Job Description:

The Art Director, reporting to the Director of Marketing in the Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM), is responsible for producing best-in-class, innovative and impactful marketing materials and branding solutions for the Institution. In this capacity, the Art Director plays a pivotal role in OCM's efforts to consistently demonstrate the value and excellence of the University at Albany, to help increase enrollment, and to enhance the reputation of UAlbany and its students, faculty, researchers, and leaders.

The Art Director works collaboratively with and within a high-performing, full-service marketing team, as well as with faculty and staff across schools and colleges, departments, and administrative units - including University leadership and similar stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Serve as OCM's lead in the development and management of visual and design strategy, creative direction, review and approval processes, production oversight, and project management of all design work coming into and out of the Marketing office.
  • On behalf of OCM, serve as the campus's resident expert and trusted voice in graphic design and art direction.
  • Build and maintain good working relationships with all OCM marketing clients.
  • Maintain active engagement with OCM's project management tools and processes ensuring design projects are scoped, tracked, and delivered with professionalism and precision.
  • Proactively respond to all design requests in a professional and timely manner.
  • Manage the full production lifecycle with external vendors, from creating and submitting bids/RFQs through delivery/mailing.
  • Maintain an up-to-date understanding of the University's rules and policies surrounding purchasing and procurement as it relates to the bidding process and working with external vendors.
  • Maintain the existing file management system, ensuring all work is organized and saved correctly on OCM servers.
• Design, create, and present a wide variety of effective executions and strategically driven concepts that resonate with specific audiences and work to achieve institutional goals.
  • Design and manage the production of a wide range of marketing materials, including but not limited to multi-page brochures and annual reports, multi-channel marketing campaign assets (e.g., digital ads for display and social, print ads, out-of-home), digital newsletters, letterheads, and email templates.
  • Collaborate closely with the Director of Marketing and the OCM teams responsible for digital media, web, social media, copywriting, and communications to align messaging, campaigns and content.
  • Partner with campus constituents - including those with marketing knowledge and those without - to produce marketing materials that meet their needs while supporting strategic priorities.
  • Ensure that all work meets or exceeds the requirements set forth in Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and SUNY's Electronic & Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Policy.
• Own and uphold brand standards and lead their implementation to deliver consistency across all projects, whether OCM- or client-led.
  • Serve as the university's brand ambassador and always set the standard for brand excellence.
  • Champion the correct use of University logos, colors, fonts, etc. in all interactions with vendors and clients across all units, including those outside of OCM's direct purview.
  • Proactively enforce the brand standards across the institution by rejecting non-compliant design submissions or requests and offering proposed solutions that work for all parties.
  • Own the enterprise-wide installation of the Canva template system, from licensing and administration to template creation, ongoing maintenance, and submission review, ensuring brand-compliant design tools are accessible to the entire university community.
  • Lead presentations and educational sessions to the University's Communicators Network on various design-related topics, including brand guidelines, design trends, internal processes, available resources, etc.
• Other reasonable duties as assigned.

Functional and Supervisory Relationships:

• Reports to Director of Marketing, Communications, and Marketing.
• Supervises the following positions: No current supervisory responsibilities; may oversee staff or interns in the future.

Job Requirements:

• Ability to design and manage the production of a wide range of materials, including but not limited to multi-page brochures and annual reports, multi-channel marketing campaign assets (e.g., digital ads for display and social, print ads, out-of-home), digital newsletters, letterheads, and email templates.
• Must be able to work independently and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Must be comfortable making autonomous decisions while also knowing when it is time to move "up the chain".
• Must have the ability and fortitude to strictly but professionally enforce brand standards.
• Must possess the ability to work quickly and effectively under tight and competing deadlines.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills.
• A strong desire to stay up to date on design trends and best practices.
• Strong working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook), and Canva (enterprise-wide management experience preferred).
• Familiarity with the following tools (or similar): Microsoft Smartsheets, Watchfire/IgniteOPx CMS, Visix, Slate CRM, MailChimp.
• An understanding of how to apply brand standards within and across a large, decentralized organization.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to develop inclusive and equitable relationships within our diverse campus community.
• Applicants must demonstrate an ability to support diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and belonging relative to their role.

Requirements:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, marketing, communications, or related field from a college or University accredited by the US Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.
• 8 to 10 years of progressively responsible experience in a senior graphic design role.
• Applicant must possess and share a robust portfolio demonstrating extensive experience designing and managing the production of a wide range of materials, including but not limited to multi-page brochures and annual reports, multi-channel marketing campaign assets (e.g., digital ads for display and social, print ads, out-of-home), digital newsletters, letterheads, and email templates.
• Experience adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA, as well as accessibility best practices in print (e.g., data visualization, color, font, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in higher education marketing or a similarly complex, mission-driven environment.
• Experience managing an enterprise-wide installation of Canva or a similar design templating tool.

Working Environment:

• Typical office environment

Additional Information:

This is a promotional opportunity for current UAlbany employees.

Eligibility for Consideration:

• You must be employed at the University at Albany campus.
• You must be in a State-funded UUP professional position (MC employees are not eligible).
• You must have a permanent, term, or probationary appointment. Only temporary employees employed by UAlbany for three or more consecutive years can be considered eligible.

For details concerning the University's Promotion Policy for Professional Employees, please see HR Memorandum 88-4.

Professional Rank and Salary Grade: Associate director of community relations, SL4, $85,000-95,000.

Special Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. If you currently need sponsorship or will need it in the future to maintain employment authorization, you do not meet eligibility requirements.

Please apply online via http://albany.interviewexchange.com/candapply.jsp?JOBID=201726

Application Instructions:

Applicants MUST submit the following documents:

• Resume
• Cover letter stating all the required minimum qualifications and any of the applicable preferred qualifications
• List of 3 professional references with e-mail addresses and telephone numbers
• Portfolio

Note: After submitting your resume, the subsequent pages give you instructions for uploading additional documents (i.e. cover letter etc.).

See the FAQ for using our online system. Please contact us if you need assistance applying through this website.

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Closing date for receipt of applications: July 3.