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Creative Director & Senior Designer Marketing & Communication

Openings: 1

Description

Gustavus Adolphus College seeks an accomplished, strategically minded Creative Director & Senior Designer to lead creative direction across the institution. The successful candidate will demonstrate an ability and eagerness to dive into our creative and brand needs, helping us elevate our Gustavus identity and brand through design and marketing opportunities across our region. This position is key to furthering the College’s marketing and communication objectives, including student enrollment, engaging Alumni and donors, and amplifying the energy across campus.

This is a newly created role for Gustavus — historically, brand standards were set by an outside agency and upheld internally through art direction and production design. This new position will set the creative vision in partnership with outside agencies and carry it through to concept development and design across numerous touchpoints, ensuring visual and strategic consistency that meets the College’s goals.

The Creative Director & Senior Designer is both a hands‑on designer and a creative leader. You will originate campaign concepts, set the visual and video vision for the institution, and ensure brand consistency across a wide range of outputs and partners. A typical year will include projects such as multi‑channel campaigns, publications, display graphics and beyond, so digital and video design fluency is essential . This is not a production role; it's a role for someone who understands how design and creative fuel institutional goals like enrollment and advancement, and is confident in current creative and cultural trends to influence others.

Employment Status: Full-Time (1.0 FTE), Exempt (Salaried), Benefits Eligible

Salary Range: $65,000-$80,000

*Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position*

Main Responsibilities:

Creative Leadership & Brand Vision

• Lead, steward, and champion the Gustavus brand. Serve as the creative authority for Gustavus Adolphus College, setting and championing a unified creative vision across all brand expressions.
• Lead the development of campaign concepts from idea to execution, translating institutional priorities into compelling creative work in partnership with creative agencies.
• Establish and evolve visual identity and brand standards, building on and extending the foundation set by prior external agency partners.
• Act as a trusted creative partner to leadership and department leads across campus.
• Set the vision for video and motion content, ensuring it aligns with the broader brand and creative strategy.

Design Direction & Quality

• Personally lead high-priority brand design work while directing the overall quality and consistency of design output across the team.
• Support visual identity for Gustavus.edu
• Review and approve creative work across marketing needs of other departments to ensure a cohesive brand experience.
• Maintain and evolve brand guidelines, templates, and creative systems that scale across departments and channels.

Strategy & Business Impact

• Bring a discerning eye to every project, balancing craft with strategic intent. Understand and articulate how creative and design decisions drive institutional outcomes, including enrollment, advancement, and brand awareness. Partner with the CMO and marketing leadership to align creative output with broader marketing and institutional strategy.
• Contribute a strategic point of view to planning conversations, not just execution.
• Support and provide creative direction to the social media, video, website, admission, and advancement teams, helping shape their work at a strategic and visual level.
• Manage relationships with outside creative vendors — agencies, production companies, and freelance talent — ensuring their output meets brand and quality standards and stays ahead of design, video, and cultural trends.
• Provide project coordination for design projects not managed by another member of the Marketing and Communication team.
• Work with print and mail services to ensure completion of designed pieces. Serve as an active member of the Marketing and Communication team and work collaboratively to ensure an integrated approach to brand and positioning for the college.

Other duties as assigned.

Prerequisites

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Fine Arts, or a related field; equivalent professional experience considered.
• 7+ years of professional design experience, including experience leading brand or creative direction (agency, in‑house, or a mix of both).
• A portfolio demonstrating strong conceptual thinking, campaign development, and design craft.
• Demonstrated experience setting or upholding brand standards across multiple channels and audiences.
• Experience directing or collaborating closely on video and motion content. Excellent presentation and communication skills; ability to build trust and influence across departments without formal authority over them.
• Strategic thinker who can connect design decisions to business and institutional goals.
• Comfortable working cross‑functionally in a collaborative, deadline‑driven environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite
• Experience managing or directing external creative vendors, including agencies and production partners.
• Strong creative concepting skills for motion and video, with experience leading the creative vision and collaborating with outsourced motion designers through execution.
• Experience in higher education, nonprofit, or other mission‑driven marketing environments.
• Experience building or maturing a creative function within an organization (rather than only working within an established one).
• Experience mentoring or providing creative direction to social and video specialists.

This is a hybrid position, with a mix of on‑campus work and flexibility for remote work. Specific hybrid arrangements are established in coordination with the supervisor and subject to departmental needs.

Gustavus offers competitive and comprehensive benefits which include:

• Medical insurance (which includes access to Nice Healthcare) as well as dental, vision, and life insurance
• Workplace accommodations for physical or mental health concerns
• Onsite health services
• Free parking, exercise classes, and use of library and athletic facilities
• Paid parental leave
• Employer contribution to retirement savings plan (after one year of employment)
• Tuition benefit plan for employees and spouse

Gustavus Adolphus College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status in its education or employment programs or activities.

Gustavus Adolphus College is one of the nation’s leading private liberal arts colleges serving approximately 1,800 students. The College aspires to be a community of persons from diverse backgrounds who respect and affirm the dignity of all people. Known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study‑away, and service‑learning programs, Gustavus is located on a scenic 340-acre hill in St. Peter, Minnesota only one hour southwest of the Twin Cities.