Job Title: Director of Communications & Public Relations

Position Type: Full Time

Location: Rochester, NY

About the Club:

Flower City Union is a professional soccer club committed to positively impacting the City of Rochester and its surrounding communities by fielding a competitive, championship-caliber team in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) while supporting the development of youth soccer locally. The Club is committed to nurturing social and economic connections through inclusive business practices. It actively embraces diversity and aims to reflect back the faces and voices of the region. The Club will play its inaugural season in 2022.

Flower City Union is seeking a Director of Communications & Public Relations. He/she will be responsible for setting and executing the communications and public relations strategies from the launch of the club through its first season. It is anticipated that this person will need to strategically plan, while also initially conduct many of the day-to-day operations as the Club becomes fully operational.

The organizational structure of Flower City Union differs from most sport organizations in that a substantial number of positions under the director level will be filled with graduate students from St. John Fisher College’s Sport Management program. Over the first year of employment, the Director of Communications & Public Relations and Graduate Program Director will be responsible for designing and running an effective transition plan for incoming and outgoing graduate student staff associates. Opportunities for instructing within the graduate program may be available with additional compensation.

The ideal candidate will be invested in the Club’s mission, open to non-traditional ideas and approaches, and relational. He/She will have the ability to work autonomously and make decisions on timelines that reflect the needs of the organization and industry, but will also know when to coordinate and consult with other constituents within the club.

Responsibilities:

Create and execute communications and public relations strategies for the club leading up to- and through the inaugural season in 2022
Contribute to the management of the club brand by aligning communications and public relations initiatives with the Club mission
Create an evaluation plan for communications and public relations
Supervise full-time staff, as well as graduate student staff associates and interns
Oversee the content creation for- and management of Flower City Union social and digital platforms
Oversee, edit, coordinate, and distribute written Club communications (press releases, training schedules, game notes, event advisories, match previews/recaps, player announcements, Club events, etc.)
Oversee public relations and community relations activities
Foster relationships and liaise with local media, as well as national soccer media
Fulfill league obligations and work to promote the Flower City Union and league brands
Serve as the primary point of contact for media and spokesperson for the Club
Serve as a representative of the Flower City Union brand at all times

Requirements:

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills, and abilities, and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of skills and abilities:
Bachelor’s degree in communications, sport management or a related field; Master’s degree preferred
3-5 years of communications or related experience in a sport environment
2-3 years of experience managing employees
Exceptional written and verbal skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office software and Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop, InDesign, and Premier Pro.
Experience working in a fast-paced environment and demonstrated ability to make quick decisions using sound judgment
Ability to work non-traditional hours including evenings and weekends and to potentially travel with the team
Individual must be detail-oriented and a self-starter
Knowledge of soccer is a plus
Bilingual is a plus

Timeline:

Applications will be accepted until position is closed.
Desired start date is May 1, 2021

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.