Senior Design Director

Company: Purdue University
Location: Fort Wayne
Posted on: August 6, 2022

Job Description:

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link Purdue University Fort Wayne is seeking innovative design and hands-on creative services leadership to serve as the new Senior Director for Integrated Marketing and Creative Services. The individual will be an experienced "design thinker," a passionate "brand developer," a strong "visual storyteller," and an experienced and keenly "data aware" proponent across initiatives from concept through execution. The senior design leadership position will play an active, supportive, collaborative, and engaging role in a wide variety of major initiatives across the university's brand and related sub-brands, awareness and marketing campaigns, major events, innovative advertising campaigns, and executed across multiple communications platforms to support the university's comprehensive efforts to help target, inform, and engage with key audiences. Ideal candidates will be creatively engaging, inclusive, and aware communicators, demonstrating and showcasing an exceptional platform of design and cultural aesthetics; attention to detail; and well-versed in current and emerging marketing practices, design trends, and innovative social and digital approaches. Your day to day:

• Strategically expand, direct, create, and implement new design and marketing efforts and integrations, and build out dynamic systems and asset resources for platforms. Leverage robust guidelines and frameworks in a growing and cohesive design ecosystem to support direction of identity design, digital campaign design, social media campaigns design, multimedia integration, inclusive and dynamic art direction, high-level content integration, and the user and event experience integrations.
• Work within new, innovative, adaptable, and resource-rich brand and technology driven frameworks, and create a design culture that continually expands and discovers new ways to better connect, attract, and inform our audiences, including prospective students, current students, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, communities, and a variety of campus partners.
• Support a highly creative, respectful, and team-oriented philosophy; attend and actively participate in various PFW initiatives and events, and help the department collect valuable creative intake, provide key user insight, and help develop and deliver engaging presentations.
• Work collaboratively with other highly talented and effective Communications and Marketing team managers to expand on projects with innovative and hands-on design efforts, art direction, and production alignment skills by expertly identifying and creatively using dynamic images, photography, video, and a variety of storytelling assets. Align design efforts to directly support other creative teams such as the Multimedia team with photography and video-based projects; the Editorial Services team with content and organization solutions in design; and the Web Services team with new digital design assets and solutions.
• In collaboration with the department's leadership team, the Senior Design Director will directly manage the design team's multi-faceted creative and production processes including design project integration and resource planning; direction and development steps; review management stages; vendors, specs, and production coordination as needed; and design and execution planning for multi-phase environmental experiences. Oversee management of the design team timelines and status reports in both department meetings and the overall project management software, Basecamp.
• Senior Design Director position reports directly to and creatively collaborates with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Communications and Chief Marketing Officer, who serves as the university's senior creative director to help identify and support key priorities and vision; effectively develop, refine, and measure multiple long-term strategies and campaigns; and enthusiastically champion and help pave the way for all transformational, creative, and multifaceted initiatives across the University. Why we'll love you:
  • You've worked hard to earn a Bachelor's degree in design, communications, arts, multimedia, or related field.
  • You have a minimum of six to seven years managing digital and traditional design in a professional environment.
  • Your highly talented creative work, that was created and engaged directly by you, is supported by strong portfolio that is accessibly sent as part of your application.
  • Effective and highly relatable creative supervisory experience.
  • Exceptionally talented and agile creative thinker and a strong and hands-on design leader.
  • Outstanding track record for partnering and drawing out the best in other creative professionals and helping colleagues across many areas understand, celebrate, and embrace creative solutions.
  • Values ideation and execution and has demonstrated skills and experience in the creative flow process. Cont.
    • History of developing strong evidence-based, data-informed creative solutions.
    • Confident presentation skills and an understanding of methods that will draw others in, teach and mentor new concepts, and engender effective dialogue and buy-in.
    • Excellent project management, analytical, multi-tasking, and organizational skills.
    • Ability to lead, plan, develop, and implement projects and programs that deliver on priorities and follows direction and assignments and leadership.
    • Maintains effective and sustainable relationships while also able to redirect interest if a project is not viable or aligned with other priorities at the time.
    • Able to be creative, flexible, and resilient in handling any potential project changes or other unforeseen issues.
    • Ability to assume proper and relatable accountability to effectively communicate and resolve issues with sound, independent, and critical judgment when needed.
    • Solid understanding of the capabilities and limitations within all communications and execution channels.
    • Strong fluency and direct skills across the Adobe Creative Suite as well as other leading execution and project planning software and platforms, along with proven expertise in major digital, traditional, and emerging delivery models.
    • The position sometimes requires presence and commitment before 8 a.m., after 5 p.m., and on weekends, both on and off campus. Some local and regional travel may be required for meetings, events, and conferences.
    • This position may be required to be in communication with other Office of Communications and Marketing staff and senior administrators, and/or perform key work tasks in off-hours or off-location conditions as required to execute special projects or critical communications as conditions may demand. Why you'll love us:
      • Free tuition through Purdue University Global
      • Fee remission for a traditional Purdue degree for yourself, spouse, and children
      • Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance available on first day of employment
      • Additional voluntary benefits
      • Paid Time Off
      • Live and work in an affordable, family friendly community Additional Information:
        • Purdue will not sponsor employment authorization for this position
        • A background check will be required for employment in this position
        • FLSA: Exempt (Not Eligible for Overtime)
        • Retirement Eligibility: Defined Contributions ImmediatelyPurdue University Fort Wayne seeks to develop and nurture its diversity. Purdue Fort Wayne is committed to maintaining an inclusive community that recognizes and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person; fosters tolerance, sensitivity, understanding, and mutual respect. Purdue Fort Wayne is an EEO/AA employer fully committed to achieving a diverse workforce. All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans are encouraged to apply.

Keywords: Purdue University, Fort Wayne , Senior Design Director, Executive , Fort Wayne, Indiana