Job Description:

The Director of Creative Services provides strategic creative leadership across print, digital, web, social media, environmental, and branded applications. This role is responsible for conceptualization and implementation of design solutions for a wide range of digital and print collateral/assets that meet marketing strategies from concept to completion while being on brand, on time, and on budget.

This position plays a lead role in developing integrated communications and ensuring compliance with College brand standards, collaborating with marketing, communications, content, digital, photography, and campus stakeholders to translate strategic goals into effective visual communications.

This role oversees creative professionals, assigning and directing work to ensure high-quality work that meets the goals and objectives of deliverables.

This role works closely with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications to optimize the design and use of The College of Wooster brand to a wide variety of targeted audiences, establish creative priorities, strengthen the College's brand presence, and improve creative processes.

Essential Departmental Duties and Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with leadership to create annual marketing/communications plans, establish priorities, and identify creative strategies that advance College goals.
• Determines and creates designs for annual Admission and Advancement campaigns, Athletics creative and marketing initiatives, major College events and endeavors, and provides tools for general campus creative needs to ensure College brand standards are achieved.
• Leads and contributes to the visual direction, user experience, content presentation, accessibility, and brand consistency of the College's digital platforms and website in collaboration with digital, content, and marketing colleagues.
• Directs the creative workflow processes, including project intake, prioritization, scheduling, checking for accuracy of all formats and print proofs, and keeping records and archives consistent with department protocols.
• Serves as lead brand manager, providing input and ensuring established styles, fonts, logos, and marks are implemented consistently and with the highest level of design integrity. Ensures the identity guidelines are current and responsive to the College's needs. Creates templates and reference materials to support consistent use of brand. Reviews and approves licensed College-branded merchandise and artwork, including bookstore products, promotional items, and athletic uniforms, to ensure compliance with brand standards and visual identity guidelines.
• Works collaboratively with and serves as the main point of contact for print and merchandise vendors and creative freelancers, assuring accuracy, quality, and deadlines of project delivery and managing specifications, estimates, production schedules, proofs, and quality control.
• Coordinates all printing production, optimizing quality, cost effectiveness, consistency, production efficiency, and working within established budgets.
• Collaborates with photography, content and digital teams to identify visual needs, provide art direction, and optimize and curate the College's photo assets.
• Assigns and directs work of creative talent to ensure production of high-quality, effective work, including providing direction, training, coaching, and following up on work results. Cultivates and mentors student interns to implement institutional designs and branding.
• Leads and/or participates in planning activities as a member of the Division of Marketing and Communications and acts as team lead for a variety of projects.
• Stays current with industry standards and trends related to design, digital, accessibility, production, technology, and higher education marketing - as well as industry tools and issues.
• This job has supervisory responsibilities for the creative team and student interns. Responsibilities include training and mentoring creative employees and student interns; planning, assigning, and directing work; providing feedback and professional development; and approving timesheets. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the College's policies and applicable laws.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in graphic design, art, visual communications, marketing or related design field and a minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in graphic design, creative services, brand management, or visual communications within an in-house marketing and communications office, agency, higher education institution, or similarly complex organization.
• Demonstrated experience leading and project managing creative and integrated communications projects from concept through execution across print and digital channels, with a strong understanding of brand development, implementation, and stewardship.
• Demonstrated experience providing creative direction, managing complex workflows, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and supervising, coaching, or developing professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience with design software, project management software and digital asset management systems

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Skills:

• A portfolio demonstrating outstanding written, verbal, and communication skills, and ability to present ideas in a clear and concise manner.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Ability to build consensus across stakeholder groups and to work collaboratively as part of project teams made up of constituents across the College.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks while maintaining close attention to detail and timeliness of work production.
• Brand management experience.
• Experience with mailing requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to use sound judgement in decision making and problem solving with strong organizational skills.
• Available to work a non-standard schedule in order to fulfill assigned duties and responsibilities around signature events.

Knowledge:

• Demonstrated proficiency with Adobe Creative Cloud, with significant daily experience using Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
• Demonstrated proficiency with project management software (e.g., Monday.com, Trello) and digital asset management systems (e.g., Photoshelter)
• Experience with CRM/CMS platforms (e.g., Hubspot)
• Experience with Slate a plus

Abilities:

• Acknowledge and comply with all departmental SOP, safety, and College requirements.
• Strong professional ethics and discretion with an attitude of respect for all employed at The College of Wooster and commitment to The College of Wooster's mission, vision, and values.

Application Instructions:

For highest consideration please submit a resume, cover letter, portfolio, and a list of 3 professional references which includes name, telephone number and email address.