Description:

The Director – Content Strategy leads the ACC's content, social, digital and distribution strategy across Conference-owned platforms, sports, campaigns and championships. This role is responsible for establishing content priorities, developing platform and distribution strategies, leading strategic content partnerships, managing content resources and ensuring the ACC consistently delivers timely, relevant and engaging storytelling that grows audiences and strengthens the ACC brand.

The Director leads the Content Strategy team, including direct management of two Manager – Content Strategy positions, and serves as a key strategic partner across Marketing & Brand, Creative, Communications, Sport Administration, ACC member institutions, ESPN/ACCN and external platform, technology and content partners. The role requires strong strategic judgment, audience and platform expertise, partnership leadership, people leadership and the ability to translate audience insights and business priorities into an actionable content strategy.

The ideal candidate is a strategic content and audience leader who understands that modern content strategy extends beyond publishing. This individual should understand how content, distribution, platforms, creators, technology and strategic partnerships work together to grow audiences and strengthen brands. They should be equally comfortable setting long-term strategy, developing external partnerships, leading a team, using data to make decisions and directing real-time content operations across a complex year-round sports calendar.

Key Responsibilities

Content & Audience Strategy

Lead the ACC's conference-wide content, social and digital strategy across owned and partner platforms, major campaigns, sports and championships
Develop an audience-led content strategy that connects Conference priorities with audience behaviors, platform dynamics, cultural trends and opportunities for growth
Oversee content strategy across all ACC sports, with direct strategic leadership of Football and oversight of Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball and Olympic sports
Establish clear content priorities and coverage approaches across sports based on Conference objectives, audience opportunities, performance insights and available resources
Define how content should work across different stages of the audience journey, from reaching new audiences to deepening engagement with existing ACC and school-first fans
Identify opportunities for original franchises, vertical video, athlete-led storytelling, creators and emerging content formats that can expand ACC reach and relevance
Serve as a member of the Marketing & Brand leadership team, helping shape department priorities and leading content, social, digital and audience strategy for Conference-wide brand campaigns and major initiatives
Bring forward proactive recommendations for how the ACC should evolve its content strategy rather than relying solely on existing approaches or responding to day-to-day content needs

Platform, Distribution & Strategic Partnerships

Develop and lead the ACC's content distribution strategy across owned, social, partner and emerging platforms, ensuring content reaches priority audiences in the environments where they increasingly consume sports, entertainment and culture
Own the strategic content relationship with key platform and technology partners, including Meta, WSC Sports, Raycom Sports and other current and future partners
Establish clear objectives, priorities and measures of success for each partnership, ensuring relationships extend beyond day-to-day delivery and create meaningful audience, content and business value for the ACC
Identify and develop new platform, distribution, creator and content partnerships that can expand ACC reach, improve storytelling capabilities and accelerate audience growth
Partner with Meta and other major social and digital platforms to understand product roadmaps, emerging formats, audience behaviors and best practices, identifying opportunities for the ACC to serve as an early adopter or strategic partner
Lead the strategic evolution of WSC Sports and other content technology relationships, identifying opportunities to improve content creation, automation, personalization, distribution and speed-to-market
Partner with Raycom Sports and other rights and content partners to maximize the reach, quality and strategic value of ACC content across digital platforms
Develop recommendations for how emerging technologies, including AI and automation, can improve content operations, distribution and audience engagement
Represent the ACC in strategic conversations with external content and platform partners and translate emerging opportunities into actionable recommendations for Marketing & Brand leadership

Social & Digital Channels

Lead strategy, standards, publishing workflows and issue escalation across all ACC social media channels
Oversee strategy, publishing and day-to-day management of theACC.com and the ACC app in partnership with internal teams and digital providers
Establish clear roles for ACC platforms and channels based on audience behaviors, content objectives and broader Marketing & Brand priorities
Ensure ACC channels are accurate, timely, platform-appropriate and aligned with Conference brand and content priorities
Monitor platform trends, audience behaviors, algorithm changes, emerging formats and shifts in consumption to identify opportunities to evolve ACC content and distribution
Ensure platform strategy is informed by both performance data and a clear understanding of how audiences increasingly discover and consume sports content

Content Planning & Resource Management

Own the Conference content calendar and prioritize work across overlapping sports, campaigns, championships and major moments
Translate strategic priorities into actionable content plans, ensuring the team understands not only what is being produced but why the work matters and which audiences it is intended to reach
Allocate internal staff, freelance and creative resources against established priorities
Lead coverage planning across regular-season competition, postseason events and ACC Championships
Manage freelance social and creative teams, including staffing, assignments, schedules and coverage expectations
Make real-time prioritization and coverage decisions when demand exceeds available resources
Build operating rhythms, planning processes and workflows that improve visibility, accountability and coordination across Content, Creative and Marketing & Brand
Identify opportunities to make the content operation more efficient and scalable through improved processes, technology and resource allocation

