prepare coaches, players, and executives for interviews through briefing documents, coaching, and rapid-response messaging; coordinate media training for all football personnel and specialized training for our most high-profile people
- Work closely with AMBSE media operations on all gameday needs, hosting media in a first-class manner to include all field, press box, and broadcast booths, trucks, remotes, etc.
Football Storytelling and Content Integration
- Collaborate with internal content, social, and brand teams to elevate football storytelling, creating narratives that strengthen the team’s reputation and fan engagement
- Ensure all football-related content is accurate, deliberate, and aligned with league guidelines and rules
- Drive longform content opportunities, including behind-the-scenes shows and documentaries, with all local and national partner media, as well as NFL Films collaborations
- Engage counterparts across the Blank Family of Businesses to leverage the platforms and media contacts of all entities to maximize communication with internal and external audiences, when appropriate
Crisis and Issues Management
- Work in close collaboration with Falcons CEO and BFOB CBCO, coordinating the team’s response to emerging issues, including player controversies, injuries, operational challenges, and community matters
- Create scenario plans and maintain readiness for rapid communications deployment; review annually with football leadership, Falcons communications and BFOB communications leadership, and key AMBSE communicators
- Serve as point of contact for league officials on communicating team or player disciplinary matters; manage narratives around controversial topics
Team Leadership and Operations
- Manage, develop, and mentor a team of football communications staffers, including coordinators, managers, directors, and seasonal associates
- Oversee all operational elements of the communications department, including budgeting, staffing, media guidelines, and gameday execution
- Ensure compliance with NFL policies on media access and league communications protocols
Qualifications
- 12+ years of progressive experience in sports or corporate communications, preferably in the NFL, or at the professional or collegiate level
- Proven success managing high-pressure media environments, issues management, and executive communications
- Deep understanding of NFL operations, culture, and media landscape
- Exceptional writing, messaging, strategic counseling, and relationship building skills
- Ability to influence at the executive level and collaborate across football and business units
- Track record of being a positive culture builder, collaborator, and teammate
- Documented success operating in complex environments and representing high-profile people and brands in a very fast-paced setting
Success Looks Like
- Unquestionable trust and confidence of all football leadership – CEO, president of football, general manager, head athletic trainer, head of security, etc.
- A clear, respected, and consistent team narrative across all platforms
- Well-prepared and confident football spokespeople
- Strong trust and positive working relationships with national media and league communications leaders
- Reduced reputational risk and rapid, professional handling of sensitive situations
- Increased fan understanding of team strategy, culture, and identity
- Communications playing a leading, active role in the overall integrated marketing operation day-to-day across the entire football calendar, including annual strategic planning
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.
