S06598P

Creative Design Specialist

DAR-Communications

The University of Georgia (UGA), a land-grant and sea-grant university with statewide commitments and responsibilities, is the state’s oldest, most comprehensive, and most diversified institution of higher education (https://www.uga.edu/). UGA is currently ranked among the top 15 public universities in U.S. News & World Report. The University’s main campus is located in Athens, approximately 65 miles northeast of Atlanta, with extended campuses in Atlanta, Griffin, Gwinnett, and Tifton. UGA was founded in 1785 by the Georgia General Assembly as the first state-chartered University in the country. UGA employs approximately 1,800 full-time instructional faculty and more than 7,700 full-time staff. The University’s enrollment exceeds 39,000 students including over 30,000 undergraduates and over 9,000 graduate and professional students. Academic programs reside in 18 schools and colleges, as well as a medical partnership with Augusta University housed on the UGA Health Sciences Campus in Athens.

Division of Development and Alumni RelationsThe Division of Development and Alumni Relations at the University of Georgia advances the goals, objectives and priorities of the university by generating private financial support, building and maintaining relationships with alumni and donors, and assisting students with career development opportunities. Development and Alumni Relations’ Office of CommunicationsWe serve as an in-house marketing agency for the Development & Alumni Relations division (DAR) at the University of Georgia. Twice a year, we plan. The rest of the time, we design mailers, build websites, write, film, photograph, tweet, and a lot more. Collaboration is how we do our best work. White-boarding and idea-bouncing get us going. Data and analytics teach us how to do better next time. We love to learn from one another. We often partner with the Marketing & Communications division and build templates and tools to help all schools, colleges, and units with development and alumni relations. We streamline. And dot-connect. And always do our best to consider our audiences’ perspectives. We’re always searching for new ways – more creative ways – to reach our alumni and donors. To help our division achieve its mission and help every DAR unit achieve its goals.

https://give.uga.edu/ and https://dar.uga.edu/ and https://dar.uga.edu/communications/ and https://alumni.uga.edu

External

TRS or ORP

Employee

Benefits Eligible

Full Time

8:00am-5:00pm; Must be willing and able to work evenings and weekends as necessary

$45,000+ commensurate with qualifications and experience

08/04/2021

Yes

09/01/2021

Athens Area

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. Persons needing accommodations or assistance with the accessibility of materials related to this search are encouraged to contact Central HR (hrweb@uga.edu).

Technical Design Professional

Exempt

1.00

Requires at least a baccalaureate degree in the field. Please contact your Human Resources office for an evaluation of education/experience in lieu of the required minimum qualifications.

• Graduation from an accredited college or university in graphic design or a closely related field and 2-5 years of previous graphic design experience; or any equivalent combination of training and experience
• Experience working within brand guidelines
• Attention to detail a must
• Experience working with print vendors
• Must be fluent with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop
• Ability to manage time and adhere to deadlines is critical
• Must be comfortable receiving feedback and staying solution-focused
• Experience with building motion graphics in After Affects a plus
• Experience with video editing in Premiere Pro a plus
• Knowledge of CSS, JavaScript or other web programming a plus
• Some photography experience a plus

This position reports to the Creative Director who leads the creative direction for all of Development and Alumni Relations (DAR), and s/he will work closely with other Creative Design Specialists in the unit.
This position provides graphic design for Annual Giving, Student Alumni Programs, and some general Alumni needs. This work includes mailers, event collateral, signage, digital advertising, and social media graphics.
This position ensures all of his/her design work complies with the visual identity and branding of the University of Georgia as well was the Division of Development and Alumni Relations. S/he develops word marks that accompany the UGA logo to identify and brand specific units within Development & Alumni Relations for specific programs and events. This includes working with the Creative Design Specialists and Creative Director to set rules for the usage of these branding elements to ensure a consistent look and feel. In addition, this position helps brainstorm new communication strategies and tactics to make the work of DAR more effective.
This position is critical to help the division of Development & Alumni Relations create and implement a consistent, branded communication plan. This helps to ensure that alumni and donors recognize UGA communication instantly, and it makes our communication more effective.