Live Events & Championships

Oversee live social and digital coverage of ACC games and events, including evening and weekend coverage
Lead content operations for ACC Championships, coordinating staff, freelancers and creative personnel on-site and remotely
Establish clear coverage priorities, roles and workflows to ensure key moments are captured and distributed quickly, accurately and strategically
Partner with Creative to develop graphics, photography, video and social-first concepts supporting championships, sports and major Conference initiatives
Identify opportunities to use championships and marquee events as content laboratories for new formats, creators, distribution strategies and audience-development initiatives

Member Institution Collaboration

Serve as the primary social, digital and content strategy contact for ACC member institutions, providing strategic guidance, support, messaging and campaign coordination
Build strong relationships with school social, digital and content teams to strengthen collaboration, amplification and shared learning across the Conference
Develop systems for sharing content priorities, toolkits, assets, insights and best practices with member institutions
Gather feedback and insights from schools and incorporate those perspectives into Conference content and platform strategy
Identify opportunities to leverage the collective reach and strength of ACC member institutions to extend Conference storytelling and convert school-first affinity into broader ACC engagement
Facilitate regular dialogue among member institutions around platform trends, emerging practices, audience development and shared opportunities

Team Leadership

Lead and directly manage two Manager – Content Strategy positions, overseeing priorities, workload, performance, professional development and coverage planning across their assigned sports and platforms
Establish clear expectations and accountability while balancing workloads across a demanding year-round sports calendar
Develop team members and create opportunities for increased ownership, strategic thinking, decision-making and leadership
Build a team culture that encourages proactive thinking, experimentation, strong judgment and continuous improvement
Ensure the Director's role increasingly focuses on strategy, leadership and partnership development by building a team capable of owning high-quality day-to-day execution
Foster strong collaboration across Content, Creative, Marketing & Brand, Communications and other Conference functions

Performance, Insights & Analytics

Develop a measurement framework connecting content performance to audience growth, engagement, distribution and broader Marketing & Brand objectives
Measure social, digital and content performance and translate audience behavior into clear, actionable recommendations
Develop regular reporting that informs content priorities, platform strategy, resource allocation and leadership decision-making
Establish performance reviews that move beyond reporting results to identifying what the team should do differently as a result of the data
Partner with internal and external analytics resources to deepen understanding of ACC audiences across social, digital and partner platforms
Evaluate the effectiveness of platform, technology and content partnerships against defined strategic objectives and recommend where the ACC should increase, change or reduce investment
Identify opportunities to improve measurement capabilities, tools and team understanding of audience and content performance

Requirements:

Key Skills & Abilities

Strong strategic understanding of content, social media, digital platforms, audience development, distribution and real-time sports storytelling
Demonstrated experience developing and leading content and audience strategies across multiple platforms, properties, sports or brands
Ability to develop a clear point of view on where content should live, how it should be distributed, which audiences it should reach and which partners can accelerate that strategy
Demonstrated experience building strategic relationships with social platforms, technology providers, media companies, content distributors or other external partners and translating those relationships into audience and business value
Strong understanding of major social and digital platforms, platform-native storytelling, social-first video, creator ecosystems and emerging content formats
Demonstrated ability to use audience insights, analytics and performance data to make strategic decisions and improve content effectiveness
Strong people leadership with experience managing and developing teams, freelancers and complex content operations
Excellent editorial judgment and ability to prioritize competing demands in fast-moving environments
Ability to move comfortably between long-term strategic planning and real-time decision-making
Strong strategic and creative judgment with the ability to bring forward recommendations, challenge existing approaches and identify new opportunities
Excellent written, verbal, presentation and interpersonal communication skills
Ability to build credibility and collaborate effectively across departments, member institutions, external partners and senior leadership
Strong organizational and project-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
Ability to make sound decisions independently, including during live events and outside traditional business hours
Experience working with social publishing, analytics, content management and workflow tools
Understanding of emerging technologies, including AI and automation, and their potential application to content creation, distribution and operations
Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and content production workflows is beneficial
Demonstrated leadership, integrity, professionalism, accountability and follow-through

Education Requirements & Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education, training and experience
Minimum of seven years of progressive professional experience in content strategy, social media, digital media, audience development, sports, entertainment or a related field
Demonstrated experience leading teams and managing complex content programs
Demonstrated experience developing strategy and translating it into coordinated execution across multiple stakeholders
Experience managing or developing external platform, media, technology or content partnerships preferred
Sports, media, entertainment or live-event experience strongly preferred
Experience working across multiple sports, properties, brands or stakeholder groups preferred
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite
Must pass pre-employment screens

Work Environment

This position typically operates in an office setting but also at indoor and outdoor venues including stadiums, arenas, and fields. Additionally, please note the following:

Ability to remain standing/walking for up to 4 hours
Ability to remain sitting for up to 8 hours at a desk or computer
Due to the nature of the ACC’s business, travel may occur to multiple sites as dictated by major and minor event schedules
Due to the nature of events indoors and outdoors, you must be able to endure varying weather conditions including wind, rain, and high and low temperatures
Understanding that due to the nature of our business, working hours can include working nights, weekends, and holidays as necessary

The salary and benefits package will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Review of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, religion, creed, race, color, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, genetic information, national origin, or other characteristics protected by state and federal law.

Atlantic Coast Conference

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Director - Content Strategy