Director, Creative Services

Position Title:
Director, Creative Services

Position Type:
Regular

Hiring Range:

$85,400-$102,487.0 annually; Compensation will be based on education, experience, skills relevant to the role, and internal equity.

Pay Frequency:
Annual
A. POSITION PURPOSE

The Director of Athletics Creative Services Video Production leads the creation, editing, and distribution of video content for Santa Clara Athletics. This role develops video strategies to promote the Athletics brand, showcase student-athletes and teams, engage audiences, and support marketing, communications, recruiting, fundraising, ticketing, sponsorship, social media, digital, and in-venue efforts. The director manages projects from concept through distribution, establishes production standards, supervises staff and contractors, and serves as the primary contact for video projects with the West Coast Conference, University Marketing and Communications, and the School of Communication while supporting creative campaigns and maintaining a consistent athletics visual identity.

B. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Direction and Development

• Develop, direct, and implement a comprehensive video content strategy-for the athletic department while constantly evaluating and enhancing our product.
• Lead the creation of compelling, high-quality video content for social media, digital platforms, in-venue presentation, marketing campaigns, and other departmental initiatives in collaboration with departmental colleagues and external partners. Manage the department's video archive and digital asset-management processes, ensuring footage is properly organized, maintained, and readily available for conference, broadcast, news media, institutional, and departmental needs.

• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, and provide creative direction to student employees, on-call staff, freelancers, and independent contractors supporting Athletics video production.

Video Production Leadership and Brand Standards

• Establish and maintain the creative direction, visual style, and production standards for video content distributed through in-venue, social media, digital, broadcast, and other departmental platforms.
• Produce and adapt video content for Santa Clara Athletics and team-specific channels, ensuring each asset is appropriate for its intended audience, format, platform, and campaign objective.Collaborate with media relations, marketing, ticketing, development, coporate partnerships, coaches, and other departmental stakeholdersto generate ideas and execute content that supports brand, engagement, recruiting, and revenue goals.
• Provide advice, consultation, and support in the development of policy, planning, and response to all video and digital content management aspects of the Department of Athletics.
• Review video content for creative quality, technical accuracy, brand consistency, accessibility, and compliance with applicable University, conference, and NCAA requirements before distribution.

Content Production and Event Coverage

• Lead video content strategy and production for men's basketball at home and on the road, coordinating coverage, priorities, and distribution with the assigned communications contact and other departmental stakeholders.
• Conceive, research, script, direct, film, edit, and deliver short- and long-form video content, including team highlights, behind-the-scenes features, student-athlete profiles, interviews, promotional pieces, motivational content, and season-ending projects.
• Create video and motion-graphic elements for in-venue presentation, digital platforms, social media, marketing campaigns, recruiting initiatives, development efforts, and other departmental priorities.
• Lead video coverage of home and away competitions, practices, community service activities, departmental events, and other Athletics initiatives, including highlights, interviews, social-first content, and feature storytelling.
• Coordinate broadcast-adjacent and independent event coverage by assigning and directing videographers, identifying required shots and deliverables, and ensuring appropriate coverage for sports with and without a live broadcast.
• Conceptualize and produce video content showcasing Santa Clara Athletics facilities, programs, people, and campus environment.
• Prepare, publish, or coordinate the distribution of video content through approved Athletics channels and content-management systems, following established editorial, brand, accessibility, and approval procedures.
• Select and properly license music, footage, graphics, and other creative assets used in video productions.

External Video and Media Coordination

• Serve as the primary Athletics video contact for the West Coast Conference, University Marketing and Communications, broadcast partners, local and national news media, visiting institutions, and other authorized external organizations.
• Coordinate and fulfill approved footage requests, ensuring video assets meet required formats, specifications, deadlines, usage rights, and University and departmental policies.

Digital Asset and Equipment Management

• Maintain an organized, searchable, and secure digital video archive using the department's digital asset management and storage systems, including consistent standards for file naming, metadata, access, backup, retention, and retrieval.
• Maintain an accurate inventory of video-production equipment and coordinate its storage, checkout, routine maintenance, repair, and replacement.
• Assess video-production technology and equipment needs and provide recommendations to the external unit leader or future purchases and upgrades.

Production Staff Supervision and Development

• Recruit, onboard, train, schedule, supervise, and evaluate student employees, on-call staff, game-day production assistants, freelancers, and independent contractors supporting Athletics video production.
• Assign personnel and manage coverage schedules for designated sports, home events, road competitions, and departmental initiatives based on production priorities and available resources.
• Establish clear expectations for capturing, editing, delivering, and publishing content, including compliance with creative standards, deadlines, platform requirements, and approved social media access procedures.
• Provide regular instruction, constructive feedback, and professional-development opportunities that improve technical skills, creative judgment, reliability, and overall production quality.
• Review and approve time records and required employment documentation in coordination with Athletics administration and Human Resources.

