top of page

Director, Community Relations - Professional Sport

"The professional team I work for has a long and deep history in our community. To succeed both on and off the ice, we need the goodwill and the support of our community. My job is to genuinely listen, engage and build the trust of the communities we serve—from players to fans, government and sponsors. If we do, we’ll succeed in building a sustainable and winning organization."

Salary Range:

$66,000 - $144,000

The Tip

In the world of hype of analytics and big salaries, people sometimes forget professional sports is about connecting to real people. So, get out from behind your screen and listen to someone different in your community every day.

Priority Knowledge & Skills
Job-Specific

  • High level of emotional intelligence

  • Market analysis

  • Segmentation

  • Event & experiential marketing

  • Marketing communication

  • Public relations

  • Promotions & sponsorship

  • Content marketing

  • Contextual knowledge of sport

Core Transferable

Be an expert at all core transferable skills:

  • Thinking skills

  • Communication skills

  • Organizational skills

  • Interpersonal skills

  • Technical literacy

Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:

  • Bachelor of Health and Physical Education (Sport & Recreation Management) with a minor in political science

  • I read everything I can find on the link between stakeholder trust and behaviour

  • Current favourite podcast is the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast With Richard Deitsch

 

"It didn’t take long for me to realize when it comes to strategy, stakeholders can be an asset (through advocacy) or a liability (through active resistance). Multiply this exponentially in the sport & recreation sector because we are part of our community fabric. I invest my informal education in understanding and empathizing with them to enable me to make better decisions."

​

 

Employment Experiences:

  • Worked as a student ambassador in university and toured high schools

  • At graduation, started as a communications coordinator for a minor league team

  • Took a position in customer service for my current team and worked my way to become customer service manager

  • Appointed to Director of Community Relations

 

"Community relations is a senior role that requires years of industry experience. To build to this role, I needed to spend time learning the core business of both communications and professional sports. My experience taught me how to leverage old and new media tools and the technical dimension of the industry. This enabled me to become an effective storyteller."

​

​

Community Experiences:

  • On board of the local chapter of KidSport and the chair of community and programs committee

 

"I focused on coordinating programs for KidSport, allowing the refinement of my event management skills from promotion to execution."

​

​

Contextual Experiences:

  • Passionate traveler. My personal goal is 30 by 30. Thirty countries by age 30.

  • During university I did a three-month international work-term in Australia with the Australian Football League (AFL)

 

"Travel taught me the reality that “context matters.” I’ve learned humility by recognizing how much I don’t know. For me, this recognition has triggered an intrinsic and authentic curiosity in people."

​

​

Relationships:

  • Developed a diverse mentor team of people both inside and outside of sport

 

"My mentors coached me to avoid specializing too early and to get out of the cubicle and into the field. I owe them a lot for pushing me."

bottom of page