Job Description
Company Background
The Houston Dynamo Football Club (HDFC) is a multi-faceted organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting soccer participation and growth in Houston, TX and beyond. The Club’s brands include men's and women's professional teams - the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and Houston Dash (NWSL), a development academy, Houston Dynamo Dash Charities, as well as Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park.
The Club has a rich history, including MLS Cup titles (2006, 2007) and in-season tournament championships for both the Dynamo (2018) and Dash (2020) and is focused on building toward the next championships, inspiring and uniting the city of Houston through the sport of soccer and community outreach, and creating the most inclusive sporting experience and diverse fan base in the city and state.
The Houston Dynamo Football Club (HDFC) is a multi-faceted organization dedicated to inspiring and supporting soccer participation and growth in Houston, TX and beyond. The Club’s brands include men's and women's professional teams - the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and Houston Dash (NWSL), a development academy, Houston Dynamo Dash Charities, as well as Shell Energy Stadium and Houston Sports Park.
The Club has a rich history, including MLS Cup titles (2006, 2007) and in-season tournament championships for both the Dynamo (2018) and Dash (2020) and is focused on building toward the next championships, inspiring and uniting the city of Houston through the sport of soccer and community outreach, and creating the most inclusive sporting experience and diverse fan base in the city and state.
Purpose of the Job
This leadership role will lead the development and execution of the PR and Communications strategy for the Club, specifically Media Relations (proactive and reactive), Crisis Communications, and Brand and Corporate Communications. This individual will partner with the integrated Marketing team to drive awareness and relevancy for the Club’s brands across competition, entertainment, community, technology, and innovation initiatives. The Vice President of PR and Communications reports to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and will work closely with the integrated Marketing team, as well as other key departments across the organization, to realize opportunities within the strategic plan, as well as in the moment opportunities to deliver against overall business objectives.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Creates the Club’s overarching strategic communications plan and messaging platform to drive consistency of narrative about the Club and its brands’ internal and external audiences.
- Partners with the CMO, Vice President, Marketing and Vice President, Community Relations to develop and implement publicity and communications strategies and generate media coverage for the Club’s brands, entertainment, community, and other strategic initiatives.
- Develops, composes, distributes, and implements polices to enhance the proficiency of the communications department and to further develop the building and maintaining of a positive Club brand.
- Partners with CMO to oversee corporate communications and branding in various online and print channels, such as LinkedIn, and industry media channels (e.g., Sports Business Journal).
- Oversees the management and delivery of day-to-day communication needs for the Club’s teams, including pre-season, pre-match, match day, post-match, and off-season.
- Develops and manages effective crisis and issues management program; monitor on-goings within sport, local and regional government, social causes, and other relevant topics to identify potential scenarios that the Club may need to and/or want to address.
- Devises process for monitoring and reporting Club’s media coverage (broadcast, print, digital) to determine external perceptions of the organization and anticipate PR needs.
- Develops executive communications, presentations, and speechwriting on behalf of the ownership and executive leadership of the Club to provide strategically relevant and impactful opportunities in coordination with the CMO.
- Supervises, leads, and coaches the Club’s Communications staff, including the Director, Communications, and two Communication Coordinators.
- Plans and manages the function’s budget and resources to support the PR and Communication strategy and overall business objectives.
- Creates talking points for Club executives, players and partners as needed.
- Serves as Executive Editor for all Club communication publications, including press releases, media guides, match notes, etc.
- Organizes and leads all major Club news conferences.
- Travels, as needed, with the teams to oversee and monitor execution of department strategy.
- Additional duties as assigned.
Qualification Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, or a related field - required.
- Minimum of seven (7) years of full-time sports marketing and/or entertainment experience with team(s), league and/or agency in communication, public relations, or media relations capacity– required.
- Established national and regional sports, business, and non-sports media contacts – required.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) – required.
- Bilingual English/Spanish – preferred.
- Ability to work evenings, weekends and some holidays based on soccer season schedule.
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other Attributes
- Knowledge of the Houston market, MLS and/or NWSL.
- Agility to respond optimally to the constantly evolving needs of a fast-paced organization and industry and work on tight deadlines with accuracy.
- Strong work ethic with an attention to detail, strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize projects and multi-task.
- Ability to identify problems and their root causes, and to develop and recommend effective solutions. Exceptional written and oral communication skills at all levels of the organization and with external contacts.
- Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects.
- Maintains Organizational Core Competencies.
Organizational Core Competencies
- Accountable – Holds themselves (and when appropriate others) accountable for achieving goals and objectives.
- Collaborative – Works collaboratively with others to achieve organizational outcomes.
- Progressive – Open minded, accepting, creative, and innovative in approach.
- Values Driven – Being ethical in decision making and operating with professional integrity.
- Agile – Achieves personal and organizational success within a changing, dynamic, and complex environment. Ability to handle ambiguity.
Additional Competencies for Leadership
- Strategic – Leads opportunity and is committed to continuous improvement aligned with the organizational vision and direction.
- Resilient – Demonstrates personal resilience within a demanding environment of high expectations.
- Enabling – Drives excellence through valuing and developing others.
- Business Acumen – Superior ability to understand and effectively navigate area of responsibility and various business scenarios.
- Good Judgment – Strong critical thinking skills and ability to exercise discretion and good judgement.
Other Information
Diverse candidates of all backgrounds are welcome, and the Club seeks individuals passionate about sport, inspiring the city and devoted to the organization's growth. While duties and responsibilities vary across positions, we are seeking individuals who are accountable, collaborative, progressive, agile and ethical/values driven.
We are an equal opportunity employer. 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.
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