Director of Graphic Design (HR Title:Graphic Designer II)

Director Of Graphic Design

This role is an on-campus, in-person position. The Director of Graphic Design will lead the development of visual branding and design content for the athletics department. This position will oversee the creation of social media design, recruiting graphics, campaign branding, print collateral and digital assets while helping establish and maintain a cohesive visual identity across all sports and platforms. The ideal candidate is a highly creative designer with strong typography, layout and branding skills who thrives in a collaborative, fast-paced athletics environment.
Essential Functions:
Lead the creation of graphic design content for athletics department platforms and campaigns.
Design social media graphics, recruiting graphics, branding systems and marketing collateral.
Assist with photography for recruit shoots, games, and various athletic events as needed.
Assist and support student graphic designers and assistant director of graphic design.
Collaborate with the rest of the creative team and other departments to ensure cohesive storytelling and branding.
Position requires regular evening and weekend work for home game-day coverage that could fall on nights, weekends, and holidays. Position requires occasional travel as needed for game-day and championship coverage.
Qualifications:
Education and Experience: A Bachelor's degree is required, preferably in Graphic Design, Marketing, or a related field. A minimum of 2 (two) years of experience in graphic design is required. Experience working in a DI Power 4 college athletics department preferred.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Candidate must demonstrate strong interpersonal and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate broadly across the University and develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of constituencies. Must also demonstrate strong written communication skills. A strong customer service orientation is essential. Candidate must possess strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify and analyze problems, as well as devise solutions. Must also have strong organizational, planning and time management skills. Candidate must possess working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite platforms including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Lightroom.
Physical and Environmental Demands: Sit for long periods of time Drives motorized equipment
Deadline to Apply: July 10, 2026 Priority consideration may be given to submissions received by June 30, 2026. EEO Statement SMU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. Benefits: SMU offers staff a broad, competitive array of health and related benefits. In addition to traditional benefits such as health, dental, and vision plans, SMU offers a wide range of wellness programs to help attract, support, and retain our employees whose work continues to make SMU an outstanding education and research institution. SMU is committed to providing an array of retirement programs that benefit and protect you and your family throughout your working years at SMU and, if you meet SMU's retirement eligibility criteria, during your retirement years after you leave SMU. The value of learning at SMU isn't just about preparing our students for the future. Employees have access to a wide variety of professional and personal development opportunities, including tuition benefits.