APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:
CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
CURRENT PENN STATE STUDENT (not employed previously at the university) and seeking employment with Penn State, please login to Workday to complete the student application process. Please do not apply here, apply internally through Workday.
Approval of remote and hybrid work is not guaranteed regardless of work location. For additional information on remote work at Penn State, see Notice to Out of State Applicants.
JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS
The Penn State Athletics Strategic Communications & Social Media Department is seeking highly motivated prospective and current Penn State students who are interested in gaining experience in athletics media relations, communications, public relations, social media and content capture/generation.
Students with strong written and verbal communication skills, who are dependable, can easily work independently and as a member of a team are encouraged to apply. Knowledge of Microsoft Word and desktop publishing programs (Adobe Creative Suite) is preferred but not required. Familiarity with Associated Press (AP) style is preferred. Knowledge and experience in multiple forms of social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X) is preferred but not required. Prior experience in photography, videography, graphic design and editing is preferred but not required.
A Student Assistant in the Strategic Communications & Social Media Department will work various events across all 31 Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics programs, performing tasks that include recording statistics, assisting the media, transcribing postgame press conferences, and assisting in the management of team-specific and departmental social media accounts. Additional responsibilities include research projects, contributing written feature stories and other press releases to GoPSUsports.com, attending team practices to capture student-athlete centric content, and telling the story of Nittany Lion student-athletes through written, digital, and social media communication. A full breakdown of student assistant responsibilities is listed below.
LEVEL ONE | STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Penn State Strategic Communications level one student assistants are tasked with providing event support and week-to-week assistance to an assigned member of the Penn State Strategic Communications full-time staff. Duties as a level one student assistant (strategic communications) include providing statistical support during events; capturing in-game video or photograph content to support team social media channels; assisting members of the media; transcribing and editing weekly or postgame press conferences; assisting on research projects; attending practices to capture student-athlete centric social media content for team-specific channels; other duties as assigned. Level one student assistants (strategic communications) are expected to meet the preferred qualifications outlined above.
LEVEL ONE | SOCIAL MEDIA
Penn State Social Media level one student assistants are tasked with providing event support and week-to-week office assistance to an assigned member of the Penn State Social Media full-time staff. Duties as a level one student assistant (social media) include capturing photographs and videos at Nittany Lion home athletics events to support the GoPSUsports and West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium social media channels; editing, organizing and properly tagging photographs and videos captured; attending select special events outside of intercollegiate athletics contests to provide social media support; other duties as assigned. Level one student assistants (social media) are expected to meet the preferred qualifications outlined above and are required to have prior experience in either photography, videography, graphic design or social media management.
LEVEL TWO | STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Penn State Strategic Communications level two student assistants are tasked with serving as the primary communications officers for one of five-six Nittany Lion intercollegiate athletics programs, including men’s and women’s fencing, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s swimming & diving and women’s swimming & diving, with full-time oversight from a member of the Penn State Strategic Communications staff. Duties as a level two student assistant include generating feature content, photo, video and other unique coverage for GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics, and team social channels; producing online team record books, news releases and feature stories; responding to media requests; facilitating social media in line with department goals; staffing home events and providing remote coverage of away events; supervising other event support personnel. Level two student assistants are required to have knowledge of Microsoft Word, the Adobe Creative Suite, Associated Press style and extensive comfortability and knowledge of social media content generation and digital strategy.
BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES
Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies.
CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS
Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.
EEO IS THE LAW
Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.
Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive. We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.
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