Liaison responsibilities.

• Serve as the primary Athletics contact with University Marketing and Communications for video-production requests, footage coordination, brand alignment, and collaborative content initiatives.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with the School of Communication that create mutually beneficial opportunities for student learning, internships, production experience, and Athletics content development.
• Identify, establish, and manage campus partnerships and collaborative video projects that advance Athletics' creative and departmental priorities.

Other duties as assigned.

1. Must maintain current knowledge of applicable rules and standards of the West Coast Conference, NCAA, and Santa Clara University.

C. PROVIDES WORK DIRECTION

Supervises and provides work direction to on-call employees (student/non-student) and independent contractors.

D. GENERAL GUIDELINES

Recommends initiatives and implements changes to improve quality, services, and operational efficiency.

Identifies opertational challenges and their causes and - develops recommendations for improvement of established processes and practices. Maintains productive relationships with departmental stakeholders and solicits feedback to improve creative services and support.

Maximizes productivity through the effective use of appropriate tools; training, workflows, and performance practices.

Researches and develops resources that support timely, consistent, and efficient workflow.

Tracks project progress, communicates significant changes or deviations from established goals, and ensures the completeness, accuracy, and timely delivery of operational work.

Prepares and submits reports as requested and required.

Develops and implements guidelines and standard operating procedures that support the effective operation of the unit.

E. QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The items below are representative of the knowledge, skills, abilities, education, and experience required or preferred.

This position requires the ability to effectively establish and maintain cooperative working relationships within a diverse multicultural environment.

Knowledge

• Demonstrated expertise leading all phases of professional video production, including pre-production, field production, post-production, and distribution.
• Comprehensive knowledge of pre-production practices, including story development and research, creative pitching, location scouting, scriptwriting, interview preparation, production scheduling, staffing, and logistical planning.
• Comprehensive knowledge of field-production practices, including camera operation, composition, lighting, audio recording, equipment setup and breakdown, live-event coverage, and interviewing student-athletes, coaches, administrators, alumni, donors, and other subjects.
• Comprehensive knowledge of post-production practices, including footage evaluation, editing, media organization, audio mixing, color correction, motion graphics, captioning, quality control, encoding, and delivery.
• Advanced knowledge of professional video-production equipment, workflows, file formats, storage systems, and digital asset-management systems.
• Advanced proficiency with relevant creative software, including Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Audition, Media Encoder, and other applicable production tools.
• Knowledge of video strategy and storytelling practices for social media, digital platforms, in-venue presentation, marketing campaigns, recruiting, fundraising, sponsorship, and broadcast use.
• Knowledge of visual identity and brand standards and the ability to apply them consistently across video content and creative campaigns.
• Working knowledge of copyright, music and footage licensing, publicity and privacy rights, accessibility practices, and other requirements governing video production and distribution.

Understanding of and commitment to the University's mission and vision and the role of intercollegiate athletics within the institution.

Skills

• Advanced skill in operating professional cinema, mirrorless, DSLR, and video camera systems, including related lighting, audio, stabilization, and production equipment.
• Advanced proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud applications relevant to video production, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Photoshop, Audition, and Media Encoder.
• Demonstrated skill in visual storytelling, creative direction, videography, editing, motion graphics, audio production, color correction, and content optimization for digital, social, broadcast, and in-venue platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to lead production crews and provide clear creative and technical direction to student employees, on-call staff, freelancers, and independent contractors.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize simultaneous projects, coordinate production schedules, manage resources, and meet firm deadlines.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with student-athletes, coaches, administrators, staff, alumni, donors, partners, media representatives, and other Athletics constituencies.
• Ability to present creative concepts, receive and provide constructive feedback, and translate stakeholder objectives into effective video content.
• Experience using CatDV or a comparable digital asset-management system is preferred.
• Experience producing or incorporating aerial footage is preferred. FAA Part 107 certification, or the ability to obtain certification, is preferred when operating drones on behalf of the University.

Abilities

• Ability to translate departmental objectives and audience needs into clear, compelling, and platform-appropriate video content.
• Ability to exercise sound creative judgment and maintain accuracy, discretion, and professionalism when working with student-athletes, coaches, sensitive information, and time-critical content.
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while adapting to changing schedules, competitive outcomes, and departmental needs.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and collaborate effectively as a member of a cross-functional creative team.
• Ability to represent Santa Clara University and the Department of Athletics professionally when working with internal and external constituencies.
• Ability to build productive working relationships with individuals from varied backgrounds, roles, and areas of expertise.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive feedback and resolve creative or operational differences professionally.
• Ability to work frequent evenings, weekends, and holidays and travel for home and away athletic events and other departmental assignments.

Education

• A bachelor's degree in video production, journalism, or a related field is required, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience is required.

Years of Experience

• 3-5 years of related experience in non-linear editing and professional sports videography required.

F. PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.