Department: Marketing & Communications Salary: 

Description:

The Assistant Director of Creative Services leads the university's visual and multimedia creative strategy, ensuring all enrollment and brand-related materials meet UHCL's quality and identity standards. The role oversees day-to-day operations of the Creative Services team, including the senior graphic designer, and manages design, photography, video, and vendor production workflows. The position provides creative direction, quality control, and process oversight from concept through delivery. The position ensures UHCL's marketing materials are accurate, consistent, and effective in supporting institutional goals.

Duties:

• Translates marketing objectives into creative strategies, guides creative projects and directs the overall quality of work produced by University Marketing and Communications (UMC), including design, photography, and video.
• Develops design specifications for projects and leads the quality assurance process for all creative deliverables, including press checks, proof reviews, and vendor coordination to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and brand consistency. Contributes direct design work for high-visibility or complex projects requiring advanced creative or technical expertise.
• Leads the day-to-day operations of the Creative Services team, including designers and multimedia staff. Oversees workflows in the project management system to ensure all projects have clear timeliness, assigned responsibilities, version histories, and document approvals.
• Ensures design, photography, and video solutions align with university brand standards and messaging strategy. Collaborates with internal partners to maintain visual and narrative consistency across all marketing channels.
• Works with UMC team to develop innovative ways to translate stories and institutional priorities into visually compelling multimedia content for print and digital platforms.
• Develops image assets, templates and design systems that improve efficiency, ensure consistent branding, and enhance creative quality and productivity.
• Onboards, supervises, and evaluates professional staff, including graphic designers and the Senior Multimedia Producer, to align with department goals and objectives. Performs related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

1. Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Digital Media, Marketing, Advertising, or related field.
2. Minimum five years of progressive experience in graphic design, creative services, or multimedia production, including demonstrated skills in brand management, creative strategy and production oversight.
3. Minimum three years of supervisory experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, Digital Media, Marketing, Advertising, or related field.
• Experience leading a creative team; supervising designers and multimedia staff; managing workflows, approvals, vendors, and quality-control processes; and producing creative assets for marketing, enrollment, or brand initiatives.
• Five years of supervisory experience.
• Professional certifications in Adobe Creative Suite, multimedia production, project management, or related creative/technical areas (e.g., Adobe Certified Professional, PMP, Agile certification).

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of publication design, print production, photography, video production, advertising, and marketing.
• Knowledge of marketing and advertising principles with a proven track record of fostering creativity and collaboration across multiple mediums.
• Knowledge of the video and photography production process, including planning, direction, scheduling, and post-production review.
• Skills in creative campaign development and implementation that integrate design, photo, and video assets.
• Skills in brand development, activation, and visual storytelling.
• Skills in Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, and Acrobat), and with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and staff while fostering accountability, quality, and timeliness.
• Strong organizational, workflow, and project management skills, including the ability to develop, document, and enforce approval processes.
• Demonstrated artistic and strategic vision with the ability to take projects from concept to completion while maintaining accuracy and meeting deadlines.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.