Director of Digital Content and Strategy | The Summit League

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES: The Summit League seeks a creative and strategic leader to serve as the Director of Digital Content and Strategy. This role will shape and execute a cohesive content vision that elevates the brand, drives fan engagement, enhances digital and broadcast presence, and fulfills partner and sponsorship obligations. The ideal candidate will bring a strong understanding of multimedia production, audience development, digital distribution, and social storytelling in the context of collegiate athletics. Specific duties include, but are not limited to: Develop and lead an integrated content strategy aligned with The Summit League's brand, values, and growth goals. Direct the strategy, tone, and cadence for all social media platforms (X, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn). Create an annual content calendar balancing storytelling, competition highlights, event promotion, and community engagement. Lead, mentor and manage the Assistant Director of Digital Content, establishing priorities, delegating responsibilities and evaluating performance. Create and communicate a plan to League team members with expectations in deploying digital content through conference channels. Serve as a liaison to member institutions to coordinate League-wide content initiatives and promote consistent branding and messaging. Lead creative ideation and production for tentpole events (e.g., championships, media days, award shows). Provide storytelling direction for live event coverage, feature stories, behind-the-scenes content, and documentaries. Collaborate with Communications department team members to produce high-quality video, photo, written, and graphic content. Design visually appealing graphic templates that align with the brand's identity and messaging, ensuring they are adaptable for various platforms and content types. Select appropriate colors, fonts, and layouts that resonate with the target audience and League stakeholders. Ensure all content reflects a consistent voice, tone, and visual identity across platforms reflecting the brand strategy and mission of the League. Optimize content distribution across owned platforms (website, app, social media, OTT, YouTube) and earned/paid media. Implement SEO, tagging, and analytics-informed practices through Sprout to maximize reach and engagement. Regularly audit/monitor content delivery consistency, fan engagement, and other KPIs using analytics dashboards. Deliver regular reporting and insights on performance of sponsored content. Assess content metrics to determine effectiveness of content and identify areas for improvements or shifts in strategies. Collaborate closely with communications, digital, championships, and corporate partnerships teams. Provide on-site content creation at assigned League events (championships, media days, special events, etc.) Manage production budgets and timelines. Manage workflows and deliverables with external content producers and contractors, including the hiring of photographers for each championship event. Negotiate service contracts and ensure quality control across all vendor-produced content. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, Media Production, Journalism, or a related field. 5+ years of progressive experience in digital content strategy, preferably within sports or entertainment. Demonstrated expertise in social media strategy, video production, and storytelling. Experience working with sponsors/partners to create branded content solutions. Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite, content management systems, social media tools, and analytics platforms. Strong project management and interpersonal skills. Willingness to travel for League events, championships, and media days. Availability to work evenings/weekends as needed. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of NCAA Division I athletics landscape. Creative portfolio or samples of content work. 12-month, full-time position with a salary commensurate with experience and qualifications, plus a benefits package that includes health benefits along with an employer contribution to a retirement plan