Executive Director of Graphic Design

Required License/Registration/Certification
None

Physical Requirements
Sitting for long periods of time; Standard for office work

Shift
Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, with flexibility for additional evening, weekend, holiday hours as needed

Job Summary
Shape the Visual Identity of One of Kentucky’s Leading Institutions

The University of Kentucky is seeking an

Executive Director of Graphic Design

to lead enterprise-wide graphic design services within the

Division of Marketing & Strategic Communication .

This leadership role guides the creative vision, operations, and delivery of graphic design services across the university. Working with teams embedded throughout colleges, administrative units, UK HealthCare, and Athletics, the Executive Director will ensure design work is strategically aligned, visually consistent, and reflective of the university’s mission and brand.

What You’ll Do

Establish and lead the university’s graphic design strategy and visual standards

Serve as the senior authority for design quality, brand integrity, and creative execution

Provide direction and final review for high-profile and strategically important projects

Lead, mentor, and develop a distributed team of approximately 30 designers

Oversee project intake, workflow management, prioritization, and resource allocation

Manage design service operations, performance metrics, budgeting, and process improvements

Partner with campus leaders to align creative initiatives with institutional priorities

Promote enterprise-wide consistency through governance, standards, and best practices

What You’ll Bring

Extensive experience in graphic design leadership, brand management, and creative direction

Strong leadership and talent development skills

Experience managing creative teams and large-scale design operations

Ability to balance strategic vision with operational execution

Strong project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills

Experience implementing processes that improve efficiency, quality, and service delivery

8 years of related experience

What’s In It for You

Meaningful impact: Shape how the university presents itself to audiences across Kentucky and beyond

Executive leadership opportunity: Influence brand strategy and creative direction at an enterprise level

Creative influence: Lead high-visibility projects across academics, healthcare, athletics, and administration

Collaborative environment: Partner with communicators, marketers, designers, and university leaders

Why Now?
The university has recently brought together marketing and communications professionals under a more unified structure, creating an opportunity to strengthen creative consistency and maximize the impact of design resources across the institution.

This role will help establish a shared vision for graphic design services while building the systems, standards, and team culture needed to support a unified brand experience. Your leadership will influence how millions of people experience and understand the University of Kentucky every year.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities

Strong graphic design knowledge and visual communication skills

Ability to provide creative direction and evaluate design quality

Brand stewardship and visual identity management

Leadership, coaching, and development of creative professionals

Ability to review, critique and elevate the work of others

Strategic thinking and sound decision-making

Project prioritization and workflow management

Strong communication and relationship-building skills

Ability to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders and teams

Experience managing multiple priorities in a complex environment

Knowledge of accessibility, usability and contemporary design best practices

Does this position have supervisory responsibilities?
Yes

Preferred Education/Experience
Experience leading creative teams, design operations or major creative initiatives within a complex organization. Demonstrated ability to establish and uphold brand standards, provide creative direction, evaluate design quality and guide the work of other creative professionals. Experience managing multiple priorities, clients or stakeholder groups simultaneously. Experience in higher education, healthcare, athletics, nonprofit, agency, corporate, governmental, or similarly complex environments is preferred.

Deadline to Apply
08/18/2026

Our University Community
We value the well-being of each of our employees and are dedicated to creating a healthy place for everyone to work, learn and live. In the interest of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for our students, employees, patients and visitors, the University of Kentucky is a Tobacco & Drug Free campus.

The University follows both the federal and state Constitutions as well as all applicable federal and state laws on nondiscrimination. The University provides equal opportunities for qualified persons in all aspects of institutional operations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnic origin, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, veteran status, uniformed service, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, marital status, genetic information or social or economic status.

Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.

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