Assistant Director of Graphic Design

Assistant Director of Graphic Design Location Lynchburg, VA : Reporting to the Senior Associate Director of Creative, the Assistant Director of Graphic Design position will serve as the creative lead and manager for Student Life's printed and digital design initiatives supporting ResLife, Housing, Commuter Life, GradLife, and Online Life. The Assistant Director will assist in managing a team of creative student workers, providing mentorship and practical guidance to execute a variety of digital, print-based, and event-related materials. The Assistant Director will also work collaboratively with other key creative positions within the Student Life Creative Team to create unified asset packages and campaigns for the various teams within Student Life. The ideal candidate has a strong background in creative design, is motivated to explore and research industry best practices, and functions effectively in a highly collaborative environment.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Graphic Design Planning

  • Develop content strategies designed to improve graphic design effectiveness and implementation for targeted current student populations.
  • Research existing and emerging technologies, processes, products, services, and leading industry performance benchmarks as it pertains to graphic design.
  • Collaborate with other creative leads within the Student Life creative team to unify creative output.
  • Liaise with the various directors and teams within Student Life to develop and carry out department goals within a graphic design and visual context.
• Graphic Design Content Creation
  • Develop graphic asset suites and unified campaign strategies for execution by creative student workers
  • Oversee graphic design driven content creation by creative student workers
  • Design assets, elements, and projects as needed
  • Curate pre-made graphic assets, photos, and other materials for internal usage.
• Mentor a team of Creative Assistant (graphic design) student workers.
  • Meet regularly to develop team members.
  • Resource team members with any issues encountered, or questions that arise.
  • Provides feedback on graphic design contributions, helping team members to further develop and improve their creative skills as they work to execute OSL project directives.
• Partnership Development and Management
  • Actively build and maintain partnerships with Liberty's internal print shop as well as externally utilized creative vendors
  • Develop talent flow for future graphic design student workers, centering on collaboration with Liberty's Studio and Digital Arts department
  • Oversee and develop strategic partnerships with Liberty University Marketing as needed, as well as other design-focused creative teams within Liberty University
• Work effectively as a team member, embracing and fostering LU's mission.
• Other Duties as Assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

This position does not directly supervise any positions, though a high level of mentorship and guidance for a team of creative student workers is required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS

Minimum Qualifications

• Education

  • Completed bachelor's degree

• Experience

  • 2 years of professional graphic design related work experience, or experience in adjacent creative fields
  • A strong working knowledge of design techniques and programs, centering on the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education
  • Bachelor's degree in design, communications, or relevant field of study preferred.
• Experience
  • Design management experience
  • Experience with Motion Graphic Design
  • Experience adapting designs for physical, digital, and event-focused applications
  • Experience with BX/CX/UX oriented design

ABILITIES AND COMPETENCIES ESSENTIAL TO THE FUNCTION OF THE JOB

Communication

• Effectively communicates in both verbal and written forms to convey clear, well-articulated information.

• Able to understand, speak, and write English in order to convey messages and correspond in an articulate and professional manner.

• Demonstrates strong organization, project management, and managerial skills.
• Possesses excellent computer skills, necessary for Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Suite.

Initiative & Work Ethic

• Task oriented and dedicated, meets deadlines while going the extra mile and producing quality work products.

• Anticipates needs and takes steps to meet those needs before they crop up, taking a proactive and intentional approach to their duties.

Leadership & People Skills

• Sincere and affable, is able to build relational rapport quickly, establishing productive relationships across a variety of departments and contexts.

• Develops priorities for their team, and provides tangible steps and tasks to enable their team to achieve these priorities.

• Trains, develops, and stewards the personnel resources of their team to improve the team's overall skillsets and contributions.
• Intentional to show care for others, exhibiting intentionality, conscientiousness, and emotional intelligence in interpersonal interactions.

Organization

• Detail-oriented, catching and fixing small errors and details in both visual and written communications and content.
• Manages their own schedule, project timelines, as well as the schedules of their team with punctuality and proactivity.

Physical and Sensory Abilities

• Frequently required to travel to local and campus locations.

• Frequently required to sit for extended periods to perform deskwork or type on a keyboard.

• Regularly required to hear and speak in order to effectively communicate and review Creative Team media content.
• Occasionally required to stand, walk, and climb stairs to move about the building.
• Handle materials, reach overhead, kneel or stoop in order to conduct business.
• Regularly lift 20 or fewer pounds.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work Environment

The working environment in which one will typically perform the essential functions of this position is in an office setting. However, work frequently occurs in a variety of other settings; including, but not limited to, residence halls, warehouses, and outdoor activities.

Driving Requirements

Use of one's personal vehicle (or LU vehicles) may be required for travel in the performance of the essential functions of this position. Proof of a valid Virginia driver's license, an acceptable DMV record, and liability insurance is required.