Director of Creative Services

Miami University is looking for its next creative services leader. Under the general guidance of the Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications, the Director of Creative Services will lead the creative team and directly impact the University’s brand to help elevate it to a national level. The Director of Creative Services is a versatile manager who transitions well from managing the creative staff daily to providing vision and creative direction. From concept development to the partner pitch, to storyboarding and creative briefs, to maintaining project goals and standards, to successfully launch and publishing, to measuring success and gathering insights, the creative director must connect the creative vision to every step of a project for everyone involved in the project.

The Director of Creative Services will supervise graphic/web designers, photographers, and videographers and work closely with copywriters and other communicators. The successful candidate must ensure that the creative team meets deadlines consistently. As a professional, the Director of Creative Services knows how to balance excellence and timelines and will motivate the creative team to exceed expectations from partners across the University.

● Serve as a strong brand and creative ambassador to the university community, speaking, writing, engaging with campus partners, and creating ongoing reference materials on how to best leverage the strength of the Miami University brand with thought-leadership, training, tips, and best practices.
● Lead as the authority and steward of the university’s visual brand identity and brand guidelines, ensuring they are consistently applied and integrated into myriad use cases, applications, projects, and campaigns across the institution.
● Oversee the review process for materials created both internally and externally.
● Develop effective strategies to educate and inform internal and external stakeholders on brand standards, promoting visual and identity guidelines, and ensuring guidelines are up-to-date and responsive to university needs including but not limited to: signage/wayfinding; Athletics; official groups and affiliate organizations; environmental graphics; retail/licensed products.
● Develop and manage a system of internal approvals and feedback to ensure each designer’s work is vetted at the appropriate levels.
● Assign and direct work of senior and junior designers to ensure that the team is producing superior creative work, including providing creative direction, training, and coaching, and following up on work results.
● Lead the creative development process within UCM according to creative briefs and marketing strategies.
● Direct creative workflow process.
● Ensure that each project has the right resources (human and financial), so the team can execute appropriately.
● Attend creative presentations with University partners to explain the creative angle and rationale for each project or campaign.
● Collaborate with the design team and other University Communications and Marketing areas to ensure that all creative ideas are appropriately vetted.
● Partner with different departments and offices within UCM to ensure that clients receive the creative solutions they need.
● Identify/supervise freelancers and other UCM vendors when building capacity is required.
● Manage all the creative aspects of advertising campaigns and programs.
● Foster a climate of creativity and collaboration where great ideas can flourish.
● Integrate creative strategies with marketing plans.
● Moderate brainstorming sessions.
● Act as chief art director.

● Bachelor's degree (BFA, multimedia, graphic design) or a similar discipline
● At least seven (7) years of experience in a design or creative field with a minimum of four (4) years of supervisory experience (experience may be earned concurrently)
● Fluency in the Adobe Creative Suite and other computer applications.
● Brand management experience.
● A portfolio of creative work across multiple media (print, web, digital, traditional).

Miami University, an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer, encourages applications from minorities, women, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Miami University prohibits harassment, discrimination and retaliation on the basis of age (40 years or older), color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin (ancestry), pregnancy, race, religion, sex/gender, status as a parent or foster parent, sexual orientation, or protected veteran status in its application and admission processes, educational programs and activities, facilities, programs or employment practices. Requests for reasonable accommodations for disabilities related to employment should be directed to ADAFacultyStaff@miamioh.edu or 513-529-3560.

As part of the University’s commitment to maintaining a healthy and safe living, learning, and working environment, we encourage you to read Miami University’s Annual Security & Fire Safety Report at: http://www.MiamiOH.edu/campus-safety/annual-report/index.html, which contains information about campus safety, crime statistics, and our drug and alcohol abuse and prevention program designed to prevent the unlawful possession, use, and distribution of drugs and alcohol on campus and at university events and activities. This report also contains information on programs and policies designed to prevent and address sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Each year, email notification of this website is made to all faculty, staff, and enrolled students. Written notification is also provided to prospective students and employees. Hard copies of the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report may be obtained from the Miami University Police Department at (513) 529-2223.