• Self-starter, takes initiative, and can work independently as well as in a team environment
• Ability to navigate complex projects and ensure they are completed on deadline
• Ability to collaborate with others and enlist buy-in from different groups
• Exemplary communications skills (both written and verbal)
• Organizational skills and ability to multitask
• Demonstrates a commitment to outstanding customer service
• Knowledge of the design/printing process; experience working with print shops
• Must be thoroughly fluent with InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
• Experience with image/photo editing and retouching required
• Exhibits behavior that supports the mission, vision, and values of the University of Georgia
• Communicates and employs interpersonal actions that model high standards of professional, responsible, accountable, and ethical conduct

• Through open, honest, and respectful communication, all staff, supervisors, and colleagues of the Division of Development & Alumni Relations are expected to interact with fairness, compassion, and decency. All employees will be held accountable for meeting the expectation of promoting a stable, productive, and healthy work environment.
• Adherence to CASE standards and commonly accepted industry standards relating to fundraising reporting are expected of all fundraisers. All fundraisers will be held accountable for meeting this expectation.

• Some after-hours work and/or traveling
• Work in a standard office environment
• Sit and work at a computer workstation for extended periods of time
• Work using electronic mail, telephone, face-to-face discussions, paper form correspondence
• Communicate effectively in writing, speaking, and listening
• Organize and establish priorities; Remember detail; Multi-task
• Lift and/or move up to 20 pounds
• Walk, stand, stoop, lift, kneel, climb

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Be advised a credit check will be required for all positions with financial responsibilities. For additional information about the credit check criteria, visit the UGA Credit Background Check website.

Provide graphic design for Division of Alumni and Development Units

• Design artwork for assigned units within the division in collaboration with creative director, communication team, digital team.
  • Alumni Relations (Student Engagement)
  • Annual Giving
  • DARCOMM Digital Miscellaneous Needs

• Plan and execute design strategy for publications, websites, and social media.
• Manage visual identity of assigned units in alignment with campaign and university guidelines.
• For new projects, contribute to creative process including concepting meetings with assigned units, team brainstorming, and presentations.
• For recurring projects, lead the creative process including concepting meetings with assigned units, team brainstorming, and presentations.
• Help build creative briefs and concept plan(s) for units.
• Exercise independence in design execution.
• Ensure final design is up to standards through testing, proofing and press checks.
• Follow DARCOMM’s workflow processes and leverage the project management system to ensure projects are completed efficiently.
• Understand and adhere to deadlines. If a deadline will be missed, communicate in advance to appropriate parties.
• Keep interested parties informed about projects on a regular basis.
• Provide clear communication to assigned units regarding creative vision and strategy.
• Receive and address feedback from unit and DARCOMM team with positive attitude and open-mindedness.
• Present larger design projects to DARCOMM as well as clients articulating rationale for design.
• Lead production for print projects, including vendor selection, spec sheet, estimations, proofing, and press checks when necessary.

60

Collaborate with creative team(s) and DARCOMM colleagues

• Meet weekly with creative team to discuss updates, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration.
• Meet with creative team bimonthly to work on division and university-wide projects including campaign initiatives.
• Build relationships with DARCOMM colleagues to collaborate on projects and jointly recommend creative solutions for our division.
• Provide and receive feedback with positive attitude and open-mindedness for team-level projects.
• Engage in scheduled meetings with open mindedness and creative contribution.

15

Manage design intern

• Hire, manage, and coach design intern each semester.
• Assign intern projects appropriate to their skill set.
• Manage intern tasks in project management system.
• Assess all intern projects for quality before they are submitted to communication coordinators for delivery.
• Provide constructive feedback to help intern with growth and development.
• Facilitate collaboration between interns, other designer, and communication coordinators.

15

Collaborate with DARCOMM team

• For division-wide and special projects, contribute to creative process including concepting meetings, team brainstorming, and presentations.
• Contribute to and in certain projects lead content ideation and development.
• Engage in scheduled DARCOMM team meetings.
• Collaborate with and seek input from Communication team.
  • Meet regularly – formally or informally – with Comm Coordinators to review projects and discuss upcoming projects for assigned units.
  • Support concepting process in the role of designer.
  • Provide input and feedback on copy as it relates to design needs.

• Collaborate with and seek input from Digital team.
  • Meet regularly – formally or informally – with Digital team members to review projects, discuss upcoming projects where Creative team could lead asset creation.

10